RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the recommendation report entitled
“Applications by the Co-ownership of Romandale Farms Limited and 404
Developments Incorporated and the Slovak Greek Catholic Church Foundation,
10372 Woodbine Avenue, for approval of a revised residential draft plan of
subdivision and zoning by-law amendment, Files SU 01 101288 and ZA 01 101312”,
be received;
THAT the record of the Public Meeting held on
July 9, 2001, relating to the application by the Co-ownership of Romandale
Farms Limited and 404 Developments Incorporated and the Slovak Greek Catholic
Church Foundation, 10372 Woodbine Avenue, for approval of a residential draft
plan of subdivision and zoning by-law amendment, be received;
THAT
Draft Plan of Subdivision 19TM-01001 prepared by Design Plan Services Inc.,
identified as revised drawing number 0238-31 and dated July 3, 2003, be draft
approved, subject to the red line revisions and conditions of draft plan
approval set out in Appendix ‘A’ to the report.
THAT the
applications to amend zoning by-laws 83-73, 304-87, and 177-96, and the implementing
by-laws, set out in Appendix ‘B’ to this report, be enacted;
THAT the Town confirms the water allocation of
300 units previously granted to this draft plan of subdivision in October 2001;
THAT the Town reserves the right to revoke or
reallocate water supply to the draft plan of subdivision should the development
not proceed in a timely manner;
THAT the applicant submit the
required 30% subdivision
processing fee;
THAT the heritage
property located at 10372 Woodbine Avenue be designated pursuant to Section IV
of the Ontario Heritage Act;
THAT the Clerk’s
Department be authorized to:
·
Publish and serve
Council’s Notice of Intention to Designate as per the requirements of the Act;
and,
·
Prepare the
Designation By-law for the heritage properties.
AND THAT Heritage Markham and Planning staff continue negotiations with
the owner regarding the disposition of the heritage building in a lot fronting
onto Woodbine Avenue located within the plan of subdivision or another location
fronting onto Woodbine Avenue.
PURPOSE:
This report presents an overview and evaluation
of the proposed subdivision layout, and reviews key issues associated with the
proposed development. The report also
includes draft zoning by-law amendments to permit the proposed development. The
report recommends approval of the draft zoning by-laws and the draft plan of
subdivision subject to conditions and a number of redline revisions.
BACKGROUND:
Site location and characteristics
This 21.56 hectare (53.27 acre) site is located
on the west side of Woodbine Avenue between the main Woodbine entrance to the
Cathedral and the southern boundary of Victoria Park and the Tucciarone
property. Surrounding land uses
include:
·
The East Cathedral Community on the east side
of Woodbine Avenue, which is designated as a low density residential
neighbourhood and is currently under development;
·
Victoria Park (a Town-owned community park to
the north), which extends west from Woodbine Avenue a distance of approximately
220 metres;
·
A proposed elementary school west of Victoria
Park which is to be located partly on the subject lands;
·
Future low density residential development west
of the subject lands;
·
Future employment land between the proposed
Woodbine Bypass and the Highway 404 corridor;
·
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration to the
south, and proposed higher density mixed use development surrounding the
Cathedral.
The site and its surrounding context is
illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.
The site is bisected by the East Carleton Creek
which flows south and east toward Woodbine Avenue. The table land portions of the site are generally flat, and
slopes gradually to the south west and north east toward the flood plain of the
creek. The creek itself has a well
defined channel and year round flow within the boundaries of the draft plan of
subdivision, although further west the creek flows for only part of the
year. Areas of mature vegetation
include a grove of Norway Maples planted around the heritage property at the
south end of the site and a mature hedgerow along part of the northern boundary
of the site. These trees will have to
be removed to accommodate the proposed stormwater pond and school site. Within the open space areas associated with
the creek and the stormwater management pond, the owner will be required to
compensate for the loss of the mature trees surrounding the heritage building
through a comprehensive naturalization plan, which will be set out in the
landscape plans required prior to final approval of the subdivision. Regarding the loss of hedgerow trees on the
proposed school site, the owner will be required, in the subdivision agreement,
to cover the cost of planting additional tree species when the school site is
developed, as compensation for the loss of the hedgerow.
Existing buildings on the site include a 1920’s
farmhouse and associated buildings.
This building is listed on the Markham Inventory of Heritage
Buildings. Staff and Heritage Markham
consider this building to have heritage value and to warrant preservation.
