RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the record of the public meeting held
December 7, 2004 with respect to the applications by Loblaw
Properties Limited for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments be received;
THAT the applications by Loblaw
Properties Limited for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit a large
format retail plaza development of 329,671 sq. ft. at 2938 Major Mackenzie
Drive East in the West Cathedral Community, as submitted, be refused;
AND THAT further consideration may be given to
the concept of intensified retail development on the Community Amenity Area
portion of the site (east of Markland
Street) if the owner
submits applications which meet the criteria outlined in this report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The application proposes to develop
a large-format retail centre on the north side of Major Mackenzie Drive between Highway 404 and Woodbine Avenue in the West Cathedral Community. The proposed development, and required
changes to planning documents, is summarized as follows (see Figure 4):
On the Business Corridor Area lands (located between Highway 404 and proposed
northern extension of Markland Street):
- A 13,617 m2 (146,578 sq. ft.) Loblaws supermarket with accessory open storage;
- A gas bar/car wash, affiliated with the Loblaws store, at the north west
corner of Markland Street and Major Mackenzie Drive;
- The applicant’s site development plan,
submitted in support of the application, shows a “possible office
building” at the north west
corner of the Business Corridor Area lands;
- Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments
to permit a retail store larger than 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq. ft.) with
open storage on the Business Corridor Area lands;
- A zoning amendment to
permit the gas bar/car wash.
On the Community Amenity Area lands (located east of the proposed northern
extension of Markland Street and the valley lands adjacent to Woodbine Avenue):
·
A total of 17,000 m2 (183,000 sq.
ft.) of retail floor space in 11 free-standing buildings, with one store having
a floor area of approximately 8,400 m2 (90,000 sq. ft.) with accessory
open storage;
·
a second gas
bar/car wash;
·
a 1,900 m2
(20,000 sq. ft.) office building;
·
Official Plan
and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit:
o a retail store larger than 6,000 m2 (65,000
sq. ft.) with open storage on the Community Amenity Area lands;
o the proposed gas bar/car wash;
o retail uses adjacent to Major Mackenzie Drive.
No development is proposed on the
designated hazard lands at the north west corner of Woodbine Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive.
Staff do not support the
proposed development of a large format retail store in excess of 6,000 m2
(65,000 sq. ft.) and a gas bar/car wash on the Business Corridor Area lands for
the following reasons:
- the proposal does not comply with the planned function of the
Business Corridor Area designation;
- it would represent an unacceptable loss of employment land within
the Business Corridor Area designation; and,
- it
would result in an inappropriate “gateway” into the West Cathedral
Business Park Area to the north.
Furthermore, staff do
not support the proposal to eliminate the northerly extension of the northbound
Highway 404 off-ramp through the Business Corridor Area lands.
However, staff
are of the opinion that further
consideration may be given to the concept of intensified retail development
on the Community Amenity Area portion of the site (east of Markland Street) if the owner submits an application which meets the
following criteria:
·
Retail development is predominantly
concentrated on the Community Amenity Area portion of the site in order to
preserve the Business Corridor Area lands for employment uses;
·
The existing floor area cap,
which limits individual stores to a maximum of 6,000 m2 in the
Business Corridor Area lands, is not increased;
·
Retail uses are sited so
that they have a strong street presence and pedestrian orientation along Major Mackenzie Drive and especially along Markland
Street, in order to
encourage pedestrian activity and present a visually attractive gateway into
the Cathedral Community;
·
That
large surface parking areas do not dominate the
street frontages of the site. In this regard
staff would strongly encourage the use of parking structure(s) to reduce the
proportion of the site reserved for surface parking;
·
Provisions are made to set
aside land to be acquired by the Town for a fire hall in the Community Amenity
Area designation, to the satisfaction of the Fire Department;
·
The northbound extension of
the Highway 404 off ramp to Markland Street is
retained in the Cathedral Secondary Plan and accommodated within any revised
site development plan in the Business Corridor Area lands; and,
·
The wood lot on the Business
Corridor Area lands is integrated into the development in an appropriate
manner.
In addition, in order to facilitate
retail development on the Community Amenity Area portion of the site (in
accordance with the criteria noted above), staff would support deleting the
proposed north south road between Markland and
Woodbine.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to provide
information regarding the above-noted applications, and to review the
appropriateness of these applications within the context of the Town of Markham’s
land use policies and urban design goals for the subject lands and, more
generally, the West Cathedral Community.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The subject lands cover an area of
approximately 16.8 hectares (41.57 acres) and are bounded on the south by Major
Mackenzie Drive, on the west by Highway 404, on the east by Woodbine Avenue,
and on the north by Lot 22 Concession 3 (owned by Barrowcrest
Developments Inc.) (see Figures 2 and 3).
