Bridgewater Project April 20, 2016 at 7 p.m. Burlington Lions Club Hall, 471 Pearl Street. Notes

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1 Bridgewater Project April 20, 2016 at 7 p.m. Burlington Lions Club Hall, 471 Pearl Street Notes Attendees: Councillor Marianne Meed Ward Charles Mulay, Senior Planner, City of Burlington Georgie Gartside, Assistant to Councillor Meed Ward Claire Bradbury, Coop Student to Councillor Meed Ward Matt Jaecklein, Mayrose-Tycon Limited Joe Donato, New Horizon Development Group Ken Dakin, Planning Consultant Leanne Ciancone, Pearle Hospitality Aaron Ciancone, Pearle Hospitality Harrison Chan, WZMH Architects Mohammed Al-Atheri, ZMH Architects Approximately 25 residents The PowerPoint presentation from the meeting is available at Charles Mulay, Senior City Planner, provided the following update on the planning applications: The original development was approved in June 2006 and included a 22-storey condo, 7-storey condo and 7-storey hotel. After the original approvals were granted, changes to the plan were made and an additional storey was added to the hotel through a Committee of Adjustment application in Bridgewater representatives will be requesting some further changes to accommodate the new hotel operator. A minor variance application will be submitted requesting an increase to the floor area of the hotel and adding a 9th level of office space to the hotel without increasing the height of the approved built form. Once an application is made to the Committee of Adjustment, property owners within 60 metres will receive a letter in the mail providing details about the application as well as the date for the hearing. Committee of Adjustment hearings are public and anyone can attend them. The site plan application process will continue and looks at the overall design of the project, landscaping, compatibility, safety, etc. Ken Dakin, planner on record for the Bridgewater project since 1997, provided the following details: In 2012, Delta Hotels and Resorts was the hotel operator and requested modifications to the approved plans to meet Delta s brand standards. The two key minor variances were to increase the building height to 8-storeys in order to accommodate 152 hotel

2 P a g e 2 rooms and increase the Floor Area Ratio for the whole site to accommodate the 8th floor, indoor event space and back-of-house facilities for the hotel. Since then, Marriott International has acquired Delta and wishes to proceed with the hotel, but under the Marriott banner. Marriott has different standards for room sizes, event, and hospitality space and visitor amenities. Marriott at Bridgewater will be represented by Pearle Hospitality, a local company that operates Spencer s at the Waterfront, Ancaster Old Mill, Cambridge Mill, Earth to Table restaurants, etc. The following is a list of the requested hotel changes: o Increase the size of the restaurant (almost double), move it to the southwest corner of the ground floor, provide its own separate entrance off of Elizabeth Street, add an executive lounge, a special wine storage dining area and an outdoor dining terrace overlooking the lake. This will require the pool and fitness area to be relocated to the northeast corner of the ground floor. The goal is a larger destination restaurant with a separate brand and identity from the hotel, rather than a hotel restaurant. o Increase the size of the hotel lobby and the addition of a feature staircase to the second level event space. o Move all of the event space to the second floor. The current plan has event space on both the ground level and second floor and includes only one ballroom. Moving all event space to the second floor will help to separate the day to day activities of the hotel from the events. Added floor space is being requested on the second floor of the colonnade along Elizabeth Street to increase the available space for events. The proposed space will include a ballroom, two event rooms and related pre-function areas. o Increase the number of hotel rooms. Marriott s room sizes are larger than Delta s and the 152 hotel rooms in the current Delta design turn into 126 hotel rooms under Marriott standards. The minimum number of hotel rooms for a Marriott hotel is 150. Additional floor space is proposed on floors 3 to 7 in the gap between the hotel and 7-storey condo which would increase the number of hotel rooms to 156. o Add office space to the hotel as a partial 9th floor in front of and behind the existing roof top mechanical penthouse. The added office will not exceed the height of the mechanical penthouse at its lowest point. The area will be finished on the exterior to blend with the mechanical penthouse. The added space will accommodate the office needs of the hotel and Pearle Hospitality. All hotel office space was previously located at the parking garage level and is too small for the hotel s operational needs. In terms of the City s Zoning By-law, there are two variances anticipated: 1. To permit a height of 9 storeys and 32.05m for the hotel instead of 8 storeys and 29m; and 2. To permit a floor area ratio of approximately 5.16:1 times the site area instead of 4.85:1 times the site area. This is a 6.6% increase of floor area over what is permitted now.