A residential
subdivision with a mix of low and medium density house forms is proposed
The most
recent draft plan of subdivision submission (submitted July 4, 2003) proposes a
300 unit residential subdivision consisting of the following elements:
|
|
|
Hectares
|
Acres
|
|
Gross Site
Area
|
|
21.56
|
53.27
|
|
Roads and laneways
|
|
5.36
|
13.24
|
|
Neighbourhood Park (estimated)
|
|
0.53
|
1.31
|
|
Linear Parks (estimated)
|
|
0.65
|
1.61
|
|
Arboretum
|
|
2.23
|
5.51
|
|
Open Space (SWM, buffers, greenways & walkways)
|
|
4.74
|
11.71
|
|
Separate School Site
|
|
0.98
|
2.42
|
|
Net
Residential Area
|
|
7.07
|
17.46
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Single Detached Units
Semi-detached Units
Townhouse Units
Total Low
Density
Medium Density Units
Total
Residential Units
|
91
28
90
209
91
300
|
3.6
0.78
2.24
6.62
0.84
|
8.9
1.93
5.53
16.36
2.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Density: Low
Net Density:
Medium
(units per
hectare/acre in relation to net site area)
|
|
31.57
108.33
|
12.78
43.33
|
Single
detached lots will be developed in a wide-shallow configuration, with typical
lot depths of approximately 26 metres and typical frontages between 13.7 metres
and 15.3 metres. The semi-detached lots
will be somewhat deeper, at almost 29 metres, with typical frontages of 9
metres. The townhouse lots will be
developed at typical depths of 33 metres with approximately 6 metre
frontages. All of these low density
housing types will be lane-based, the majority with attached rear garages and
courtyard amenity areas between the rear garage and the main building.
The
medium density block (Block X), consisting of 91 residential units, will be
developed in conjunction with a larger block to the west, which will be the
subject of a future draft plan submission.
The applicant has not yet provided details regarding the proposed
development of this block. As a result,
the proposed zoning by-law amendment does not include this block, and it will
remain in an agricultural zone until a draft plan of subdivision has been
submitted for the lands to the west, and more specific development plans have
been prepared.
The
remainder of the site, north and south of the core low density residential
area, will be reserved for open space and park uses. Land is also set aside in the north west corner of the
subdivision to provide part of the land required for a future elementary separate
school.
The first draft plan of subdivision application was
submitted in January 2001
The
initial application for a draft plan of subdivision was made by King David
Developments in January 2001. At that
time, the draft plan submission included all of the lands south of the
Cathedral to Victoria Square, and from Woodbine Avenue to Highway 404. Approximately 1,500 residential units were
proposed. During the spring of 2001,
the West Cathedral landowners also submitted an initial proposal for a Woodbine
Avenue by-pass of Victoria Square, to be located west of Woodbine Avenue
between the Cathedral and Highway 404.
In
accordance with the policies in the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan, staff
indicated that comprehensive planning and engineering studies for the West
Cathedral Community were required to support the application, and that these
studies would have to be approved by staff or Council prior to approval of the
draft plan of subdivision. As set out
in the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan, the required studies include:
·
Community Design Plan;
·
Tree conservation Plan;
·
Noise Study;
·
Cultural Heritage Resource Survey;
·
Internal Traffic Study;
·
Environmental and Stormwater Master Plan;
·
Master Servicing Plan; and
·
Development Phasing Plan.
In June
2001, the applicant submitted the above background studies, but they were
specific to the area of the draft plan submission, and did not address the West
Cathedral Community as a whole. During
the course of the summer and the early fall of 2001, York Region staff also
reviewed the by-pass proposal, and concluded that an amendment to the Regional
Official Plan would be required to designate the By-pass, and that the Region
would have to undertake an Environmental Assessment Study of the proposed
by-pass.
At that
time, staff provided a number of preliminary comments regarding the background
studies, the revised draft plan and the proposed by-pass. These included:
·
The need for more detailed analysis
of the proposed by-pass and the associated impacts on the internal and external
road network;
·
Proposed design changes to the
draft plan relating to such issues as rear lots adjacent to parks and open
space corridors, road right of way widths, location and configuration of
residential blocks, location and configuration of park blocks;
·
The need for the background studies
to be undertaken on a comprehensive basis for the whole West Cathedral
Community.