The majority of the site is flat
table land previously in agricultural use.
Several environmental features are located on the property (see Figure
4), including:
- an area of open space and floodplain
(totalling 2.66 hectares (6.58 acres)), and part of a proposed stormwater management pond (totalling 0.28 ha (0.69
acres)), located on the easternmost portion of the site, adjacent to Woodbine Avenue;
- a short length of Applewood
Creek, located on the west side of the site adjacent to Highway 404;
- the table land portion of a mature silver maple - black maple woodlot,
which covers an area of approximately 0.9 ha (2.22 acres) in the north
western portion of the subject lands east of Applewood
Creek. The revised Environmental
Impact Assessment, prepared by Gartner Lee, identifies black maple as local
and regionally rare species. The
revised Environmental and Stormwater Management
Plan for the West Cathedral Community, recommends that consideration be
given to retaining
this woodlot, and integrating it into any future
development. Staff
have advised the applicant that the environmentally significant
portion of this woodlot must be identified and suitably protected in any
site plan to be approved.
Existing Official Plan
The subject lands are designated Industrial/Business Corridor,
Commercial/Community Amenity Area and Hazard Lands by the Markham Official Plan (Revised 1987).
Key policy provisions applying to
these land use categories include:
Business Corridor:
The Business Corridor designation
extends from Highway 404 to the proposed northern extension of Markland Street (see Figure 4).
The planned function of this designation is to accommodate a mix of high
quality industrial and commercial uses that require exposure along major road
frontages to accommodate the needs of businesses and employees, and to
accommodate at appropriate locations certain businesses that may also serve the
general public. This designation provides for a variety of
uses including offices, light industrial, banks, hotels, motels. Retail and service uses may also be permitted
with individual premises greater than 300 m2 (3,230 sq. ft.) but
less than 6,000 m2 (64,586 sq. ft.).
The plan also provides for mixed use centres, consisting of a mix of
retail and other permitted uses in multi-storey buildings, within this
designation. Automobile service stations
and car washes are provided for only through review of a specific development
application.
Community Amenity/Business Area:
The Community Amenity/Business Area
designation extends from Markland Street to the Hazard Lands area west of Woodbine Avenue. This
designation is generally intended to accommodate residential and commercial
uses, as well as selected industrial uses.
In the Markham Official Plan, the Community Amenity Area designation
provides for a mix of retail, service, office and medium and high density
residential uses. Individual retail
premises are limited to a maximum floor area of 6,000 m2. However, the Cathedral Secondary Plan
specifically excludes retail uses adjacent to Major Mackenzie Drive within the Community Amenity/Business Area
designation. In addition, both
automobile service stations and car washes are not permitted anywhere in this
designation by the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan also states that the road
frontage adjacent to Markland Street shall be encouraged to develop with appropriate commercial or
industrial uses so as to enhance the employment focus and business environment
along this section of Markland Street.
Hazard Lands:
The Hazard Lands designation is
located in the north-west quadrant of the Woodbine Avenue/Major Mackenzie Drive intersection.
The Hazard Land policies in the Cathedral Secondary Plan refer to those in the Markham
Official Plan. No buildings or
structures are permitted except those required for flood or erosion control or
conservation purposes. Hazard lands are
to be conveyed to the Town or other public agency as a condition of development
approval.
Cathedral Community Secondary Plan provisions
The subject lands are also located
within the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan (OPA 42). As set out in Schedule “AA” Land Use Plan (see Figure 5), the subject lands are designated under three
land use categories:
- The portion of the site between the Markland Street
intersection and Highway 404 (including Applewood
Creek and the woodlot) is designated Business
Corridor;
- The area to the east, between Markland Street
and the floodplain/stormwater management pond is
designated Community
Amenity/Business Area;
- The floodplain/stormwater
management pond area adjacent is designated Hazard Land.
The Official Plan and Cathedral
Secondary Plan contain interrelated and complementary policies, and are
discussed in an integrated manner below.
Transportation Plan
In addition, the Secondary Plan
designates a collector road connection within the West Cathedral Community
between the Highway 404 north bound off-ramp at Major Mackenzie Drive and Markland Street.
