The Corporation of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury

Transcription

1 The Corporation of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Special Meeting 2010/39 MINUTES UNDER SECTION 34(12) OF THE PLANNING ACT REVISED STATUTES OF ONTARIO 1990, CHAPTER P.13, AS AMENDED, TO DISCUSS A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE MUNICIPALITY'S ZONING BY-LAW RE: TIME: LOCATION: Meeting Location: -01 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers, Court House, 57 Holland Street East, Bradford Council Chambers, Court House 57 Holland Street East, Bradford, ON Members Present: Doug White, Mayor Dennis Roughley, Deputy Mayor Mark Contois, Councillor Del Crake, Councillor James Leduc, Councillor John McCallum, Councillor Members Absent: Staff Present: Peter Dykie, Councillor - with regrets Jeanny Salmon, Councillor - with regrets Ron Simpson, Councillor - with regrets Frank Jonkman, Drainage Superintendent Karen Gill, Administrative Assistant Ian Goodfellow, Director of Finance/Treasurer Debbie Korolnek, Director of Engineering Geoff McKnight, Director of Planning & Development Services Vince Musacchio, Manager of Capital Projects Patricia Nash, Municipal Clerk Tara Reynolds, Deputy Clerk Leigh Ann Wiseman, Planner Others: Carl Hordyk Joe Johnson Jay Feehely Neil Rombough Miriam King Jean Keffer Jim Levac John Barrasford Jay Gutteridge Mikki Nanowski Michael Cullet And others. OPENING 2010/ Moved by: D. Crake Seconded by: M. Contois "That this special meeting of Council being held pursuant to Sections 34(12) of the Planning Act comes to order at 7:05 p.m., to discuss a proposed change to By-law 2263, as amended by Bylaw , of the former Town of Bradford to permit the development of 30 stacked townhouse dwellings." CARRIED. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST- DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST Mayor White reminded the Members of Council of the Municipal Conflict of Interest legislation and requirements thereunder for disclosure. There were no declarations of Conflict of Interest declared at this time or throughout the meeting.

2 263 Barrie Street. Part of Lot 16, Concession. 7 Page 2 INTRODUCTION: PURPOSE OF THE MEETING Mayor White welcomed those present to this Special Meeting of Council and advised that this was the statutory public meeting held pursuant to Sections 34(12) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter P.13, as amended, to discuss a proposed change to By-law 2263, as amended by By-law , of the former Town of Bradford. The lands affected by the proposed Zoning By-law amendment is located on the east side of Barrie Street just north of the Fletcher Street/Britannia Avenue intersection and is municipally known as 263 Barrie Street. The purpose and effect of the proposed amendment is to rezone the property to permit the development of 30 stacked townhouse dwellings. EXPLANATION OF MEETING PROCEDURE Mayor White explained the procedure for the Public Meeting. 1. The Chairman will outline the purpose, nature and location of the planning application being considered. 2. The Chairman will remind the Members of Council of the Municipal Conflict of Interest legislation and requirements there under for disciosure. 3. The Clerk will outline the method by which notice of the public meeting was given and confirm that proper notice was provided in accordance with the legislation. 4. Planning staff will outline the purpose and nature of the planning application being considered, present the contents of the Planning Report and outline the details of the application. The Planner will present any written responses received on the application from the publication, internal circulation to agencies or public bodies. The Planner will respond to questions from Council. 5. The Applicant or a representative will provide details of the proposed amendment and 1 or respond to the Planner's presentation and questions from Council. 6. The meeting will be opened to public participation. The Public will be invited to address Council to provide comments and ask questions. If residents have a prepared written submission that you are reading from, please submit it to the Clerk upon completion of your presentation. 7. Written submissions regarding the proposal can be made to the Clerk. If the public wish to be notified of the decision on the proposal, submit a written request to the Clerk or provide your contact information on the roster sheet located at the back of the Council Chambers. Additional information regarding the proposal is available for inspection during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) at the Town's Planning and Development Services offices located at 3541 Line 11, Bradford. 8. The Applicant will be invited to respond and answer questions from the public. 9. Following the public portion of the meeting, Council members will be invited to ask final questions should they require clarification from the Applicant. 10. Council will not deal with the proposal tonight. Staff has prepared a recommendation report for Council's consideration. Council will refer the matter back to staff for further report. 11. It is very important that the Town receive the correct names and addresses of the individuals having an interest in each planning application. Therefore, prior to leaving the