Statutory public meeting held on July 9, 2001, and a public information
meeting for all draft plan submissions in the West Cathedral Community held in
September 2001
A number of local residents spoke
at these meetings and several letters were received prior to the meetings. Key comments relating to the application
included:
·
Need for a well monitoring program
during construction;
·
Need for a streescape plan for Victoria
Square;
·
Support for the Woodbine Avenue
By-pass and the reduced traffic along old Woodbine that would result;
·
Future extension of municipal water
services to Victoria Square;
·
Need for comprehensive planning in
the West Cathedral Community (schools, parks, open space and environmental
planning)
These issues are addressed in
subsequent sections of the report.
Portion of the King David draft plan approved in October 2001, including
water allocation for 300 units in the draft plan area
In October 2001, Council approved a
“Phase 1” portion of the draft plan of subdivision located between Victoria
Square to the north, the southern boundary of the Cathedral Plaza to the south,
Woodbine Avenue to the east, and a north-south line immediately west of the Cathedral. At the same time Council granted water
allocation for 300 units to permit development of this portion of the draft
plan.
Council’s approval was based on the
following considerations:
·
The “Phase 1” portion of the draft
plan conformed to the land use plan set out in the Cathedral Secondary Plan;
·
The western boundary of the draft
plan was located sufficiently east of the proposed by-pass alignment that it
would not be affected by the by-pass or any changes to the road or land use
patterns resulting from the by-pass.
Staff were asked to prepared detailed conditions of draft plan of
subdivision approval, which also included significant red-line revisions to the
plan.
Regional Official Plan Amendment to designate the Woodbine By-pass
approved in November 2001
Region of York Council approved a
Regional Official Plan Amendment to designate the by-pass in November
2001. This provided a policy context
for the required Environmental Assessment Study, and any draft plans of subdivision
within the proposed route of the by-pass.
It also established a requirement for future amendments to the Markham
Official Plan and the Cathedral Secondary Plan to incorporate the by-pass into
their land use schedules.
Regional
Environmental Assessment Study for the by-pass nearing completion
The Region began preparing terms of reference for the
Woodbine By-pass Environmental Assessment study in November 2001. At the present time, the EA study has
identified a preferred alignment for the by-pass (between Woodbine Avenue and Highway
404, west of the Cathedral). It is
anticipated that the final EA report will be filed with the Province in
September 2003.
Revised draft plan
of subdivision and first draft of the community-wide background studies
submitted in October 2002
In October 2002, the owner submitted a revised draft
of the October 2001 “Phase 1” draft plan, as well as the first drafts of the
background studies prepared comprehensively for the West Cathedral
Community. Although Council had
restricted water allocation to 300 units in October 2001, this draft plan
provided for an estimated development potential of over 900 units. Staff undertook a detailed review of these
documents in November 2002.
Revised draft plan
of subdivision submitted on July 3, 2003
The applicant submitted a revised draft plan of
subdivision, incorporating the following key revisions:
·
Revisions to the open space system, stormwater
management pond, and location of Carleton Creek streambed to address the
concerns of Town Staff and the TRCA;
·
Further reduction in the land area of the proposed
draft plan, to incorporate no more than 300 residential units, in compliance
with the water allocation granted by Council in October 2001.
This draft plan of subdivision is the subject of this
report.
DISCUSSION:
Unique Community Vision
The Cathedral West Community presents an
innovative concept for community development, incorporating elements of
historical urban planning and design to create a distinct, vibrant and highly
urbanized core, which will be designed to complement the existing cathedral.
The core of the community is focused around the cathedral and is intended to
resemble a traditional European cathedral town rather than a traditional North
American suburban development.
The draft plan of subdivision conforms to the policies
and land use patterns established in the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan
The Cathedral Community Secondary Plan (OPA #42) contemplates
development of a mixed-use community on approximately 310 hectares (765 acres)
in north west Markham. The proposed land uses and configuration of this draft
plan of subdivision generally conform to the Cathedral Community Secondary
Plan. Figure 4 shows the land use
designations for the secondary plan.
The subject lands are designated “Urban Residential - Low Density”,
“Urban Residential – Medium Density”, “Cathedral Precinct”, “Open Space –
Neighbourhood Park” and “Hazard Land”.