Current Studies
There are several recent and ongoing
planning studies that have a bearing on the subject application. These include:
- A review of Markham’s
commercial policies, including mixed commercial/employment designations
such as the Business Corridor designation.
This study has been undertaken by John Winter and Associates and
provides recommendations for new and amended commercial planning policies;
- Preparation, by the West Cathedral landowner’s group, of the
background studies required by the Cathedral Secondary Plan (Section
6.9). These studies are intended to
provide a comprehensive framework for individual development applications
in the community, and address issues such as services, road layouts,
detailed land use and lotting patterns, urban
design, phasing, environmental and stormwater
planning;
- A revision and update to the Cathedral Secondary Plan required as a
result of the new Woodbine by-pass and associated road layout and land use
changes, as well as changes to the community vision that have evolved
since 1997 when the original Cathedral Secondary Plan was adopted. The Secondary Plan Amendment is
currently under review by the Region of York, and is expected to be
approved, with modifications, in the first quarter of 2005.
Existing Zoning By-law provisions
The subject lands are zoned
Agricultural One (A1) by By-law 304-87.
Permitted uses are limited to agricultural uses and one single detached
dwelling as an accessory use to a permitted farm operation.
Proposed Development
The Owner is proposing to develop
the property with a variety of free-standing single storey retail pads, a
two-storey office building, and 2 gas bar/car washes in a large format retail
centre configuration (see Figure 4), as shown in the following chart:
Designation and location
|
Retail
|
Gas Bar/Car Wash
|
Office
|
|
Business
Corridor Area (between Hwy 404 and Markland St.)
|
146, 578 sq. ft. (1 large format supermarket)
|
1 establishment
|
None
|
|
Community
Amenity Area (between Markland St. and valleylands)
|
90,000 sq. ft. (1 large format store)
92,000 sq. ft. (10 pads each less than 65,000 sq.
ft. floor plates)
|
1 establishment
|
20,000 sq. ft. (1 building)
|
|
Hazard Lands (adjacent
to Woodbine Ave.)
|
No development
proposed
|
|
Site Totals
|
329,671 sq. ft. (12 free-standing pads)
|
2 establishments
|
20,000 sq. ft. (1 building)
|
The proposed development will also
include:
·
The extensions
of Markland Street and Nichols Boulevard north of Major Mackenzie Drive;
·
Parking in large
surface lots, generally fronting directly onto Major Mackenzie Drive as well as significant portions of the Markland Street and Street B frontages.
Furthermore, the owner is proposing
to delete the internal collector road between the Highway 404 north bound off
ramp at Major
Mackenzie Drive and Markland Street, which is designated in the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan, and the
woodlot is not identified for preservation in the application.
Amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law are required
The owner has submitted
applications for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments. The Official Plan Amendment application addresses
amendments related to both the Business Corridor and Community Amenity/Business
Corridor designations, as well as the Transportation Plan, as follows:
Business Corridor Area:
- Increasing the retail store size cap above 6,000 m2 to
provide for the proposed Loblaws store at
146,578 sq. ft. (13,617 m2);
- Permissions for accessory outdoor storage and display of
merchandise related to retail uses.
Community Amenity-Business Area:
- Increasing the retail store size cap above 6,000 m2 to
provide for a proposed large format store of 90,493 sq. ft. (8,407 m2);
- Permissions for accessory outdoor storage and display of
merchandise related to retail uses;
- Permissions for retail uses adjacent to Major Mackenzie Drive;
- Permission for an automobile service station/car wash.
Transportation Plan:
·
Deleting the
collector road linkage between the north bound Highway
404 off ramp at Major Mackenzie Drive and Markland Street from the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan
Transportation Plan (Schedule ‘BB’).
The property is zoned Agricultural
One (A1) by By-law 304-87. The intent of
the Zoning By-law Amendment application is to rezone the property in conformity
with the Business Corridor and Community Amenity – Business Area designations
of the Cathedral Community Secondary Plan, as amended above. In addition, the floodplain area on the
eastern portion of the property would be zoned OS1, in conformity with the
existing Hazard Land designation in the Secondary Plan.
A public meeting was held
The applications for Official Plan
and Zoning By-law Amendment were submitted in March 2004, and staff prepared a
preliminary report which was presented to the Development Services Committee on
May 18, 2004. The preliminary report identified concerns as
set out in this report. At the May 2004 meeting,
the Development Services Committee recommended that the applications be
deferred pending completion of the Commercial Policy Review. Staff continued work on this study through
the summer and fall of 2004.
