Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: September 14, 2010
SUBJECT: INFORMATION
REPORT
Rocco
Sciotti
Zoning Application to
re-zone a portion of 56 Main Street Unionville from Open Space to Residential
File No. ZA 10 118042
PREPARED BY: Peter
Wokral Heritage Planner ext. 7955
RECOMMENDATION:
1)
That the report dated September 14, 2010 entitled “Zoning
application to re-zone a portion of 56 Main Street Unionville from Open Space
to Residential” be received as background to the Public Meeting scheduled for
September 14, 2010;
The purpose
of this report is to provide preliminary information on the application. This report contains general information in
regards to applicable OP, zoning and other policies as well as other issues,
and the report should not be taken as Staff’s opinion or recommendation on the
application.
The
application was received on May 19, 2010 and was deemed to be complete on the
same day.
Authorization
to hold a statutory public meeting with respect to the applications was granted
by the CAO over the 2010 summer recess.
Property is located within the Unionville Heritage
Conservation District
The subject
property, 56 Main Street Unionville is a 0.368 ha (0.909 acres) vacant lot
located on the west side Main St. Unionville south of Highway 7. This is the southernmost property on Main
Street to be included in the Unionville Heritage Conservation District, so it
acts as a gateway property immediately north of the bridge over the Rouge
River. The property contains wooded
valley lands, a portion of the Rouge River, and a relatively small area of
table land located on the north east corner of the lot.
The property is zoned Open Space (O1)
The subject
property is currently zoned O1 (Open Space) which does not permit any
buildings. The applicant wishes to
rezone the entire property, or a portion thereof, to R3 (Single Family
Residential) to permit the construction of a new single detached house.
The subject property is contained within the Markham
Centre Secondary Plan (OPA 21)
The Markham
Centre Secondary Plan designates the northern portion of the subject property
for Medium Density Housing but the southern portion is designated as Hazard
Lands due to the valley and stream.
A residence was formerly located on the subject
property
The property was formerly occupied by single detached
mid 20th century dwelling that was demolished in the year 2000. The Town requested the current owner to
demolish the house because it had become a safety risk after being left vacant
and derelict.
The former
residence on the property was a legal non-conforming use
The subject property has been zoned as Open Space
(O1) since at least 1972. The residence
that existed on the property at that time gained legal non-conforming status as
it was constructed prior to the change in the zoning from Residential to Open
Space. When the house was demolished in
2000, the legal non-conforming status of the property ended. Since the O1 zoning does not permit single
family residences, the owner must now apply to re-zone the property to Single
Family Residential to permit the construction of the proposed single detached
dwelling.
The northern portion of the property is within the
Town’s Special Policy Area
The Town’s
Special Policy Areas are lands within the regulatory flood plain which may be
approved for limited development subject to the policies of the Town’s Official
Plan and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) approval. In the past, both the Town and TRCA have
approved development in Special Policy Areas where it has historically
occurred. The northern portion of the
subject property which includes the table lands is included in the Town’s
Special Policy Area. (See Figure 2)
Site Plan Approval will be required
The property
is located within a Site Plan Control Area and the applicant has also submitted
a Site Plan application. If the zoning
amendment application is approved, the applicant will be required to enter into
a Site Plan agreement, prior to any development.
The Re-zoning
and Site Plan application requires TRCA approval
The subject property is located within the TRCA
screening zone and the Re-zoning and Site Plan application has also been
circulated to the TRCA for review and comments.
In general, the TRCA regulations and policies allow for limited small
scale development in flood plains where it has historically existed. New development is also subject to adequate
flood proofing measures, dedication of identified Hazard and valley lands to
the Town of Markham or the TRCA and maintaining the O1 and Hazard Land
designations of the dedicated lands. As
part of the application process, the TRCA will work with the applicant to
establish the stable Top of Bank, limit of significant vegetation, and meander belt through geo-technical surveys, in order to
establish appropriate setbacks for the proposed new development. The applicant
will have to obtain a TRCA permit prior to commencing any work on the property.
Potential benefits of the approval of the proposal:
Approval of
the Zoning By-law Amendment will facilitate the acquisition of the associated
valley/hazard lands for public use and enjoyment as part of a larger natural
public corridor while restoring this property to its historical residential
use. Also, the site plan process and
Unionville Heritage Conservation District Plan will work in concert to preserve
significant vegetation and foster the construction of an attractive new
dwelling that will complement the newly renovated bridge over the Rouge, and
provide an architectural gateway to the southern limit of the Unionville
Heritage Conservation District.
Concerns/issues to be resolved:
Flood
protection meausures in this Special Policy Area will
be dealt with through the TRCA permit process and the Site Plan agreement. Staff and the TRCA will ensure the
preservation of significant vegetation and Heritage Section Staff will work
with the applicant’s designer to achieve a house design that is complementary
to the character of the Unionville Heritage Conservation Area.
There are no financial considerations
for the Town at this time.
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSIDERATIONS:
The preservation of the significant
vegetation, valley lands, and the Rouge River will be achieved by dedicating
the Hazard Lands portions of the property to the Town or TRCA, and by
maintaining the existing Open Space designation on these portions of the
property. The applicant will also be
required to submit a tree inventory and preservation plan, prepared by a
certified arbourist, to ensure that significant
vegetation will be retained, or compensated for, as part of the re-development
of the property.
There are no Human Resources
considerations at this time.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
Permitting
the proposed re-zoning and restoring the previous single detached dwellgin use of the
property will strengthen the historical character of the Unionville Heritage
Conservation District through implementation of the District Plan, and
facilitate the dedication of the sensitive environmental lands to the Town.
The
application has been circulated to the internal departments, Heritage Markham
and the TRCA. The Town’s Legal
Department will be involved in the dedication of the Hazard Land portions of
the property to the Town.
RECOMMENDED BY:
________________________ ________________________
Biju
Karumanchery, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Senior
Development Manager Commissioner
of Development Services
DOCUMENT:
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\MAINSTU\56vacantlot\Information
Report to DSC Spet 14 2010.doc
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 –
Location Map
Figure
2 – Area Context
Figure
3 – Air Photo
Figure
4 – Proposed Site Plan
Figure
5 – Proposed Elevations
APPLICANT/AGENT: Applicant: Agent:
Rocco
Sciotti Joseph
Battaglia
2
Gormely Court 9631
Yonge St. Unit B1
Richmond
Hill, ON Richmond Hill, ON
L4E
1A2 L4C
0M5
Tel.
(905) 887-9022 Tel. (905)
508-2168
Tel. 905-619-9500 Fax (905) 508-5802
joebat@fcibroadband.com
FIGURE 1
LOCATION MAP