Loading...
MINUTES - Council - 20040929 TOWN OF AURORA SPECIAL COUNCIL – PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING MINUTES NO. 04-31 Council Chambers Aurora Town Hall Wednesday, September 29, 2004 ATTENDANCE COUNCIL MEMBERS Mayor Jones in the Chair; Councillors Buck, Gaertner, Kean, Morris, Wallace and West. MEMBERS ABSENT Councillors Hogg and Vrancic were absent. OTHER ATTENDEES Director of Planning, Manager of Policy Planning, Planner, Administrative Coordinator/Deputy Clerk and Council/Committee Secretary. The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. I DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST There were no declarations of pecuniary interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. II APPROVAL OF AGENDA Moved by Councillor West Seconded by Councillor Wallace THAT the content of the Agenda as circulated by the Corporate Services Department be approved as presented with the following additions:  Letter from Aurora residents Re: Item 1 - PL04-109 – Zoning By-law Amendment Application 74 Wellington Street East  Letter from Kirsten Kontor & Dave Walker and Theresa & Quinn Bingham Re: Item 1 - PL04-109 – Zoning By-law Amendment Application 74 Wellington Street East  Memorandum from the Economic Development Officer Re: Item 3 - PL04-112 - Whitwell Developments Limited (First Professional) CARRIED Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 04-31 Page 2 of 7 Wednesday, September 29, 2004 III PLANNING APPLICATIONS Mayor Jones outlined the procedures that would be followed in the conduct of the public meeting. The Deputy Clerk confirmed that appropriate notice had been given and that signs had been posted on the subject properties in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Planning Act. 1. PL04-109 - Zoning By-law Amendment Application Andrew Weber and Neal Santin 74 Wellington Street East Lot 13, RP 107 File D14-09-04 Planning Staff The Planner provided a description of the application and reviewed the contents of the report, outlining the location of the property and current uses of the subject lands which front onto Wellington Street and back onto Centre Street. The Planner advised that the house on this property has been plaqued by the Aurora Heritage Committee (AHC), designated under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHC) in 1989 and is listed in the “Town of Aurora List of Heritage Properties”, known as “The Morrison House” built in 1886. The owner has filed a concurrent site plan application to allow the lands to be used for business and professional offices, excluding medical offices, to be located in the existing heritage building, which is in keeping with the policies of the Official Plan. The Planner advised that the applicant is proposing to construct a parking lot providing 8 parking spaces, located in the rear yard of the property and two parking spaces within the existing garage. The Planner advised that the entrance to the site is proposed to be one- way from Wellington Street East, exiting onto Centre Street, which had generated some concern from residents in the area, however it was added that staff and the Region of York have no significant concerns with this application. Applicant/Agent Mr. Richard Harrison, Planning Consultant for the applicants, advised that this application is in keeping with the Official Plan and that the nature of the business will generate very little traffic in or out of the site, which should result in minimal impact on the current traffic problems on Centre Street. Mr. Harrison advised that traffic studies have been conducted for the area and the projected impact on the traffic for that area amounts to approximately 1%. Mr. Harrison concluded by advising that the applicants are committed to maintaining and enhancing the original beauty of this heritage property, with an aim to minimize the view of the parking area through creative and attractive landscaping and tree planting. Public Comments Comments were made from the following residents in opposition to the application: • Mr. Doug Eveleigh, resident of 90 Centre Street , Aurora • Mr. Quinn Bingham, resident of 77 Centre Street, Aurora • Mr. Darryl Moore, resident of 37 Victoria Street, Aurora • Mr. Dan Revington, resident of 48 Fleury Street, Aurora • Ms Kirsten Kontor, resident of 64 Centre Street, Aurora The residents listed above expressed various concerns regarding the application, which included, but were not limited to the following: - The proposed exit onto Centre Street could present an opportunity for motorists on Wellington Street to cut through to Centre Street to avoid the overcrowded intersection at Yonge Street. This would result in additional strain on traffic and potential congestion at the entrance into the proposed Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 04-31 Page 3 of 7 Wednesday, September 29, 2004 development creating a more crowded and unattractive atmosphere and a possible hazard to pedestrians; - The potential for the laneway and parking area to detract from the traditional heritage setting within the surrounding neighbourhood; - Potential for future owners of this property to expand public use of the building, causing additional strain on traffic and parking issues in the area; - The proposed 8 parking spaces should be reduced to 4 or 5 to allow for more trees and landscaping, in order to lessen the visual impact upon the neighbourhood caused by the parking lot. The public portion of the meeting closed at 7:45 p.m. and Council’s deliberations began. Moved by Councillor West Seconded by Councillor Buck THAT the application to rezone the property from “Special Mixed Density Residential (R5) Zone” to “Special Mixed Density Residential (R5-X) Exception Zone” to allow the lands to be used for