The proposed low density residential areas of the draft plan (consisting
of detached, semi-detached and townhouse dwellings) average out to a net
residential density of 31.57 units per hectare (12.78 units per acre). This conforms to the Secondary Plan which
provides for a net density range of 17 to 37 units per hectare (6.9 to 14.9
units per acre) in low density areas.
The proposed medium density component of the development (Block X),
falls within lands designated partly within the Urban Residential Medium
Density and Cathedral Precinct designations.
At 108.33 units per hectare (43.33 units per acre) the medium density
block exceeds the density range of 37.1 to 79.9 units
per net hectare (15 to 32.4 units per net acre) set out in the secondary
plan. However, the southern portion of
this site is designated Cathedral Precinct, which provides for significantly
higher densities of 1.75 fsi for single use or non-residential buildings, and
residential densities up to 148 units per net hectare (59.9 units per
acre). This block is slated for future
development in conjunction with lands to the west, and the overall development
density will have to be calculated on a comprehensive basis, when the adjoining
draft plan is submitted. As noted
below, this block is not included in the draft zoning by-law amendment attached
to this report, and it will remain in the Agricultural One zone until it can be
developed in conjunction with the lands to the west. Conformity with the Official Plan will need to be confirmed at
the time of rezoning of this parcel.
The Secondary Plan designates a significant open space/hazard land area
to the north and north east of the Cathedral.
In accordance with Official Plan policies, lands
located within the Carlton Creek Floodplain, plus an environmental buffer that
in most cases significantly exceeds the minimum 10 metre width required by the Secondary
Plan, are to be conveyed to the Town and used for conservation and passive
recreation purposes. Immediately adjacent to the north east side of the open
space corridor, at the south west corner of the Woodbine Avenue/Street B
intersection, the Secondary Plan proposes low density residential
development. The applicant is proposing
a park in this location, which complies with secondary plan policies. South west of the creek, the draft plan
proposes a stormwater management pond, on lands designated as open space in the
secondary plan. Additional park space
is proposed on the west side of the SWM pond.
North of the residential neighbourhood, in an area designated low
density residential in the Secondary
Plan, the applicant is proposing another park facility – the “Arboretum” –
which will adjoin Victoria Park, a large community park to the north. While
this facility is intended primarily for passive recreation, the applicant has
agreed to the extension of active recreation facilities into this site, where
needed to complete existing or future facilities in Victoria Park.
The separate school site, which the Secondary Plan included in the
centre of the residential portion of the draft plan, has been relocated to a
site at the north west corner of the draft plan. The owner of the land to the north will have to provide the
remaining land to complete the school site.
This location is acceptable to the York Region Catholic District School
Board. Town Staff have no objection to
this location, and are of the opinion that it meets the intent of the Secondary
Plan.
The road configuration proposed in the draft plan of
subdivision generally follows the conceptual layout established in the
Secondary Plan.
Amendments to the zoning by-laws will be required
Development
of the subject lands is governed by two zoning by-laws: The Town’s Rural Area By-law (304-87), which
zones the majority of the lands Agricultural One (A1), and the Victoria Square
By-law (83-73) which zones a small portion of the proposed arboretum, at the
north east corner of the draft plan, as Residential Four (R4). Neither of these by-laws permit the proposed
draft plan of subdivision. The subject lands
will therefore have to be deleted from the Town’s rural Area By-Law (304-87)
and the Victoria Square By-law (83-73), and incorporated into the Urban
Expansion Area By-law (177-96).
The draft zoning by-law proposes to
zone the residential portions under three exceptions to the R2-LA Zone, with
special provisions relating to the specific types of single, semi-detached and
townhouse dwellings proposed by the applicant.
Key elements of the by-law include:
·
provisions requiring two storey garages at the
entrances to laneways, in order to establish building mass and a “gateway”
entrance to the lanes.
·
Elsewhere, the garages and linkages between the
garages and main portions of townhouse and semi-detached dwellings will be
restricted to a single storey, to allow sunlight to enter into the small
amenity areas associated with these dwellings.
·
Provisions restricting garages to single car garages when attached to townhouse dwellings. The By-law
also permits double garages in association with townhouses, but only when they
are located adjacent to the rear lane and are detached from the main
townhouse dwelling. Attached double
garages impose a significant constraint on the size and spaciousness of outdoor
amenity areas associated with townhouse units.