3 P a g e 3 Questions: Will the 7-storey condo lose its windows on the north side of the building to accommodate the added hotel space on floors 3 to 7 between the hotel and condo? Answer: There were never any windows proposed on the north side of the condo building. Windows will face east, west and south only. What is the seating capacity of the proposed restaurant? Answer: The seating capacity will be patrons inside and 80 outside. What is the category for the hotel? Answer: It will be a full service Marriott hotel which is the highest level. In the 1990 s, the city required a minimum 4-star hotel for this project and the Marriott complies with that minimum. When will the project be finished? Answer: Once final approvals are granted, construction will take approximately 3 years. Once an application is submitted to the Committee of Adjustment, it will take approximately 6 weeks for a hearing date plus a 20 day appeal period following the hearing. Next, final site plan approvals will be necessary. In the meantime, excavation work can begin while these approvals are being sought. What are construction hours? Answer: Noise from construction is permitted Monday to Saturday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. No noise is permitted on Sundays and Statutory Holidays. However, noise exemptions can be requested from the city, if necessary, to go beyond the times prescribed in the city s bylaw. Typically, these are made only under special circumstances (ie. a special piece of construction equipment is on site short term). Where is the retail located? Answer: Retail will be located along Lakeshore Road and inside the courtyard plaza. Is there a gap between the hotel and 22-storey condo in order to access the courtyard? Answer: Yes, there is a metre wide gap to allow for pedestrian access to the courtyard from Lakeshore Road. Is the courtyard public? Answer: Yes, the courtyard and steps to the waterfront will all be available for public access. How will the underground parking work for the hotel, condos and retail operators? Answer: Access to the underground will be at the bottom of Elizabeth Street. Loading, waste facilities and commercial access will be on the top level of the underground and then there will be a separate gate to access the remaining floors for condo residents and hotel staff. Was the hotel 7-storeys? Answer: Yes, the original plans approved in 2006 included a 7-storey hotel. When Delta Hotels came on board they asked for an additional level to meet their brand standards. The additional storey was approved in 2012 through the Committee of Adjustment. What is the total value of the project? Answer: The construction value of the project is $200 Million. Is the winding path on the east side of the site, next to Old Lakeshore Road, going to be re-opened once the project is complete? Answer: The winding path was built in 2005 when shoreline protection work was undertaken as part of this project. The path will reopen at the completion of the project. It will be a public path leading to and from the waterfront.

4 P a g e 4 Who is going to own the lands once the project finishes? Answer: New Horizons Bridgewater Inc. is the current owner of the entire site. Once completed, Pearle Hospitality will own the hotel and New Horizon Development Group will own the condos. New Horizon will sell the condo units and eventually a condo board will run the two condos. The City of Burlington will own the staircase and shoreline at the end of the project as part of previous negotiations that have taken place. Why is access blocked at the east end of Spencer Smith Park with an orange construction fence? Answer: As part of this project, Elizabeth Street south of Lakeshore Road will be reconstructed. The street will be widened to a two-lane road and a turnaround bulb added at the south end. When construction of the project is complete, access will be available again. What is the distance from the east tower to the winding path? Answer: Approximately 8-10 metres from the wall to the path. Will there be an indoor pool in the hotel? Answer: Yes Was a green roof proposed on top of the hotel? Answer: No, the renderings were shown in green but there was no green roof proposed on top of the hotel. The top floor of the 7-storey condo will contain an outdoor amenity space for condo residents. Residents of 360 on Pearl would like to know if the builder will pay for outdoor window cleaning due to construction dust. Answer: Joe Donato, on behalf of New Horizon Development Group, offered to look into it. Will the excavation for all three buildings be done now (instead of excavating one building at a time)? Answer: Yes, the excavation work for all three buildings will be done at the same time. Is there a colonnade along Lakeshore Road? Answer: No, there is no colonnade proposed for Lakeshore Road. The lake side of the site is all ripped up. Will the city or the builder repair this area? Answer: Currently, storm drainage work is underway and the builder will reinstate the area. Will the pedestrian islands in the middle of Lakeshore Road be put back in once the project is completed? Answer: There will be at least one pedestrian island along Lakeshore Road. The exact location and design will be determined upon completion of the Bridgewater project. There are utility locates along Pearl and Lakeshore. Will it be dug up in that area? Answer: No, those were the original locates from the work undertaken on Lakeshore Road. That work is now complete. How many retail units are proposed? Answer: Currently there are 10 units. However, that may change depending on the unit size required for each retailer. Are the heights from the Baxter the same as the 22-storey condo? Answer: The top of the hotel (not including the mechanical penthouse) will sit at 29 meters. The floor heights differ slightly between the two buildings. Residents who wish to compare the two plans should contact Charles Mulay, Senior Planner, at , ext