business and professional offices, excluding medical offices, be approved in principle; and THAT report PL04-109 be referred back to staff to resolve matters identified, as well as those that may be raised by the public and members of Council and that a further report detailing how such matters have been addressed be prepared, including the feasibility of a one-way entrance from the subject property onto Wellington Street. CARRIED 2. PL04-111 - Official Plan Amendment, Rezoning and Subdivision Applications Ballymore Homes and Fred Rankel (Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique Centre-Sud) Part of Lot 71, Concession 1, E.Y.S., 65M-2767 Northeast corner of Bathurst Street and Bloomington Road Files D09-04-04, D14-04-04 and D12-04-1A Planning Staff The Planner provided a description of the application and reviewed the contents of the report, outlining the location of the property and current uses of subject and surrounding land. The Planner advised that the application is a joint venture between Ballymore Homes and Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique Centre- Sud, to construct a French Separate Secondary School on the south-western quadrant of the site and 59 detached dwelling units on the remaining portion of the site. The Planner advised that the proposed entrances to the site are from Bathurst Street and from Bloomington Road. Sidewalks are also proposed along Bloomington Road and all the lots will front onto internal roads and are proposed to be supplied with municipal water and sewage services. The Planner advised that staff have identified several areas which require further support studies and additional information to be provided by the applicants. The Planner advised that outside agencies have no objection to the application and added that, pursuant to Regional Policy, the school site does not require servicing allocation. Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 04-31 Page 4 of 7 Wednesday, September 29, 2004 Applicants Mr. Gerard Gervais, President of Land Development for Ballymore Homes, advised that he is fully aware of the need for additional background studies and information as stated within the staff report and he assured Council that the required material is being compiled and will be provided when available. Mr. Gervais advised that the application is fully compatible with the Official Plan and with the environmental aspects of the subject lands. Mr. Gervais advised that Ballymore Homes has every intention of preserving the landform where possible and also advised that they are currently in negotiations with the Town of Richmond Hill, to obtain water and sanitary sewer servicing from them. Mr. Richard Francki, Chief of Plant, Planning and Transportation, for Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique Centre-Sud, advised that there is a great need for the proposed new school building, due to the fact that the French Language Schools in Aurora are overcrowded and need an independent space to grow and establish individual identity. Mr. Francki advised that the funding for the new school has been allocated and that the servicing installation is to be handled through Ballymore Homes. Public Comments Comments were made from the following residents in opposition to the application: • Ms Stephanie Castonguay, Student at Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique Centre-Sud • Mr. Yves Lévesque, Parent, Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique Centre- Sud • Ms Susan Walmer, Chair of the Ratepayers of Aurora Yonge South (RAYS) • Mr. John Macdonald, resident of 26 McRoberts Place, Aurora • Ms Rebecca Beaton, resident of 6 Holman Crescent, Aurora • Ms Evelina MacEachern, resident of 11 Allenvale Dr., Aurora • Mr. Darryl Moore, resident of 37 Victoria Street, Aurora The residents listed above expressed various concerns regarding the application, which included, but were not limited to the following: - The topography of the lands create a natural drainage flow at the north/west corner of the property, which should be properly studied and addressed in the site plan; - Due to the need for serviced roads and compatible infrastructure, it would be of great benefit for Council to approve the site plans for the school and the residential development together, in order that both are constructed at the same time; - The plans to re-construct Bathurst Street should be revised to include a sidewalk to accommodate the residents and students who will be walking in that area; - The need for traffic calming measures will arise once the development is in place, therefore it would be necessary to conduct a thorough traffic study and obtain input from the Region of York prior to final approval; - It was suggested that a trail system be considered to allow walking paths to and from the neighbouring “HighTor” Lands, and it was also suggested that a substantial buffer zone be considered for the west side of the subject lands; Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 04-31 Page 5 of 7 Wednesday, September 29, 2004 The public portion of the meeting closed at 9:15 p.m. and Council’s deliberations began. Moved by Councillor West Seconded by Councillor Buck THAT Council approve, in principle, the school proposal but none of the residential, given servicing allocation restraints; and THAT staff report back on outstanding issues as identified in the report, as well as those raised at the Public Planning Meeting. CARRIED 3. PL04-112 - Whitwell Developments Limited (First Professional) Part of Lot 21, Concession 3 Wellington Street and Leslie Street Official Plan and Zoning Amendment Applications Files D09-10-03 & D14-28-03 respectively Planning Staff The Manager of Policy Planning provided a description of the application and reviewed