·
A requirement that rear lane garages be located within
1.0 metres and 1.6 metres of the rear lot line, in the case of corner lots at
the entrances to lanes and for all townhouse and semi-detached lots. In the case of detached dwellings not
located at lane entrances, garages my be set back up to 6.5 metres from the rear
lot line.
The draft zoning by-law zones the
open space, park and stormwater management facilities in the OS 1 zone. The portion of the school site located on
the subject lands is zoned R2. The
draft zoning by-laws are attached as Appendix B to this report.
Key
issues raised at the public meetings are addressed through conditions of draft
plan approval
·
Well monitoring: the proposed
subdivision is located within 200 metres of Victoria Square, which is developed
on private wells and septic systems. In
accordance with Town policy, the developer will be responsible for undertaking
a well monitoring program and mitigation plan for the hamlet, to the
satisfaction of the Town. This
requirement is included as a condition of draft plan approval and further meetings
with the residents will be held regarding this matter. A letter of credit will also be required at
the subdivision agreement stage.
·
Streetscape plan
for Victoria Square: this issue was raised by the residents of Victoria
Square at the time of the public meetings leading up to the Secondary
Plan. At this time, the landowners
indicated that they would be prepared to fund such as study, but not to pay for
the actual streetscape improvements. A
method for initiating the study was not identified at that time. Staff are proposing to refer to proportional
land area as a basis for allocating costs for the study among landowners. Assuming a cost of $20,000 to prepare the
streetscape study, and a total land area of 79.37 hectares for the subject
draft plan plus the owner’s remaining lands in the West Cathedral Community
(excluding the recent purchase of the Memorial Gardens property), which
represents 26% of the total land area in the Cathedral Community (310.1
hectares as set out in Appendix V of the Secondary Plan), the applicant would
be responsible for contributing in the neighbourhood of $5,200 towards the cost
of the study. This contribution would
be secured through a letter of credit, to be provided to the Town upon
execution of the subdivision agreement for the draft plan of subdivision, as
set out in the conditions of draft plan approval.
·
Victoria Square
by-pass: the alignment and land
requirements for the proposed Woodbine Avenue by-pass, to be located on the
west side of Woodbine Avenue, are not directly related to the subject application
which is located on the east of the proposed by-pass route. A by-pass alignment west of the Cathedral
has been endorsed by Council and has been selected as the preferred alternative
in the Region’s EA study.
·
Traffic impacts on
existing Woodbine Avenue: Victoria Square
residents are also concerned about increasing traffic along the existing
Woodbine Avenue, which travels through the middle of Victoria Square. Woodbine Avenue would become a Town road
following completion of the proposed Woodbine by-pass and would no longer
function as a regional arterial, which will significantly reduce traffic levels
on the road. Town staff will continue
to work with landowners and local residents to explore a variety of options to
minimize traffic impacts on the existing Woodbine Avenue alignment and the
residents of Victoria Square.
·
Future extension of
municipal water services to Victoria Square:
The opportunity to extend services to the
areas near Victoria Square will proceed with development on both the east and
west sides of Woodbine Avenue. Sewer
and water mains will be sized to accommodate these areas. The actual servicing of individual
properties will be at the cost of individual landowners, through Local
Improvement Charges. Subject to the
well monitoring and mitigation plan staff will be reviewing the scheduling and
funding of municipal water in this area.
·
Need for
comprehensive planning of the Cathedral Community: Although the approval of this draft plan of subdivision has
proceeded, to date, in advance of the required background studies, draft plan
conditions have been crafted to ensure that final release of the plan of
subdivision for registration should not occur until the background studies have
been approved by the Town.
·
Water
allocation: The draft
plan is limited to a total of 300 units, which complies with the water
allocation granted by Council in October 2001.
Further
revisions to the draft plan required
Prior to final approval of the draft plan of
subdivision, a number of revisions are required. Key examples include (see Figures 5a and 5b showing the proposed
draft plan of subdivision and a detailed list of required revisions):
·
The north-south laneway parallel and
immediately east of Woodbine Avenue must be extended to the east-west entry
streets, in order to ensure adequate vehicular circulation within the laneways;
·
The walkways leading from Woodbine Avenue to
the central park block must be widened to 5 metres and realigned to form a
direct connection;
·
The residential lots (4) bounding the north and
south sides of the central square must be removed and incorporated into this
park, or, an appropriate design concept is submitted and approved, for each
lot, in relation to the central park block;
·
Widening of Street A to 22 metres to accommodate
a dedicated bikeway.