3 Page 3 meeting, persons requesting formal notice of Council's decision on the proposal must complete a sign-in Attendance Register indicating their full name, mailing address, and telephone number on the Attendance Register. Under the Planning Act, the Applicant or the residents have the right to Appeal any decision of Council to the Ontario Municipal Board. The public must verbally express any comments or concerns here tonight or submit their comments in writing to the Clerk prior to Council's decision on whether to approve the proposal. If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at the public meeting, or make written submissions to Council before the proposal is passed, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. If a person or public body does not make oral submission at a public meeting, or make written submission to Council before the proposal is passed, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the Hearing of an Appeal before the Ontario Municipal Board unless, in the opinion of the Board, there are reasonable grounds to do so. Comments presented at this public hearing are being recorded by staff. Please provide your name and address. Personal information is being recorded according to the Municipal Act and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, providing your personal information will assist our Clerk in preparing accurate minutes and to create a record that is available to the general public including the Town's website. Questions regarding the collection and use of personal information should be directed to the Clerk, Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. 12. With the benefit of input received tonight, staff will prepare a Recommendation Report for Council's consideration at a later date. 13. Council will consider the Information Report. 14. The meeting will then be closed. CONFIRMATION OF NOTICE REQUIREMENTS Mayor White called upon the Municipal Clerk to provide confirmation of notice requirements. Patricia Nash, Municipal Clerk reported that notice of the public meeting was published in the Bradford West Gwillimbury Times and mailed to the property owners and public bodies on May 20, 2010, as prescribed by regulation under the Planning Act. In response to the notice, no written submissions were received. PLANNING REPORT Mayor White requested that Leigh Ann Wiseman, Planner confirm the Planning Act notice requirements and explain the application. Ms. Wiseman explained the application as follows: The Town has received an application to rezone the subject property to permit the construction of 4 stacked residential townhouse blocks comprising 30 dwelling units in total. The subject lands are currently vacant with the exception of several mature trees located around the perimeter of the property. The application has been submitted by Jim Levac of Korsiak & Company Ltd. on behalf of Serena Homes Ltd. SITE DETAILS The subject property is located on the east-side of Barrie Street, just north of Britannia Avenue, and is municipally known as 263 Barrie Street. The entire landholding is rectangular in shape

4 Page 4 and has a total site area of approximately 3, sq. metres (0.90 acres). Furthermore, the lands have a lot frontage of approximately metres (104 ft.) along Barrie Street and a lot depth of approximately metres ( ft.). Access to the property is proposed from an existing entrance located on Barrie Street. The subject lands are currently vacant with the exception of several mature trees located around the perimeter of the property. EXISTING OFFICIAL PLAN DESIGNATIONS, The subject property is designated "Residential" in the Town's Official Plan and is located within the Bradford Urban Area. The residential land use policies of the Official Plan allow a mix of residential densities and dwelling types including townhouse dwellings. EXISTING ZONING BY-LAW REGULATIONS The lands are currently zoned Neighbourhood Commercial Exception, Holding "C3-1 (H)" by Bylaw An amendment to the By-law is required in orderto rezone the subject lands from the current zoning to a site-specific Fourth Density Residential Exception, Holding "R4-XX(H)" zone in respect of the proposed development of the lands. Given that the lands are included in the Bradford Urban Area, the implementing Zoning By-law will be structured based on the performance standards of By-law 2263 of the former Town of Bradford, as amended, or the new Consolidated Zoning By-law if in full force and effect at that time. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL The applicant has submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application to rezone the subject lands to a site-specific Fourth Density Residential Exception, Holding "R4-XX(H)" zone to permit the construction of 4 stacked residential townhouse blocks comprising 30 dwelling units in total. The subject development also proposes a total of 68 parking spaces, which includes 8 visitor parking spaces on-site. A related application for Site Plan Approval was also submitted in respect of the proposed development of the lands (File No.: SP-10-05). After reviewing the Tree Inventory Plan submitted in consideration of the subject proposal, it is noted that the majority of the trees located around the perimeter of the property are listed in excellent or good condition and intended to be preserved. However, the trees identified as #9- #15 inclusive and located at the rear of the property are noted in poor or failed condition and identified for removal. In terms of the proposed landscaping on the property, the majority of the plantings are concentrated within the retaining wall structures planned along the southern and eastern property limits. PUBLIC AND AGENCY CONSULTATION The subject Zoning By-law Amendment application was received by the Planning and Development Services Department on March 19, 2010 and subsequently deemed to be complete on April 1, Notice of the public meeting was given in accordance with the regulations of the Planning Act as notices of the application and public meetin~ were mailed to all property owners within 120 metres of the site and placed in the May 20 edition of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Times. The subject application was circulated to internal departments and external commenting agencies for review and comment on May 3,2010. The following presents a summary of the correspondence received based on departmental and agency review: Manager of Development Engineering Comments from the Manager of Development Engineering have not been received as of the writing of this report. Planning staff note that discussions with the Manager of Development Engineering suggest that comments relating to servicing, site grading, and traffic impact will be provided with respect to the subject development proposal. Manager of Facilities/Parks/Cemeteries Comments received from the Manager of Facilities, Parks and Cemeteries indicate that

5 ApplicanUOwner: Serena Homes Ltd. 263Barrie Street. Part of Lot 16, Concession 7 Page 5 additional information with respect to tree protection, perimeter fencing, as well as the width and material of the proposed walkways into Lions Park is required. Fire Prevention Inspector After reviewing the first submission plans, the Fire Prevention Inspector has advised that additional information regarding the subject development is required. Comments include clarification on on-site garbage storage, snow storage, and request forvisible unit addressing from the fire access route. Additional Departmental & External Agency Comments Correspondence received from the Director of Finance, Enbridge, Rogers Cable, and Simcoe County District School Board have expressed no concerns or objections to the subject proposal. Planning staff continue to evaluate the merits of the proposal. Of particular focus are the plan's conformity with the Provincial Policy Statement and satisfactorily addressing any servicing related items identified by the Engineering Department. Public Comments Received No comments or concerns from the general public have been received as of the writing of this report. APPLICANT PRESENTATION Mr. Jim Levac of Korsiak & Company was in attendance to speak to the application and made the following comments: Under the new planning regime that is out there now there is a real push to do infill development. I have worked on several projects in the unit range. I'm not sure how many of these projects have been proposed in Bradford, I know there is a lot of expansion and subdivision type development and new commercial development taking place right now. What we are seeing is that first time home buyers can't get into the housing market with a three storey townhouse for less than $400,000 these days. The only alternative they have is to look for a mid-rise or a high rise building where they are paying a minimum of $200,000 to live in a 600 square foot shoebox. What we are starting to see is a re-emergence of a stacked townhouse product. One of the things that is great for these types of sites is that they look like a three storey townhouse (Mr. Levac showed renderings and site plans of the proposed development). Every occupant has a garage and two parking spaces - a space in the garage and a space in the driveway. There