Agenda Item 3.3 a Staff Report for Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Department: Division: Subject: Planning and Regulatory Services Development Planning Request for Comments Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, Draft Plan of Subdivision and Site Plan Applications Elbay Developments Inc. Town Files D01-17004, D02-14017, D03-14004 and D06-17042 (SRPRS.18.087) Owner: Elbay Developments Inc. 81 Zenway Boulevard, Unit 24 Vaughan, Ontario L4H 0H5 Agent: Humphries Planning Group Inc. 216 Chrislea Road, Suite 103 Vaughan, Ontario L4L 8S5 Location: Legal Description: Part of Lots 26 and 27, Concession 2 E.Y.S. Municipal Address: 930 Elgin Mills Road East Purpose: A request for comments concerning proposed Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, draft Plan of Subdivision and Site Plan applications to facilitate the construction of a residential development comprised of 222 stacked townhouse dwellings, and the retention of one existing single detached dwelling, on the subject lands. Recommendation: a) That Staff Report SRPRS.18.087 with respect to the Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, draft Plan of Subdivision and Site Plan applications submitted by Elbay Developments Inc. for lands known as Part of Lots 26 and 27, Concession 2 E.Y.S. (Municipal Address: 930 Elgin Mills Road East), Town Files D01-17004, D02-14017, D03-14004 and D06-17042, be received for information purposes only and that all comments be referred back to staff. 79
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 2 Contact Person: Bruce Robb, Senior Planner, Subdivisions, phone number 905-771-2459 and/or Denis Beaulieu, Manager of Development, Subdivisions, phone number 905-771-2540 Submitted by: "Signed version on file in the Office of the Clerk" Kelvin Kwan Commissioner of Planning and Regulatory Services Approved by: "Signed version on file in the Office of the Clerk" Neil Garbe Chief Administrative Officer Location Map Below is a map displaying the property location. Should you require an alternative format call person listed under Contact above. 80
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 3 Background Information: A statutory Council Public Meeting was held on April 1, 2015 to receive comments from members of Council and the public concerning the applicant s original Zoning By-law Amendment and draft Plan of Subdivision applications, which are discussed later in this report (refer to Appendix A ). On June 7, 2017 the applicant submitted revised Zoning Bylaw Amendment and draft Plan of Subdivision applications and new Official Plan Amendment and Site Plan applications. These applications were deemed complete on July 10, 2017, following the further submission of plans and materials. The applications were subsequently circulated to various Town departments and external agencies for review and comment. The purpose of this report is to seek comments from Council and the public with respect to the subject applications, pursuant to the statutory Public Meeting and associated notice requirements of the Planning Act. Summary Analysis: Site Location and Adjacent Uses The subject lands are located on the north side of Elgin Mills Road East and have an area of 4.28 hectares (10.6 acres). The lands have mainly been used for agriculture, although the southern part of the property contains a home and the natural heritage system associated with a tributary of the Rouge River. As shown on Map 1 and 8, the existing and proposed surrounding land uses include: to the east - the Brookside Court / Hilltop Place retirement homes, the Rouge River tributary and agricultural lands which are proposed for stacked townhouses and apartment dwellings; to the west and north - agricultural lands which are also designated for urban development, including a future elementary school and park; and, to the south - Elgin Mills Road East and existing urban development within the Bayview Northwest Community. Revised Development Proposal The applicant submitted a revised development proposal to the Town on June 7, 2017, in response to the submission of a development proposal for stacked townhouses and apartment dwellings, with underground parking, on the lands to the east located at 1000 Elgin Mills Road East (refer to Maps 5, 7 and 8), as well as to comments arising from its original proposal. The previous draft plan (Map 6) proposed a different layout of public streets and blocks supporting 51 street townhouses. The applicant is seeking Council s approval to construct a 222 unit stacked townhouse development with underground parking as well as the provision of a new public street and stormwater management pond, protection of the natural heritage system and retention of the existing dwelling on the subject lands (refer to Map 7). The following is a summary table outlining the relevant statistics of the applicant s revised development proposal based on the plans and drawings submitted to the Town: 81
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 4 Total Lot Area: 4.28 hectares (10.6 acres) Stacked Townhouse Area: 1.35 hectares (3.3 acres) Existing Single Detached Dwelling: 0.48 hectares (1.6 acres) Total Number of Units: 223 - Stacked Townhouses 222 Four storeys 13.1 metres (43.0 feet) - Existing Dwelling 1 Natural Heritage System: 1.18 hectares (2.9 acres) Stormwater Management: 0.93 hectares (2.3 acres) Streets & 0.3m Reserve: 0.25 hectares (0.6 acres) Temporary Turnaround: 0.05 hectares (0.1 acres) Future Development Blocks: 0.04 hectares (0.1 acres) Density: - Med. /High Density Res. (1.0 2.0 F.A.R.) 1.66 Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) Parking Spaces: 348 - Surface Visitor: 14 - Underground Visitor: 52 - Underground Residents: 282 Supporting Documentation/Reports The applicant has submitted the following documents/information to the Town in support of the proposed development: Planning Justification Report; Draft Official Plan Amendment; Draft Zoning By-law Amendment; Draft Plan of Subdivision; Concept Site Plan; Concept Elevations; Concept Floor Plans; Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan; Functional Servicing and Stormwater Management Report; Hydrogeological Report; Geotechnical Report; Environmental Impact Study; Traffic Impact Study; Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment; Noise Feasibility Study; Landscaping Plans; and, Adjacent Property Plan. 82
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 5 Official Plan Amendment Application The applicant has submitted an Official Plan Amendment application that proposes to redesignate the northern portion of the subject lands from Low Density Residential to Medium/High Density Residential under the North Leslie Secondary Plan (the Secondary Plan ) to facilitate the applicant s development proposal. No change is proposed to the boundaries or applicable policies of the Natural Heritage System designation; these lands are to be protected and acquired by the Town or other public agency to ensure their long term protection. Additional information concerning the Official Plan policies governing the subject lands are set out later in this report. Zoning By-Law Amendment Application The subject lands are primarily zoned Rural Residential Four (RR4) Zone under By-law 2325-68, as amended, which permits amongst other uses, a single family dwelling. The existing zoning does not permit the uses envisioned by the Secondary Plan nor those proposed by the subject application and therefore an amendment to the Zoning By-law is required to facilitate the proposed development. A strip of land at the northern portion of the subject lands is zoned Residential Wide Shallow Two (RWS2) Zone under By-law 55-15 (refer to Map 2). By-law 55-15 is the new parent Zoning By-law for the Secondary Plan area. The applicant is proposing to remove the majority of subject lands from By-law 2325-68 and include them within the boundaries of By-law 55-15 and to rezone the lands accordingly to implement its development proposal. The remaining (northern most) portion of the lands, already within Bylaw 55-15, would just be rezoned. The applicant s draft Zoning By-law Amendment zones the lands Single Detached Two (R2) Zone, Multiple Residential One (RM1) Zone, Environmental Protection Two (EPA2) Zone, and Open Space (O) Zone. Draft Plan of Subdivision Application The draft Plan of Subdivision discussed in this report is an integral component of the comprehensively planned North Leslie Secondary Plan (refer to Maps 4 and 5). It contains four residential development blocks: Blocks 1 and 2 are intended for 222 stacked townhouses, Block 6 is to accommodate the existing home at the southern limit of the site, and Block 7 is a reserve block at the northwest corner of the site, intended to be combined with a street townhouse block in the Raki Holdings Inc. ( Raki ) subdivision to the north and west. Blocks 2 and 7 are now owned by Raki, which has authorized the inclusion of its lands within the applicant s development proposal. As Raki s subdivision is draft approved, it will need to be revised to reflect the current location of Street A on the subject draft plan and to accommodate reserve Block 7. Block 8 is also a reserve block intended to be combined with future development on the abutting lands to the west. Street A on the draft Plan of Subdivision provides access to both the applicant s proposed stacked townhouses and the lands to the west which are designated Low Density Residential by the Secondary Plan (refer to Map 4). 83
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 6 The remainder of the draft plan is comprised of blocks of land intended for natural heritage system protection, stormwater management and a temporary turnaround at the south end of Street A (until Street A is continued through development of the lands to the west). Site Plan Application The applicant has submitted an application for Site Plan Approval in support of the stacked townhouse component of its development proposal. Detailed review and approval of this application will occur at such time as the related Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and draft Plan of Subdivision applications are approved. Through review of the applicant s Site Plan Application, detailed site design matters will be addressed, including the following: Common elements, internal and external access requirements and individual unit sizes and orientation within the proposed development blocks; Appropriately sized at-grade amenity areas and building setbacks for the proposed units; Site servicing, grading and stormwater management, including excavation and basement elevations, to ensure protection of the natural heritage system and the groundwater regime; Compliance with the approved Master Environmental Servicing Plan (MESP) for North Leslie West; and, Architectural design in relation to the approved Architectural Design Guidelines for North Leslie West. Planning Analysis: The Town s Official Plan establishes a comprehensive urban structure and growth management policy regime for the Town. It is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014), and conforms to the broader policy framework put in place by the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2017) (ORMCP), the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017) and the Region of York Official Plan (2010). Town of Richmond Hill Official Plan (2010) The North Leslie Secondary Plan The Secondary Plan was initially approved in accordance with Section 22 of the Planning Act by the OMB, through a series of Decisions released between November 23, 2006 and February 2, 2012. The Secondary Plan was subsequently included within Part II of the Town s new Official Plan. The Secondary Plan applies to the lands located within the area generally bounded by Bayview Avenue to the west, Highway 404 to the east, Elgin Mills Road East to the south and Nineteenth Avenue to the north including lands located at the northwest corner of Nineteenth Avenue and Leslie Street. The subject lands are designated Low Density Residential and Natural Heritage System on Schedule A Land Use Plan of the Secondary Plan (refer to Map 2). Low Density Residential permits a variety of ground-related housing forms including single and 84
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 7 semi-detached dwellings and street townhouses. The permitted density is between 17 and 35 units per net residential hectare (7 to 14 units per net residential acre) with a maximum building height of 3 ½ storeys. The lands designated Natural Heritage System are to be set aside for environmental protection and acquired by the Town or other public agency. These lands are to be zoned with an environmentally protective zone category, with their boundaries established through the MESP and the approval of a site-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). As noted earlier in this report, the applicant is requesting that the northern portion of the subject lands be redesignated to Medium/High Density Residential to facilitate the applicant s development proposal. This designation permits a variety of low and mid-rise housing forms including townhouses and apartments, to a maximum building height of 10 storeys and a density range of between 1.0 and 2.0 Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.). Mixed use developments including retail, office, personal services and residential uses in one building may also be permitted subject to locational criteria and compatibility. Department and External Agency Comments The subject Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, draft Plan of Subdivision and Site Plan applications, and the associated background studies and reports submitted in support of same, have been circulated to various Town departments and external agencies for their review and comment. The following is a summary of the comments received as of the time of writing of this report. Development Planning Division Consideration of the applicant s Official Plan Amendment application for the northern portion of the site, on which are proposed 222 stacked townhouses with underground parking, will include the following matters: o while the proposed development appears to be consistent with the Medium/High Density Residential designation of the Secondary Plan, whether the proposal is appropriate in the context of the existing and future surrounding land uses, based on the designation of those lands by the Secondary Plan; o whether the redesignation of 1000 Elgin Mills Road East from Institutional to Medium/High Density Residential provides the appropriate basis for the change in housing form now proposed for the subject lands. In this regard, Official Plan Amendment 9 was adopted by the Town in December, 2017 and, subject to its approval by York Region, will facilitate the development of approximately 560 stacked townhouse and apartment dwelling units, with underground parking, on the lands directly to the east of the proposed stacked townhouses on the subject lands; o whether an appropriate transition can be provided within the subject lands to the remaining adjacent lands which are designated Low Density Residential and Institutional by the Secondary Plan. Transition will take into account matters such as grading differentials, housing forms and building heights; and, 85
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 8 o whether the planned transportation system and municipal services, in addition to the groundwater conditions, can accommodate the proposed development. By letter dated November 29, 2017, the Region of York has exempted the applicant s Official Plan Amendment application from approval by Regional Council (refer to Appendix B ). This means that should the Town approve the application, it will come into effect following its adoption by Council and expiration of the statutory appeal period; The applicant proposes to create a separate lot within the lands designated Natural Heritage System to accommodate the existing single detached dwelling located between the Rouge River tributary and Elgin Mills Road East. The appropriate boundaries and area of such a residential lot will need to be determined in consultation with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA); and, Revisions to the Site Plan drawings and technical reports submitted by the applicant will be required to address the circulation comments. Development Engineering Division The applicant s Functional Servicing Report requires a section to address conformity with the assumptions and recommendations of the North Leslie West MESP with respect to grading, municipal servicing, groundwater and dewatering; The applicant s Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Reports have been reviewed by the Town s external soils consultant and comments on these reports have been provided to the applicant; An update to the Transportation Impact Study is required; The applicant s Site Plan drawings must be revised to provide visitor parking at the rate of 0.25 spaces per unit as required by By-law 55-15 and the drawings shall clearly designate resident and visitor parking; and, The proposed visitor parking should ensure that the number of accessible parking spaces and corresponding dimensions meet the requirements of the Town s Municipal Code 1106 as well as the requirements in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Park and Natural Heritage Planning Section It is staff s understanding that the landowner is a participant in the North Leslie Landowners Parks Master Agreement and parkland dedication will be resolved through that agreement; and, Revisions to the applicant s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are required to comply with the policies of the North Leslie Secondary Plan, including assessing the impact of dewatering for the underground parking garage and the resulting impacts on Natural Heritage System. 86
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 9 Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Based on the submission, sufficient information has not been provided to determine if the proposed increase in density can be supported at this time. TRCA has general concerns with respect to the impact of the proposed increase in density and the ability to meet the technical requirements of the MESP. As such, until the technical information has been completed to address the overall feasibility of the proposed density increase, TRCA staff are not in a position to support the Official Plan Amendment and implementing Zoning Bylaw Amendment; and, TRCA staff is generally satisfied with the proposed Stormwater Management (SWM) Plan and commitments as described in the SWM memorandum and are therefore providing conceptual acceptance of the proposed interim SWM Pond A4 for the subject site. Other Town Departments and External Agency Comments Comments have also been received from Fire and Emergency Services, Heritage and Urban Design, Enbridge, Canada Post and Powerstream. These external agencies have no objections to the applications and/or have provided comments to be considered by the applicant during the more detailed implementation stage of the approval process. All of the comments have been forwarded to the applicant for consideration but have not been appended to this report. Financial/Staffing/Other Implications: The recommendation of this report does not have any financial, staffing or other implications. Relationship to the Strategic Plan: An evaluation of how the subject development proposal aligns with the goals of the Town s Strategic Plan will be provided following a comprehensive review of the application by staff. Conclusion: The purpose of this report is to provide Council and the public with an overview of the applicant s development proposal to permit a Medium/High Density residential development comprised of 222 stacked townhouse dwelling units, and one existing dwelling, on the subject lands. This report has been structured for information purposes only, with a recommendation that all comments be referred back to staff for consideration. 87
Town of Richmond Hill Council Public Meeting Date of Meeting: April 11, 2018 Report Number: SRPRS.18.087 Page 10 Appendix Contents and Maps: The following attached documents may include scanned images of appendixes, maps and photographs. If you require an alternative format please call contact person listed in this document. Appendix A, Extract from Council Public Meeting C#16-15 held on April 1, 2015 Appendix B, Letter dated November 29, 2017 from York Region Map 1 Aerial Photograph Map 2 Existing Zoning Map 3, North Leslie Secondary Plan Schedule A Land Use Plan Map 4, North Leslie (West) Overall Concept Plan Map 5, Revised Draft Plan of Subdivision Map 6, Original Draft Plan of Subdivision Map 7, Site Plan Map 8, Context Plan Map 9, 3-D Rendering Looking Southeast 88
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