·
Potential widening of streets L and C to 21
metres, if the internal traffic study requires these streets to be designated
as collector, rather than local roads;
·
Potential widening of Old Woodbine, and
portions of Streets B and L, if required by York Region.
These revisions must be incorporated into the
draft plan by the applicant, to the satisfaction of the Town, before the draft
plan is stamped as approved.
Further discussions required with
York Region to resolve widening of Woodbine Avenue
In
addition to the revisions requested by the Town, York Region is requesting conveyances to provide for an 18
metre right of way from the centre line of Woodbine Avenue, plus right turn
lanes at streets B and L. This may result in a significant widening of Woodbine
Avenue in front of the proposed townhouse blocks. The Region is also requesting further widenings to the east-west
entry roads within 60 metres of Woodbine Avenue, and to accommodate 15 x15
metre sight triangles. These conditions
are standard conditions that the Region applies to arterial roads under their
jurisdiction, and intersecting local roads.
However, this section of Woodbine Avenue is proposed to become a local
road, under the jurisdiction of the Town, once the Woodbine By-pass is conveyed
to the Region by abutting landowners. It is
also important to note that the Region will presumably convey any road
widenings back to the Town when the Woodbine By-pass is built and “Old
Woodbine” becomes a Town road.
Furthermore, Woodbine Avenue is intended to remain as a two-lane road
with a 20 metre right of way through Victoria Square, immediately north of the
subject lands. With the replacement of
the arterial road functions of this section of Woodbine Avenue with the
Woodbine by-pass, it is unnecessary to widen Woodbine Avenue to full Regional
arterial road standards. Discussion
with York Region have resulted in agreement in principle for the Town to plan
for and set right of way requirements for old Woodbine Avenue. A separate report to Council requesting the
Region to download this road will be submitted once negotiations have been
finalized.
Release
for registration will be conditional on submission and Town approval of revised
background studies
As previously noted, the Cathedral Secondary
Plan requires submission and approval of a number of background studies
undertaken on a community-wide basis.
The applicant submitted first drafts of these studies in October 2002,
and staff responded with detailed comments in November 2002. Since that time, staff and the applicant
have been working to resolve outstanding issues, the most significant of which
relate to environmental and stormwater management issues, the resolution of the
Community Design Plan (which also depends on finalization of the by-pass
alignment through the Region’s Environmental Assessment Study), the Master
Servicing Plan, and the Internal Traffic Study.
The current status of these reports, and key
outstanding issues as they apply specifically to the subject draft plan of
subdivision, include:
·
Community
Design Plan (second draft
currently in preparation by the applicant):
·
need to incorporate a school site within the
boundaries of the draft plan;
·
relocate the major north south collector road
(identified as Street A on the subject draft plan) to align with focal point
views of the Cathedral spires;
·
provide an overall park master plan and facility fit
plan to establish a framework for the proposed park block conveyances in the
draft plan, and to resolve park conveyance issues associated with the proposed
privately owned plazas adjacent to the Cathedral;
·
provide design concept plans for the proposed
townhouse blocks fronting Woodbine Avenue and additional information on how
these dwellings will interface with Woodbine Ave. in its current design as a
rural arterial road, and over the longer term, as an urban collector or local
road;
·
develop a relocation and preservation strategy for the
heritage house located north east of the Cathedral.
·
Noise
Study (Completed): The
recommendations of the noise study did not impact this draft plan submission.
·
Cultural
Heritage Resource Study (Not
yet submitted).
·
Internal
traffic study (Not yet
submitted).
·
Environmental
and Stormwater Master Plan (Second
draft currently in preparation by the applicant): The applicant was
proposing to relocate most of the East Branch of the Carleton Creek, including
portions with a defined creek bed, year round flow, and fish habitat. In addition, the ESMP proposed a
significantly different open space and surface drainage system than that
contemplated in the Secondary Plan and previous environmental studies for the
Secondary Plan area. Both Town staff
and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority requested the applicant to
prepare a detailed Environmental Impact Study to address and justify these
proposed changes in more detail. This document was submitted in April 2003. Both Town and TRCA staff responded with detailed comments and
requested revisions to the document.