is no underground parking which reduces the overall maintenance fees because it is $20,000 to $30,000 to build an underground parking spot today. From the outside, the building looks very similar to a three storey townhouse. In dealing with an infill situation where the density is slightly higher than a townhouse project, we are aware that every municipal council and Official Plan has policies requiring that these types of infill sites be sensitive to the nature of the surrounding residential area. We think this is the type of project that would suit the site. One of the things we liked about the site initially was all the park exposure, so you can create an "eyes on the park" design. I understand there hasn't actually been a stacked townhouse proposal in Bradford and it is not a defined term in the current Zoning By-law. It is however defined in the new forthcoming Zoning By-law, as well as the Development Charges By-law. As the new Zoning By-law has not been approved yet, we had to apply as an amendment to the old by-law and create a definition for what is being proposed. Mr. John Barrasford, President of Christina Homes was in attendance to speak to the application and made the following comments: The site has park exposure on two sides and exposure to Barrie Street at the front. The site has been organized in such a fashion to have a block of townhouses face Barrie Street. Two other

6 ApplicanUOwner: Serena Homes Ltd. Page 6 blocks face the park and another block faces the baseball diamond. The site tried to maintain as much as possible the very significant mature trees on the site. The trees are in decline unfortunately, but it is impossible to suggest to anybody that we would take a tree down of that proportion. We have taken special care to try and deal with the major trees along the edge. There are a group of trees, three of which are located in the park and one of which is on our land which are also in tremendous shape so we have done some careful manipulation of the site to make sure the trees are saved. In the future, additional landscaping will enhance the site. Stacked townhouses work in this fashion; we have a lane at the back. From that lane, at the lowest level of the back there are two car parking spaces, one is in the garage and one is in the driveway. When you come home, you get out of your car and you walk through the hallway and up the stairs to the front of the house at grade. From there, you go up onto and porch and into your unit door. The ground floor unit is a bungalow; it is a 725 square foot one bedroom unit. The upper units are two storey, two bedroom units that are 850 square feet. The bedrooms are on the uppermost level and kitchen and dining room etc. are on the main level. They are very unique in that as a stacked townhouse unit, there are no underground parking spots per unit. Everybody has their own front door and in the case of this particular property, a wonderful exposure to a very delightful park.. One of the things that we proposed was to take advantage of the park. There is a walkway that goes into the park and we intend to connect this walkway into the development in three locations. The Parks Department was concerned that we were to be made aware that there is no snow clearing in the winter time and we are aware of that. There are a number of concerns that have come up, fairly minor concerns related to the nature of the surfacing and we are willing to work with the Parks Department to determine what is most appropriate. There were questions about fencing which we assumed would be part of our site plan review process. We would propose very transparent fences, for example a wrought iron type of fence and some areas of privacy fencing. The nature of the project requires some manipulation of the land and some retaining walls which will be heavily landscaped. This is a condominium and will be run by a condo corporation. This is not rental housing or low cost housing, but it will be more affordable. It will have the normal maintenance aspect that comes with a condominium. The Fire Department was concerned about snow storage and snow removal. There is the ability to store some snow. If it becomes overpowering, it will be removed by the contractor. The Fire Department is also concerned with a parking space being in the fire route and an additional fire hydrant being provided and we have no problem with addressing these concerns. Of the comments we have received so far, we have provided a solution for every concern that has been raised. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Mayor White indicated that the meeting was open for input from the public. Mayor White asked, a first time, if there were any persons present who wished to speak in support or in opposition to the proposal. 