5 P a g e 5 Will this be the end of the variances? Answer: Hew Horizons would like to get this project moving and is hopeful this is the last of the variances. In some Marriott hotels, part of the hotel space is sold off for other uses. Will that be the case with this Marriott? Answer: This Marriott will be a hotel only. Will the city receive tax back when people stay at the hotel? Answer: Presently there is not a Destination Marketing Program (DMP) in Burlington. A program was in place from The 6 Burlington Hotel Association members voluntarily collected a 3% fee and Tourism Burlington, as an independent non-profit organization, developed and implemented the marketing programs to increase visitation and economic impact to the city. The money did not flow to the City of Burlington. When the new HST was implemented in 2010, the province thought they would set up a standard program across Ontario so they provided temporary transition funding to Burlington and other destination marketing organizations to replace their existing DMP. In 2012 the province decided not to go ahead with a province wide program and indicated that communities could reestablish their own programs if they wished and the transition funding ended. Although there has been some interest by the Burlington Hotel Association in resurrecting the program here, nothing concrete has been set up at this time. Tourism Burlington would support the development and implementation of this program if it is reestablished. Will the PowerPoint presentation be ed out to everyone? Answer: Marianne will post the presentation on and everyone a link to the presentation if they have completed the sign-in sheet. Has water access been considered? Answer: Nothing has been proposed as part of this project. The Brant Street Pier originally included a marina as part of the project plans. However, the pier designs were shortened and the marina was removed from the project. What is the city going to do about traffic gridlock along Lakeshore as a result of this and other proposed developments? Answer: A traffic impact study would have been required when the original applications were submitted for the Bridgewater project. Vehicles tend to use Lakeshore as a cut-through to get to the QEW. How much visitor parking is proposed and is it required to be kept as visitor parking (and not sold to condo owners)? Answer: There are 26 visitor spaces for the condos and retail units. These spaces are permanent visitor spaces and cannot be sold to unit owners. Will the 9th floor additional office space be below the lowest part of the mechanical rooftop feature? Answer: Yes, the office space will be below the mechanical rooftop feature. City staff will inspect during construction to ensure the project is built to the approved plans. Comments: Much better design and improvements. This project will bring more business to downtown.

6 P a g e 6 Other items of interest: What is happening with the Waterfront Hotel site? Answer: The City s Official Plan states that a master plan study must be completed, at the property owner s expense, before any re-development can occur. The study shall address issues such as: the integration of the site with the parkland to the south and west and the private development to the east, the preservation of lake views, and enhancements to the public realm. The study area includes a portion of Spencer Smith Park and other areas surrounding the hotel. In 2015, City Council passed Terms of Reference for the master plan study. Part of the Terms of Reference includes the creation of a Stakeholder Advisory Committee to enhance the community engagement process. This Committee will include representatives from the City, Region and Conservation Halton, as well as other departments and agencies such as Burlington Hydro. The Stakeholder Advisory Committee will also include the Ward Two Councillor, a representative of the landowner, and two members of the public to be selected through a recruitment process undertaken by the City Clerk s Department one from the downtown and one representing the wider community. The Waterfront Hotel falls within the Wellington Square Precinct in the City s Official Plan. The current height limit in the Wellington Square Precinct is 8 storeys as of right with the opportunity to consider 14 storeys as a rezoning which provides compatibility with surrounding uses and a sense of pedestrian scale. These applications may require angular plane studies identifying visual, sun shadowing and wind impacts and their mitigation. The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) in Wellington Square is 5.0:1 except where greater height is being considered through a rezoning. The Official Plan specifies that properties on the south side of Lakeshore Road shall maintain a certain amount of road frontage as unoccupied in order to maintain public view corridors through to Lake Ontario. Ken Dakin is also the planning consultant for the owner of the Waterfront Hotel. Ken has been involved in resolving a shoreline setback issue with Conservation Halton for the last year and a half. That issue has been completed and it is now in the hands of the property owner to trigger the start of the master plan study process. Is it the intent of the owner to redevelop the Waterfront Hotel and what is the timeframe? Answer: No development applications have been submitted to the city at this time. It will be up to the property owner to begin the master plan study. Once the study has been completed, a redevelopment of the property can proceed. Condominiums in downtown have no visitor parking spaces due to the current regulations in the City s Zoning By-law. The spaces have been sold to condo owners. Parking is an issue for downtown condo owners. As part of downtown condo development proposals, visitor parking spaces must be included in the plans. However, once a condo is built there is nothing preventing those visitor parking spaces from being sold to condo owners. Outside of the downtown, visitor parking spaces must be signed and kept as visitor parking spaces. Marianne has asked that city staff review the zoning related to downtown condos as it is a concern to her. With regard to parking in downtown lots, the city is installing sensor pucks in all lots which will provide real-time parking statistics and help to gauge the availability of parking spaces.