While the revised ESMP (Environmental and Stormwater Management Plan)
and EIS reports have not yet been submitted, Town staff, the Toronto and Region
Conservation Authority, and the applicant have resolved key issues as they
relate to this draft plan, including:
·
draft plan revisions that no
longer propose relocation of the natural channel of the environmentally
sensitive portion of East Carleton Creek near Woodbine Avenue;
·
A significantly wider
greenway surrounding the creek (50 metres compared to 20 to 25 metres in the
previous submission);
·
Relocation of the stormwater
management pond so that it no longer impacts the floodplain of the creek;
·
A revised road pattern that
minimized creek crossings and relocates Street B well away from the natural
floodplain of the creek;
TRCA has recently
indicated that they are satisfied with the draft plan, subject to the approval
conditions set out in Appendix ‘A’.
·
Master
Servicing Plan (Second draft
submitted and under review by Town staff): No significant issues
associated with this draft plan submission.
·
Development
Phasing Plan (Second draft
submitted and under review by Town staff): No significant issues
associated with this draft plan submission.
·
Tree
conservation plan (Completed): The
proposed development will involve the loss of mature Norway Maples near
Woodbine Avenue to accommodate the stormwater management pond. In addition, the proposed school site is
located on a mature hedgerow. The owner
will be required to post securities to cover the cost of replacing key specimen
trees within the hedgerow that will be lost when the school is built.
Since, in most cases, the final versions of
these reports have not yet been submitted, and they could contain
recommendations that impact the final layout and design of this draft plan, the
conditions of draft plan approval establish that the required background
studies be approved by the Town before the draft plan can be released for
registration. Furthermore, any changes
to the draft plan arising from these studies must be incorporated into the
subdivision plan prior to registration.
Parkland
to be provided in excess of the Town’s standard rate for the Urban Expansion
Area
Within the Town’s new communities, parkland is
typically provided at a rate of 1 hectare per 300 units for neighbourhood park
space, plus 0.41 hectares (1 acre) per 1000 residents for community park
space. The total parkland shown on the
draft plan (3.28 hectares) is significantly greater than the amount required by
this standard.
Within the Secondary Plan Area, there is an
environmentally significant woodlot at the north west corner of the Roamin
Stables property north of Elgin Mills, which staff wish to secure in public
ownership. In the absence of a
developers group that incorporated both the East and West Cathedral
Communities, staff agreed to take a land conveyance at 1 hectare per 300 units
and cash-in-lieu of parkland at 1 acre per 1000 residents as a condition of
approval for the subdivisions east of Woodbine Avenue. The cash-in-lieu monies, from the East Cathedral
Community are intended to be used toward the purchase of the woodlot.
In the West Cathedral Community, where a
developers group exists, staff have requested that the landowners prepare a
parkland dedication agreement which would be binding on all the
landowners. The agreement would be
based on a comprehensive parks master plan for the community, and the intent is
for it to establish a strategy to secure adequate parkland and the woodlot,
without Town Staff having to renegotiate with each landowner. The landowner group is currently preparing a
parks master plan and conveyance agreement.
As a condition of draft plan approval, the park master plan (which could
be incorporated into the final Community Design Plan) must be approved by the
Town and the parkland agreement must be executed, prior to execution of the
subdivision agreement for this draft plan.
The
existing farmhouse on the site has heritage value and should be relocated and
preserved
The farmhouse located at 10372 Woodbine Avenue
is located within the proposed stormwater management pond, and it must be
relocated. Heritage Markham have
indicated that they support relocation of the house to another lot within the
plan of subdivision, or, alternatively, to a new lot, provided that frontage on Woodbine Avenue is maintained. One
option is for a portion of the Victoria Park frontage on Woodbine to be used to
accommodate the heritage house as part of the historic hamlet, subject to the
developer providing an offsetting amount of parkland elsewhere in the immediate
area.
Staff support the option of locating the house
on a new lot, owned by the applicant and
eventually a future resident, within the Woodbine Avenue frontage of
Victoria Park for several reasons:
·
This portion of Victoria Park is not used for
active recreation purposes, and is removed from the core area of the park;
·
Park frontage onto Woodbine Avenue would be
retained;
·
The historic orientation of the house would be
retained;
·
The house would be located closer to the main
residential core of Victoria Square, and would contribute to the built form of
the hamlet;
·
An offsetting amount of new parkland can be
provided by the developer elsewhere in the immediate area.
Several other conditions must be met regarding
the proposed relocation of the house:
·
It must be designated under Part IV of the
Ontario Heritage Act;
·
The owner must enter into a heritage easement
agreement with the Town;
·
The owner must prepare site plans and landscape
plans for the relocated house and enter into a site plan agreement with the
Town;
·
If a new location for the house cannot be found
before construction begins on the Stormwater Management Pond, the owner must
relocate the house, on a temporary or permanent basis, to Park Block AA at the
south west corner of Woodbine Ave and Street B;
·
The temporary or permanent relocation to Park
Block AA will also be subject to a site plan agreement;
·
The Town will not accept conveyance of Park
Block AA as long as the heritage house is located on this property.
Heritage
Markham, at their August 13, 2003 meeting, recommended that the Town proceed
with designation of the heritage building.
This designation would provide the building with immediate protection
under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, during the early stages of
construction when work on the stormwater management pond is expected to
begin. A copy of Heritage Markham’s
June 23, 2003 resolution regarding this heritage building, and the accompanying
staff memo, are attached as Appendix C to this report.
CONCLUSIONS:
A previous version of the draft
plan of subdivision was approved by Council in October 2001. The draft plan has now been substantially
revised and refined. Staff support this
revised draft plan of subdivision application, and are of the opinion that the
resolution of outstanding issues is sufficiently complete that draft plan
approval of the revised plan can proceed in advance of final approval of the
background studies.
A number of revisions to the draft
plan are required, as indicated in Figures 5a and 5b, and these revisions must
be prepared by the applicant. In
accordance with the conditions of draft plan approval, the draft plan cannot be
released for registration until all required background studies have been submitted
and approved by the Town, and any further revisions to the draft plan arising
from these reports have been incorporated into the plan of subdivision.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
None at this time
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSIDERATIONS:
A number of environmental issues have been
raised during the review of this draft plan of subdivision application, and
have been resolved through the review of the Environmental and Stormwater
Master Plan, the Environmental Impact Study, by Town of Markham and Toronto and
Region Conservation Authority Staff.
Key environmental considerations included:
·
Location and configuration of the stormwater
management pond
·
Location, width and design of open space buffer
surrounding the East Branch of the Carleton Creek
·
Location of Street B in relation to the creek
and open space buffer
·
A requirement that the Owner post securities to
cover the loss of any key specimen trees in the hedgerow in the school block,
resulting from the construction of the school.
The TRCA has indicated that they are satisfied
that their environmental issues have been addressed by the revised draft plan
of subdivision and the conditions of draft plan approval.
ACCESSIBILITY
CONSIDERATIONS:
Accessibility to dwellings and buildings will
be addressed through compliance with the Ontario Building Code.
ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:
The proposed draft plan of subdivision promotes
a number of key goals set out in “Engage 21st Century Markham”. These include:
·
A strong environmental focus, which provides
significant open space amenities and protects and enhances the East Carleton
Creek, an important green space;
·
Provides for efficient use of infrastructure
and managed growth, through compact development patterns, design and layout
based on the principles of new urbansim, and high levels of architectural and
urban design.
·
Transit-supportive land use patterns and
densities
·
An open space and trail network that will be
fully integrated within the West Cathedral Community.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The application has undergone a full
inter-departmental circulation. Department comments have been incorporated into
the report and the proposed conditions of draft plan approval.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 – Location Map
Figure 2 – Air Photo
Figure 3 – Site Context and Zoning
Figure 4 – Cathedral Secondary Plan Land Use
Schedule
Figure 5a – Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision
Figure 5b – List of Red-line Revisions
Appendix A – Conditions of Draft Plan Approval
(August 25, 2003)
Appendix B – Draft Zoning By-law Amendments
Appendix C –Heritage Markham Extract and Staff
Memo
|
|
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Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban Design
|
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Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner of Development Services
|
Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\SUBDIV\01101288
King David\Recommendation report - phase 1 - final revision.doc
FIGURE
1
OWNER: The
Co-ownership of Romandale Farms Limited &
404 Developments
Inc.; and
the Slovak Greek
Catholic Church Foundation
APPLICANT/
AGENT: Bordeaux
Developments
c/o
John Koke
10370
Woodbine Avenue North
Markham
ON
L6C
1H9
Tel: 905-927-1227 extension 2
Fax: 905-927-0459
e-mail:
jkoke@bordeauxdevelopments.com
LOCATION MAP:
