MEMORANDUM
TO: Chair
and Members of Development Services Committee
FROM: Jim
Baird, Commissioner, Development Services
Robert Tadmore, Senior
Project Coordinator
DATE: June
15, 2010
RE:
Request by Ms. Olivia Chiu
for a change of address from 4 Glaceport Crescent to 2 Glaceport Crescent
RECOMMENDATION:
That the
request for an address change by Ms. Olivia Chiu from 4 Glaceport Crescent to 2
Glaceport Crescent be denied on the basis that the requested change would not
comply with the Town’s approved street addressing criteria.
BACKGROUND:
Staff
received a request from Ms. Chiu to change the address of her property from 4 Glaceport
Crescent to 2 Glaceport Crescent citing her number 4 address
as having religious and ethnic based concerns. Ms. Chiu’s property is the next
lot in from the corner lot situated south-east of the intersection of Glaceport
Crescent and Heathfield Avenue (see
Appendix’A’). That corner lot is addressed as 7 Heathfield Avenue. In
accordance with addressing policy the address 2 Glaceport Crescent is reserved
as an alternate address for the corner lot in case the owner wishes to
re-address the property.
After reviewing
the requested address change, Staff identified conflicts with the Town’s
“addressing criteria” and denied the request. Ms. Chiu contacted her Ward
Councillor asking for assistance with her address change request. Ms. Chiu has
decided to make a deputation on this matter to Development Services Committee.
Staff
denied the requested address change based on the Council adopted “addressing
criteria” that Staff is required to administer when assigning addresses (see Appendix ‘B’). These criteria were
developed to ensure a coherent and consistent addressing system within the
Town. One of these criteria (# 11) requires the assignment of two addresses to
corner lots, one to be used and one to remain reserved in case it is required
in the future. When Staff assigns an address to a corner lot at the Plan of
Subdivision stage a building permit has not yet been issued and staff is not
aware of the orientation of the home with respect to its front facade. Staff typically
assigns an address along the front lot line (shorter lot frontage), as was the
case for 7 Heathfield Avenue.
2
If,
after construction Staff find that the front entrance of the house is actually
located on the longer frontage and the owner requests an address change, Staff
will re-address the house on to the frontage where the main entrance is located.
This is typically requested by owners because they experience situations where
people have trouble locating the home, as the front entrance does not
correspond to the street address. The address change may also facilitate
emergency response. Staff also reserves the alternate number for corner lots in
case the orientation of the front building facade should change in the future
through either renovation or new construction.
In this
instance the front facade and main entrance to the home at 7 Heathfield Avenue faces
onto Heathfield Avenue, but the Council adopted addressing criteria requires
the reserved address to be held in case it is needed in the future. On this
basis Staff denied Ms. Chiu’s request to use the address 2 Glaceport Crescent. The
current or future owner(s) of 7 Heathfield Avenue should have the option of
changing their address onto Glaceport Crescent if any future changes to the
orientation of the home would necessitate an improved identification of their
property and facilitate emergency response.
Q:\Development\Planning\Teams\Geomatic\admin\memos\Address
Change 4 Glaceport Crescent .doc