the contents of the report, outlining the location of the property and current uses of subject and surrounding land. The Manager of Policy Planning advised that since the August 17, 2004 public meeting, Whitwell Developments Limited has submitted a revised Concept Plan in an attempt to address concerns raised regarding the need for a proper entranceway to the office component and the mixing of retail with office uses, which may have diminished the attractiveness of the office use and the successful integration with the State Farm office complex located to the north. The Manager of Policy Planning advised that the revised Concept Plan is generally an improvement to the original application in that it provides for a larger component of office space to match the retail space, is more functional and efficient, provides two anchor stores to the west, as well as more stores and an improved gateway feature proposed to be located closer to Wellington Street. The Manager of Policy Planning advised that the peer reviews resulted in various conclusions as outlined in the report, primarily concluding that the proposal would be a positive next step, in keeping with the growth patterns in the vicinity and the strength of the existing and projected retail/commercial markets in the Town of Aurora. Applicant/Agent Mr. David Butler of The Butler Group, the lead planning peer reviewer for the Town of Aurora, advised that a number of representatives from various peer review consultants associated with this application were in attendance, should Council require their comments or assistance. Mr. Butler and his associates reprised some of the main findings from the peer reviews, as outlined within the report, and advised that it is recommended that Council support the revised application. Mr. Butler advised Council of a minor correction to Page 14 of report PL04-112 in the third paragraph, where the word “Gateway” should be removed. Public Comments Comments were made from the following residents in opposition to the application: • Ms Betty Reid, resident of 50 Archerhill Court • Mr. Brent Clarkson, of MHBC Planning, on behalf of Moregard - the 'Aurora Centre' at Bayview Avenue and Wellington Street • Mr. Joel Farber of Fogler, Rubinoff LLP Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 04-31 Page 6 of 7 Wednesday, September 29, 2004 • Mr. Tim Flemming, resident of 15482 Leslie Street • Mr. Robert Kogan, regional resident • Ms Rebecca Beaton, resident of 6 Holman Crescent, Aurora • Mr. Darryl Moore, resident of 37 Victoria Street, Aurora • Mr. Ken Whithurst, resident The above listed residents expressed various comments and concerns regarding the application, which included, but were not limited to the following: - The subject lands will be the first thing travellers see when entering Aurora from the highway. It was implied that this land was intended to be zoned “Prestige Office Space”. Various residents expressed concern that the proposed “Box-Stores” would not be attractive, welcoming or representative of the quality and character that residents associate with the Town of Aurora; - Due to the lack of notice with respect to the recent revision to the application to remove a proposed movie theatre and replace it with additional retail space, it was suggested that this revision has not been properly researched within the studies and, therefore, should be denied; - Several residents suggested that Council carefully consider the environmental impacts, and traffic implications from the size and nature of this type of major development, and suggested that there may not be a need for these stores in Aurora; - It was suggested that the concentration of retail options within the proposed development will have a negative impact on many of the long standing businesses in Aurora, particularly in the downtown core; - There were questions raised about the need for public transportation in the vicinity of the proposed development, as there will be a huge increase in traffic and public transit would help reduce the strain on the roads, and allow non-drivers to travel to this area; - It was suggested that consideration be given to the issues of drainage from the subject lands and possible impact on the Town's water supply and it was also suggested that careful attention be given to the landscaping of the subject proposal to maintain beauty and elegance, as well as proper screening between the proposed development and current and future neighbouring residential properties; - Some residents advised that they look forward to the convenience of shopping in their own town and welcome the additional input to the general tax base within the Town of Aurora. The public portion of the meeting closed at 10:40 p.m. and Council’s deliberations began. Moved by Councillor West Seconded by Councillor Buck THAT Council direct staff to draft Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments for Council consideration, subject to the resolution of the outstanding issues as identified in report PL02-112, as well as those raised at the Public Meeting. On a recorded vote the motion was CARRIED. YEAS: 4 NAYS: 2 VOTING YEAS: Councillors Buck, Wallace, West and Mayor Jones VOTING NAYS: Councillors Gaertner and Morris Absent: Councillors Hogg, Kean and Vrancic Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 04-31 Page 7 of 7 Wednesday, September 29, 2004 IV READING OF BY-LAWS Moved by Councillor West Seconded by Councillor Wallace THAT the following listed by-law be given 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings, and enacted: 4600-04.C BEING A BY-LAW to Confirm Actions by Council Resulting From This Meeting - Wednesday, September 29, 2004. CARRIED V ADJOURNMENT Moved by Councillor West THAT the meeting be adjourned at 11:10 p.m. CARRIED