1. Neil Rombough, 30 Gordon Court Mr. Rombough questioned the applicant regarding pricing and the size of each apartment. The applicant responded that the pricing for the smaller units of 725 square feet will range from the low $200,000's to $229,000. The larger 857 square feet will be in the $249,000 range. Mr. Rombough was also concerned with how the trees would last with the change in drainage as the whole site is being torn up pretty good. The applicant explained that the recommendations made by the arborist clearly indicate that the most important thing to do is not change grade around the trees and we carefully attended to that. At the same time, there is a hoarding that has to be put around the trees during construction so those areas are not trampled. These two methods are the way we save the trees. There is an arborist and landscape architect attending

7 Page 7 to the issues to make sure the trees are maintained. Mr. Rombough asked what success the applicant has had in other infill developments and what percentage of the trees last ten years later. The applicant responded that every time they have been asked to save a tree, they have had great success. 2. Fernando Tata, 242 Barrie Street Mr. Tata indicated that he lives right across the street from the proposed development at the corner of Fletcher and Barrie Streets. Just recently there have been an increased number of accidents at the corner. How do you propose with the amount of vehicles that will be coming into the property to curtail the possibility of more accidents happening? There is a problem with speeding on Barrie Street. Michael Cullet, the Transportation Engineer responded. We did look at the site with respect to the volume of traffic that will come in and out of the site. Based on industry standards and recognizing that we have 30 townhouse units, we expect 20 vehicle trips to be generated in the AM peak hour - 15 vehicles leaving the site and 5 vehicles entering the site. During the PM peak hour, approximately 24 vehicles will leave and enter the site. We certainly don't consider that an excessive amount of traffic from this development. From an operations perspective, there are sufficient gaps in the vehicle stream, recognizing we have traffic signals upstream and downstream on Barrie Street to ensure these vehicles can get in and out of the site. We are talking about one vehicle every 21/2 to 3 minutes on average during the busiest hours of the day, which certainly is not excessive. With respect to safety, we did look at sightlines recognizing that the site is perched on a vertical curve just over the crest of that curve. In accordance with a 50 km/hr speed zone through there and I will also note is a community safety zone and in consideration of a design speed (the speed at which the road is actually designed for) of 70 km/hr, the Ministry of Transportation standards dictate a stopping sight distance of 110m. In other words, if you are travelling on Barrie Street at 70 km/hr, you would require 110m to bring your vehicle to a stop once you identify the hazard. Based on that and where the site access is located, we have determined that those site criteria are in fact met in both the northbound and southbound direction. It is our opinion vehicles can enter and exit the site in an appropriate and safe manner. We don't see any issues with respect to site traffic or safety. You commented on speeding and that is verymuch an issue in most municipalities and really the only solution to that is increased enforcement. It is not an issue that will be worsened by this development. Mr. Tata reiterated that speeding is definitely an issue there. I don't believe that the 110m is enough for that particular intersection, I know because I live there. There will be cars coming northbound and southbound peaking at almost 90 km/hr. The problem is not even so much the speed, which is still a big factor, it is the actual intersection itself. You have a lot of vehicles making left and right turns at that intersection, especially from Fletcher to Barrie and vice versa. You are going to have a lot of vehicles exiting that property, so you have vehicles coming north and south bound plus vehicles making turns. I believe there is going to be issues there with respect to the possibility of increased accidents. Mr. Cullet responded that a lot of Mr. Tata's comments deal with the fact that vehicles are travelling over the speed limit. In fact, if a vehicle is travelling 50 km/hr, which is the posted speed limit, the Ministry of Transportation guidelinl;j suggests that you only need 65 m to come to a stop and that is very conservative. In the northbound direction, vehicles are coming uphill, so their stopping ability is much greater and from the site you can see the traffic signal. Vehicles pulling out of the site certainly have sufficient sightlines to get in and out and vehicles slowing in either direction will be quite visible from both directions.

8 ApplicanUOwner: Serena Homes Ltd. Page 8 COUNCIL COMMENTS Mayor White asked Council ifthey had any comments. Councillor Crake commented that during the intial statement by the developers, it was indicated people do not want to live in a shoebox. I am sure the individuals that live around the area where this is proposed would think that 1 acre was becoming a shoebox with the amount of density that is going to go in there. Not only the density, but the height. If there were two blocks spread out a little more, it would be more feasible. I don't think it reflects a sensitive approach to all the dwellings that surround it, which are single family dwellings. It is a dream site, there no doubt about that, but you don't want to create unsightly on a dream site. With regards to Mr. Tata's comments, I have lived in that area for 25 years and I can almost guarantee that cars coming out of Bradford and going through that light when itis green, 80% of them are going far faster than 50 km/hr. In a perfect world, it may be a perfect situation for traffic, but this is not a perfect world and that is not a perfect road in relation to 50 km/hr driving. Deputy Mayor Roughley asked what the lot density and coverage of the lot is. The applicant responded that the building coverage is 29.3% of the site area. The landscaped and open space area is 33% and the density is 82 units per hectare (approximately 30 units to the acre). Deputy Mayor Roughley also asked the applicant if they have had any discussion with their neighbours. The applicant confirmed that they have not. Deputy Mayor Roughley asked if there has been any consideration of making any of the units accessible. The applicant stated that it cannot be done. Deputy Mayor Roughley asked how high the buildings will be given you are going from the ground level to a third storey. His concern is regarding emergency vehicles and if a pumper truckwith no ladder will suffice. The applicant confirmed that the height of the building will be 35 feet to the eaves. Councillor Contois asked if there isa problem with sightlines for ins and outs based on the configuration for block one. The applicant responded that the buildings are set back from the property line at least 5.5 m and there would be no difficulty with sightlines. Councillor Contois asked if there has been a traffic study done and what the numbers are. Mr. Cullet, the Transportation Engineer confirmed that a traffic study has been on the site. In the morning there will be 20 trips with 5 vehicles in and 15 out. Councillor Contois stated that he has to question the numbers. If you have 30 units with 2 vehicles per unit to make 60 vehicles - we are a travelling community which usually means we have two vehicles leaving our driveways. How did you come up with that low of a number? Mr. Cullet answered that the numbers are based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers trip generation rates and reflect various studies throughout North America. These are industry standards and they also reflect the fact that these are townhouse units as opposed to single family units and therefore vehicle ownership is typically less. Although we have two parking spaces per unit, that will not necessarily prescribe two vehicles per unit. The numbers I am quoting are those numbers generated during the single peak hours. Typically from traffic operations, we want to look at the busiest hour in the morning and the busiest hour in the evening. Not everybody is going to leave during the same one hour. Councillor Leduc stated that this is a unique plan and he likes the fact that we are preserving the trees. What is the average height of the trees on the north side of the property? The consultant confirmed that the biggest trees would be 16 m high. Will you be replacing the trees that are dead? The arborist confirmed that yes; the trees that will be going in will be approximately 2 to 2.8 m in size which is Town standard. They will be honey locust and different types of maples to fit in with the trees currently on the site. The intention is that over time the site will be filled with dense trees. Councillor Leduc further stated that this looks like a well designed site and I think it will be an enhancement to our park. It is a unique project and brings some new types of structures to

9 Page 9 Bradford. The best is that it is affordable. The homes being built right now in Bradford, you are lucky to see anything under $300,000. Mayor White commented that one of the members of the public had anecdotal evidence that there is a high level of traffic accidents at Fletcher and Barrie Streets and he would certainly like to see that data. Mayor White addressed a question to the Transportation Engineer; the standard you speak of, does each municipality or each urban area have a figure attached to it, or is it more broad than that? Mr. Cullet confirmed that the standards are broad numbers based on North American surveys. Mayor White also noted that he agreed with Councillor Contois that our traffic volumes exceed the standard. Mayor White asked Planning staff if they could put this project in the context of provincial policy in regard to infill developments. Geoff McKnight, Director of Planning and Development Services stated that there are two specific policies set out by the province and both apply to this situation. One is that a municipality within its urban area has to achieve a certain minimum overall density for new developments that equates to 50 people and jobs per hectare. Itis a tough figure to get your head around, but clearly the objective is to meet the target. The other policy is an intensification target within the existing built out Bradford area which includes this property - 40% of a municipality's growth is to occur within that built out area. Between the two policies, this type of project, or any infill project would contribute towards the municipality's success of reaching those targets. 2010/ Moved by: M. Contois Seconded by: D. Crake "That Report No. PDS entitled "Public Information Meeting - Application for Zoning By-law Amendment - Serena Homes Ltd." (PDS File: Z ), dated, be received." CARRIED. 2010/ Moved by: D. Crake Seconded by: M. Contois "That this special meeting of Council being held pursuant to the Planning Act close at 7:56 p.m." CARRIED. CONFIRMED IN OPEN SESSION THIS 3'd DAY OF AUGUST, Patricia Nash, Municipal Clerk