A community information meeting was
held on November 29, 2004, and the
statutory public meeting was held on December 7, 2004. At both these
meetings local residents identified a number of concerns and comments about the
applications, including:
·
Traffic impacts
from the proposal, particularly with regard to existing congestion on Major Mackenzie Drive and Woodbine Avenue, as well as potential safety concerns for children living in the area;
·
The potential
for traffic infiltration into the Woodbine North residential community
(immediately south of Major Mackenzie Drive)
·
Concerns about
noise and visual impacts associated with the two proposed gas bars, and
questions about the need for two additional gas stations in the area;
·
The extent of
surface parking proposed;
·
Residents also
questioned the need for additional large format retail in the area.
The minutes of the statutory public
meeting are attached as Appendix A.
In October 2004 and February 2005,
staff met with the applicant’s consulting team to review concerns and to
discuss alternative development options for the site. At both these meetings, staff reviewed
concerns about proposed store sizes, the loss of employment lands in the
Business Corridor Area, urban design issues, and concerns related to the proposed
gas stations. Staff also indicated that
a revised development concept that maintains employment uses on the Business Corridor
Area lands and focuses retail development on the Community Amenity Area lands,
as set out in the next section of this report, would be more acceptable to the
Town. To date the applicant has not
submitted any revisions to the proposed development plan.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
The
application does not comply with the planned function of the Business Corridor
Area designation
The applicant proposes, in part, to
amend the policies of the Business Corridor Area designation to permit
development of a 13,617 m2 (146,578 sq. ft.) or larger supermarket
on the west side of Markland Street. As noted in the previous
section, the Business Corridor Area designation is primarily intended to serve
the needs of the surrounding business and industrial community, with some
commercial uses intended to serve the general public. In compliance with the stated intent of the
planned function, the Official Plan currently caps individual retail premises
in the Business Corridor Area designation at 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq. ft.). This cap is specifically intended to exclude
very large retail formats, which tend to be regional market draws. These very large facilities are not oriented
to the local business community, and often generate large amounts of
traffic.
Staff do not support the proposed amendment to the Business
Corridor Area designation. This change
would more than double the currently permitted floor size for individual retail
stores and would not comply with the intended planned function of this
designation. While current policies
could potentially allow for a cumulative retail floor area in excess of 6,000 m2
in the Business Corridor Area portion of the site, the total floor area would
be spread among several medium-sized stores, which function quite differently
from very large format stores. While
smaller format stores tend to draw more heavily from a community-scaled market
area, very large box retail formats are clearly regional draws, and would not
be primarily oriented to serving the local business or even the local
residential community.
Staff
would not support any proposal to remove the Business Corridor Area portion of
the site from an industrial land use category, since Markham is experiencing a severe
shortage of designated industrial land
The
Town of Markham Official Plan requires, in part, that any proposal to
remove lands from an industrial land use category (such as the Business
Corridor Area designation) have regard for the impacts of such a proposal on
remaining employment lands.
The proposal to develop a 145,000
sq. ft. plus supermarket on the Business Corridor Area lands would be much more
compatible with the planned function of the Major Commercial designation, which
provides for large scale retail uses intended to serve a major portion of the
municipality and/or a broader regional market.
However, such a change would involve removing the lands west of Markland Street from the Business Corridor Area (Industrial)
category, and redesignating them under the Major
Commercial category. While the planned
function of the Business Corridor Area designation is to serve primarily as an
area for employment uses, with appropriately
scaled retail amenities, the planned function of the Major Commercial Area
designation is to provide for large scale retail uses that serve a major
portion of the municipality and/or regional markets. This would entail a
radical change in the current planned function of these lands (as predominantly
employment lands) and a resulting loss of employment-oriented lands that, in
staff’s opinion, is not acceptable.
The
Town has identified a need to designate additional land to accommodate forecast
growth in industrial employment, thus maintaining Markham’s competitive economic
position. This need was identified in
the 2000 Employment Lands Strategy Study, and confirmed in subsequent
analyses by staff. Based on the findings
of the Employment Lands Strategy Study, the Town has been actively engaged in a
program to identify and designate additional industrial land since 2000. Concurrently, to preserve the supply of land
presently designated or zoned for industrial use, staff has recommended that
requests to permit viable industrial lands to be employed for non-industrial
uses not be supported.
Furthermore, staff
are of the opinion that a large-format, regionally-oriented retail
centre at this location would not serve as an appropriate or compatible entry
gateway to the Cathedral Community employment lands, and could detract from the
future viability of the employment lands to the north. Conversely, highly visible employment uses on the Business Corridor Area
lands, characterized by high urban design standards, would strongly support the
future development of the Highway 404 employment corridor in its intended
planned function as a prestige employment area.
The portion of the
subject lands designated Business Corridor Area is a significant parcel at a
future entrance to a major business park, with good exposure to a major
arterial road and ready access to Highway 404.
The Business Corridor Area
portion of the site is ideally located for office and industrial development,
could be easily serviced from the south, and represents a key element in the
Town’s supply of employment lands. As a
result, staff would not support any proposal that would preclude development of
these lands in a form contrary to the current policies of the Business Corridor
Area designation.
The majority of retail uses should be directed to the Community Amenity
Area portion of the property
The central portion of the subject
lands, between Markland Street and the valley lands adjacent to Woodbine Avenue, permit a mix of retail commercial uses, in addition
to industrial, residential and institutional uses. Staff recognize that there is a need for
additional community-oriented retail amenities in this area to serve the
growing population of the Cathedral and Woodbine North Communities, and would
support retail development of the Community Amenity Area portion of the site,
including provision of a food store.
In order to enhance the development
potential of these lands, staff are willing to
consider deleting the local north south road shown in the West Cathedral
Community Design Plan between Woodbine Avenue and Markland Street. This would allow for a more integrated and efficient site layout
within the Community Amenity Area lands, but would require the consent of the
landowner to the north. Other policies
currently in effect on the Community Amenity Area lands, as outlined below, may
also need to be revised in order to permit more intensive retail uses in this
area.
Retail development on the Community Amenity Area lands must satisfy key
urban design principles
The current concept plan for retail
development of this property proposes a standard shopping centre layout with
the majority of the retail buildings located at the peripheries of the site
furthest away from the major roads, and large surface parking lots along the
road frontages.
Staff do not support this layout,
as it does not comply with the Secondary Plan, does not create an attractive
streetscape along Major Mackenzie Drive or Markland Street, nor does it promote a pedestrian supportive
streetscape or enhance pedestrian amenity.
Staff have proposed several alternative layouts which would
better satisfy the Town’s streetscape and urban design goals for this area,
including:
- Locating the major retail anchor(s) along
the Major
Mackenzie Drive
and Markland Street frontages of the Community Amenity Area portion of the site;
- Providing for window displays or, ideally,
direct store access for pedestrians along the east side of Markland Street;
- Enhancing built form along the remainder
of the Major
Mackenzie Drive
frontage of the site (east of Markland Street)
with additional retail/commercial uses;
- Locating parking areas away from the Markland/Major Mackenzie frontages of the CAA area, on
the northern and eastern portions of the site;
- Provision of structured parking, as a way
of reducing the area devoted to surface parking, and as a means of using
the available site area as efficiently as possible.
Staff may consider more intensified retail development within the
Community Amenity Area designation, if key objectives are met
The Community Amenity Area
designation also caps individual retail premises at 6,000 m2. However, staff may consider some flexibility
in assessing a proposal to increase this cap, if the following conditions were
met:
·
The applicant
developed a conceptual layout plan for the CAA portion of the site that
addressed the urban design considerations noted above in a satisfactory manner;
·
Provisions were
made to accommodate a fire hall on the eastern portion of the site, as
requested by the Fire Department;
·
Traffic
generated by the proposal could be adequately accommodated by the existing and
proposed road network;
·
Interface and
compatibility issues between the Community Amenity Area portion of the site and
proposed residential development to the north, as well as existing residential
on the south side of Major Mackenzie Drive, were adequately resolved.
·
The Business
Corridor Area portion of the site was reserved for uses that are compatible
with existing Business Corridor Area policies;
·
Staff would strongly
support structured parking on the property, in order to accommodate more
intensive forms of development;
·
The development
represented an appropriate “gateway” into the West Cathedral Business Park area.
·
The proposal for
two additional gas bars is deleted from the application.
It is important to note that, while
the applicant is proposing two larger format retail stores in the subject
application, a recent retail inventory study undertaken by John Winter
Associates concluded that in Markham, medium-sized retail formats (25,000 to
49,900 sq. ft) have shown the greatest increase in number of establishments
over the past 10 years, while large format stores (up to 100,000 sq. ft. and
larger) have exhibited the greatest decline over the same period. From a market standpoint, it would appear
that retail floorplates under 6,000 m2
remain an extremely viable option in this area.
Staff do not support deleting the north south
extension of the Highway 404 off ramp
Transportation planning staff have indicated that there will likely be a need for
this road in the future to relieve pressure on the intersections of Major
Mackenzie Drive/Highway 404 and Woodbine Ave. While detailed
planning and design studies have not yet been undertaken, it is prudent to
protect for the future alignment of this road in the Secondary Plan. Staff do not support
the applicant’s proposal to delete this road from the secondary plan
transportation schedule.
Other issues
In addition to the broad land use
issues and concerns noted above, there are several more detailed issues that
have not been adequately addressed in the proposal, as currently
formulated. These include:
- Preservation of the table land portion of
the black maple woodlot located in the Business Corridor Area portion of
the site, west of Markland Street. The recently-completed
Environmental Impact Assessment for the West Cathedral Community indicates
that this woodlot contains a black maple community, which is a locally and
regionally rare species.
- Adequate provision for a north-south
extension of the 404 off ramp between Major Mackenzie Drive and Markland Street.
- Staff do not support the applicant’s proposal to develop two gas bars
within the subject lands.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
No financial issues at this time.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Key environmental issues that require further
review include:
- Preservation of the black maple woodlot in the western portion of
the site
- Confirmation of the extent and location of the Hazard Lands
and associated buffer on the east side of the site.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The application has been circulated to all
relevant departments and agencies. Their
comments and requirements have been incorporated into this report as required.
CONCLUSIONS:
Staff do not support the proposed
development of a large format retail store in excess of 6,000 m2
(65,000 sq. ft.) and a gas bar/car wash on the Business Corridor Area lands for
the following reasons:
- the proposal does not comply with the planned function of the
Business Corridor Area designation;
- it would represent an unacceptable loss of employment land within
the Business Corridor Area designation; and,
- it
would result in an inappropriate “gateway” into the West Cathedral
Business Park Area to the north.
Furthermore, staff do
not support the proposal to eliminate the northerly extension of the northbound
Highway 404 off-ramp through the Business Corridor Area lands.
However, staff
are of the opinion that further consideration may be given to the
concept of intensified retail development on the Community Amenity Area portion
of the site (east of Markland Street) if the owner submits an application which meets the following
criteria:
·
Retail development is
predominantly concentrated on the Community Amenity Area portion of the site in
order to preserve the Business Corridor Area lands for employment uses;
·
The existing floor area cap
which limits individual stores to a maximum of 6,000 m2 in the
Business Corridor Area lands remain unchanged;
·
Retail uses are sited so
that they have a strong street presence and pedestrian orientation along Major Mackenzie Drive and especially along Markland
Street, in order to
encourage pedestrian activity and present a visually attractive gateway into
the Cathedral Community;
·
That
large surface parking areas do not dominate the
street frontages of the site. In this
regard staff would encourage the use of parking structure(s) to reduce the
proportion of the site reserved for surface parking;
·
Provisions are made to set
aside land to be acquired by the Town for a fire hall in the Community Amenity
Area designation, to the satisfaction of the Fire Department;
·
The northbound extension of
the Highway 404 off ramp to Markland Street is
retained in the Cathedral Secondary Plan and accommodated within any revised
site development plan in the Business Corridor Area lands; and,
·
The wood lot on the Business
Corridor Area lands is preserved.
In addition, in order to facilitate
retail development on the Community Amenity Area portion of the site (in
accordance with the criteria noted above), staff would support deleting the
proposed north south road between Markland and
Woodbine.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 – Location Map
Figure 2 – Zoning and Area context
Figure 3 – Air Photo
Figure 4 – Proposed Site Plan Concept
Appendix ‘A’ – Excerpt of minutes from December 7, 2004 Public Meeting
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\ZONING\04 010910 Loblaws\DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
COMMITTEE - final report.doc
FIGURE 1
OWNER: Loblaw
Properties Limited
Mario Fatica
Senior Director of Real
Estate Development
22 St. Clair Avenue East
2nd Floor
Toronto ON M4T 2S5
Tel: 416-967-2567
Fax: 416-960-6949
AGENT: Zelinka Priamo Limited
Richard Zelinka
Principal
318 Wellington
Road
London ON N6C 4P4
Tel: 519-474-7137
Fax: 519-474-2284
e-mail:
richard.z@zpplan.com
LOCATION MAP:
