RECOMMENDATION:
That
the record of the Public Meeting held on May 20, 2003 with respect to the
applications by Wykland Estates Inc. for draft plan of subdivision approval and implementing zoning by-law be received;
That the
first phase (491 units) of plan of subdivision 19TM-03003 (Wykland Estates
Inc.) be draft approved subject to the conditions outlined in Appendix ‘A’, and
the payment of the required 30% subdivision processing fee in accordance with
the Town’s Tariff of Fees By-law; and the following red line revisions:
·
The distribution of dwelling types
(singles, semis, townhouses, live/work) to be finalized to the satisfaction of
the Commissioner of Development Services.
·
Delete Blocks 347, 352, 353, 356 and
357 and include their areas in the adjacent lot fabric.
·
Revise Block 335 (residential part
lot) and Block 349 (Golden Jubilee Greenway) to align with the adjoining blocks
on Plan 65M-3294.
·
Revise Lane R alignment and
right-of-way and Lots 82 to 85 and Blocks 319 and 320 to the satisfaction of
the Town.
·
Revise Lane W to align with the
adjoining lane on Plan 65M-3294.
·
Buffer Blocks adjoining 9th Line and
Markham By-pass (future 16th Avenue) to be finalized to the satisfaction of the
Town of Markham and the Region of York.
That the application to amend Zoning By-laws 304-87
and 177-96 for the first phase be approved, and the draft by-laws, attached as
Appendix ‘C’, be enacted;
That
water supply allocation for 491 units be granted, such allocation to be from
the total allocation available for the Cornell Secondary Plan area;
-and
further-
That
the Town reserves the right to revoke or reallocate the water supply allocation
should the development not proceed in a timely manner;
PURPOSE:
The
purpose of this report is to recommend conditions of approval and approval of implementing
zoning for the first phase (491 units) of a draft plan of subdivision within
the Cornell community.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The subject lands are 28.267 hectares
(69.85 acres) in area and are located within the Cornell Community with
frontage on the south side of 16th Avenue and also on the east side
of 9th Line (see Figure 1).
An existing farm residence and several associated agricultural buildings
and trees are located in the south-east portion of the site. The residence is listed in the Town’s
Inventory of Heritage Resources. The
balance of the subject lands are in agricultural use.
To the north, across 16th
Avenue, are additional lands within the Cornell Community that have been
draft-approved for development (Metrus Developments), as well as lands that are
in agricultural production. To the
south is the existing Cornell Community and additional lands owned by the
applicant that extend to Highway 7 between the current development limit of the
Cornell Community and the existing Markham By-Pass. These lands are not the subject of the current
applications. To the east are lands
that are currently in agricultural production and are the subject of separate
applications for draft approval and rezoning (Madison Homes). To the west is the existing Cornell
Community and the existing community west of the 9th Line. A 7.94 hectare (19.63 acre) parcel located
at the southeast corner of 9th Line and 16th Avenue is
under separate ownership (Capogna) and is not included within the proposed
draft plan. However, separate
applications for draft plan approval and rezoning have also been submitted for
this parcel (see Figures 2 & 4).
Proposal
The applicant has submitted a draft plan
of subdivision consisting of two phases (see Figure 3). Most of the lands within the draft plan are
in the first phase that is proposed to consist of the following:
491 grade-related dwellings, all served
by a rear lane, as follows:
|
Unit Type
|
Residential Units
|
Lot Dimensions
|
|
Single Detached
|
51
87
32
40
21
25
|
9.15 metres x 32 metres (30 feet x 105 feet)
11 metres x 32 metres (36 feet x 105 feet)
12.2 metres x 32 metres (40 feet x 105 feet)
11 metres x 27.4 metres (36 feet x 90 feet)
12.2 metres x 27.4 metres (40 feet x 90 feet)
13.5 metres x 27.4 metres (44.25 feet x 90 feet)
|
|
Townhouse
|
74
|
6.0 metres x 32 metres (20 feet x 105 feet)
|
|
Standard Semi-Detached Units / Duplex
|
108
|
7.25 metres x 32 metres (23.8 feet x 105 feet)
|
|
Mixed Use Units
|
53
|
7.0 metres x 24.4 metres (22.9 feet x 80 feet)
|
|
Total Units
|
491
|
|
·
4 Parks / Urban Open Spaces totalling
1.447 hectares (3.57 acres). The first
park would be a 0.099 hectare (0.25 acre) northern extension of the existing
park located at the intersection of White’s Hill Avenue and Country Glen
Road. The second park is 0.373 hectares
(0.92 acres) in area and would be located on the northeast corner of the
extension of Bur Oak Avenue and a new east-west road (Street “L”) located to
the north of White’s Hill Avenue. The
third park is 0.838 hectares in area and would be located on the north side of
the extension of White’s Hill Avenue toward the eastern boundary of the draft
plan. A 0.137 hectare (0.34 acre) urban
open space would be located on the south side of the future Street “L” mid-way
between the extensions of Country Glen Road and Bur Oak Avenue.
·
Linear open spaces (Greenways) along
the existing Markham By-pass (future 16th Avenue) and 9th
Line frontages. The Greenways link a
series of parkettes which connect the Greenways to the internal street
network. Together with a walkway block,
the greenways and parkettes total 0.439 hectares (1.08 acres) in area.
·
The heritage dwelling is proposed to be
relocated a short distance to an appropriately-sized lot within the subject
plan of subdivision. It is not possible
to retain the dwelling in its precise current location due to severe grading
challenges.
Official Plan and Zoning By-law
The Official Plan designates the
majority of the lands as Urban Residential and a portion along the Bur Oak
Avenue corridor as Commercial. The Cornell
Secondary Plan designates the lands a combination of Neighbourhood General,
Neighbourhood Centre, Community Amenity Area – Corridor, and Open Space. The proposed draft plan is fully lane-based
as required by the Secondary Plan and includes higher density uses in the areas
designated as Neighbourhood Centre (along White’s Hill Avenue) and Community
Amenity Area – Corridor (along Bur Oak Avenue) in accordance with the policies
of the Secondary Plan. By-law 304-87
currently zones the lands Agricultural One (A1).
DISCUSSION
Proposed plan is consistent with
principles of New Urbanism and Cornell Secondary Plan
The proposed draft plan of subdivision
is consistent with the principles of New Urbanism and provides the basis for a
fully lane-based community that is compact, pedestrian-oriented and
transit-supportive. Approval of the
draft plan and rezoning would continue the implementation of the Cornell
Secondary Plan, extending and completing the pattern of development within the
existing Cornell Community northwards to 16th Avenue. This includes a vital segment of Bur Oak
Avenue that will link the existing community of Cornell to 16th
Avenue and the approved development to the north within Cornell Phase 6
(Metrus) as well as to the other new communities to the west (Greensborough,
Wismer Commons and Berczy Village).
The
plan is well structured and includes a number of attractive features, most
notably:
- It is fully lane based.
- It has a highly connective modified grid
street pattern.
- Bur Oak Avenue will be fronted with mixed
use buildings – office or personal service uses on the ground floor level
and residential above.
- It includes an urban square fronting on
Bur Oak Avenue.
- Homes will front, rather than back, onto
the adjoining arterial roads -
existing Markham By-pass (future 16th Avenue) and 9th Line - and be enhanced by landscape
buffers and associated parkettes.
- The plan includes a section of the Golden
Jubilee Greenway, and expands the existing park at the corner of White’s
Hill Avenue and Country Glen Road.
Issues raised at the Public Meeting have been addressed
On May 20, 2003, a public meeting
was held to consider the proposed draft plan of subdivision (Phase 1) and
zoning by-law amendment. There were no
concerns expressed regarding the proposed lot or road pattern in the plan of
subdivision at the Public Meeting.
However, the local Councillor raised a number of related implementation
issues, which have been addressed as follows:
i) Construction traffic: As the
proposed subdivision has frontage on 9th Line, 16th
Avenue and the existing Markham Bypass, construction traffic will not be
travelling through the existing community.
The final construction access route will specified in the subdivision
agreement.
ii) Topsoil stockpiling: The topsoil
stockpile that will be created as a result of the proposed development will be
placed on the lands of one of the Applicant’s future development phases, and
will not be placed in close proximity to the existing Cornell community. The applicant will also be required to
prepare a dust control plan and implement dust control measures in accordance
with the Town’s recently approved dust control policy.
iii) Traffic calming: Traffic calming measures, including intersection
“bump-outs” will be incorporated into the design of the streets where necessary
as required by proposed condition of draft plan approval 2.9. The specific measures to be implemented will
be determined through the completion of an Internal Functional Traffic Study.
iv) Completion of Bur Oak
Avenue: As required by proposed condition of draft plan approval 9, the Developers Group is required to prepare an update
to the Development Phasing Plan for the Cornell Community and enter into a
legal agreement documenting the Group’s commitment to a number of items
including the schedule for the completion of Bur Oak Avenue through the Cornell
community and the provision of road connections to the existing Markham
By-pass. This agreement must be executed
prior to registration of the plan of subdivision
Cornell Community Structure and Open Space Master Plan
Review
The Town is currently completing a review of the
Community Structure and Open Space Master Plan for all of the remaining phases
of Cornell, with the assistance of Urban Strategies Inc. and Duany
Plater-Zyberk & Company. The
applicant has participated actively in this process and the proposed draft plan
is consistent with the evolving direction of the new Master Plan. Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company has
reviewed the proposed plan of subdivision and is satisfied that it is
consistent with the principles of New Urbanism. Staff are currently finalizing the new master plan for Cornell
in consultation with the agencies, landowners and residents and will be
preparing an updated secondary plan to correspond to the new master plan.
Limited water allocation restricts draft approval
Cornell has a remaining
approved water allocation of 2178 units.
The members of the developers group have negotiated a division of the
water allocation providing the subject lands with 491 units (Appendix “B”). The
applicant is requesting approval of a first phase (Figure 5) that corresponds
with the approved water allocation.
Conditions of draft approval
Recommended conditions of draft approval
are attached as Appendix “A”. In
addition to the standard conditions and those outlined above, the following
special conditions should be noted:
·
The
Owner is required to enter into a Developers Group Agreement to ensure
provision of community and common facilities such as school sites, municipal
services, parks and public roads in the Cornell Secondary Plan area, including
provisions requiring the Group to assume the obligations contained in the
School Site Agreement between Law Development Group and the Town. These
obligations include the conveyance of parkland at a rate of 5 acres for each
1000 population as well as the conveyance of woodlots, urban open space areas
and landscape buffers to the Town at no cost.
·
The
area of parkland to be dedicated to the Town within the proposed draft plan is
based on the neighbourhood park component (4 acres per 1000 people) of the
overall required dedication. The
community park component (1 acre per 1000 people) will be attributed to a larger
central community park to be located outside of the subject lands and that will
serve the entire Cornell community.
Implementing
zoning
The
implementing zoning by-laws for the first phase development are attached as
Appendix “C”. The use permissions and
development standards included in the by-laws are consistent with those for the
existing Cornell community, incorporating refinements (to address certain
functional difficulties with the development standards for Phase 1) and updates
(to address the duplex and live-work units, which are a new product type in
Cornell and therefore not provided for in the existing zoning by-laws for
Cornell).
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
No
financial implications are to be considered in this report.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The
proposed draft plan has been reviewed by Town Departments and external
agencies. Department/agency
requirements have been incorporated in the plan, conditions of draft approval
and implementing zoning by-law as required.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure
1 - Applicant/Agent & Location Map
Figure
2 - Area Context/Zoning
Figure
3 – Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision
Figure
4 – Air Photo
Appendix
‘A’ -
Recommended conditions of draft approval
Appendix
‘B’ -
Letter regarding water allocation
Appendix
‘C’ -
Draft by-law amendments
|
|
|
|
|
Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban Design
|
|
Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner of Development Services
|
DOCUMENT: q:\development\planning\appl\subdiv\03108934
wykland estates inc\final report.doc
LOCATION MAP:
