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MINUTES - Special Council - 20090225 TOWN OF AURORA SPECIAL COUNCIL – PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING MINUTES NO. 09-05 Council Chambers Aurora Town Hall 6:00 p.m. – Closed Session Wednesday, February 25, 2009 ATTENDANCE COUNCIL MEMBERS Deputy Mayor McRoberts in the Chair; Councillors Buck, Collins-Mrakas, Gallo, Granger, MacEachern and Wilson MEMBERS ABSENT Mayor Morris and Councillor Gaertner were absent. OTHER ATTENDEES Marco Ramunno, Director of Planning and Development, Glen Letman, Manager of Development Planning, Cindy Janzen, Manager of Legislative Services/Deputy Clerk and Carrie Eastwood, Council/Committee Secretary 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - CLOSED SESSION The Deputy Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:09 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 MacEachern Seconded by Councillor Gallo THAT the agenda as circulated by the Corporate Services Department be approved as presented. CARRIED III PLANNING APPLICATIONS Deputy Mayor McRoberts 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. Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 09-05 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Page 2 of 4 1. PL09-027 – Applications to Amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law WED Investments Ltd., 974672 Ontario Limited and 668390 Ontario Ltd. Lots 123, 124, 125, 126 and Part of Lot 22 Registered Plan 246, 15277, 15283 and 15291 Yonge Street and 10, 12, and 14 Centre Street Official Plan Amendment File D09-03-97 Zoning By-law Amendment File D14-16-97 (Related Site Plan File D11-10-07) Planning Staff Mr. Glen Letman, Manager of Development Planning,, provided a description of the applications to amend the Official Plan provisions of the Community Commercial Centre-Historic Core Official Plan designation as it applies to building height and setback, and to rezone the lands from a Central Commercial to a site specific Central Commercial Exception Zone. Mr. Letman advised that the amendments would facilitate the development of a six storey (seven storeys along the east/Yonge Street façade) mixed use building incorporating 76 residential apartment units and retail commercial space on the ground floor, with parking for 103 vehicles located within a parking garage accessed from Yonge Street and a second level deck accessed from Centre Street. Mr. Letman provided a brief history of previous and current applications for the subject lands and reviewed the issues and concerns that have been expressed with regard to traffic impact, massing and height. Mr. Letman advised that the proposed development complements the “Places to Grow” initiative for the Yonge Street corridor, in that, the built up area of Aurora is designated as an “intensification corridor” within the Growth Plan and “Regional Corridor” within the Region of York Official Plan with higher density mixed use developments are encouraged within these areas. Mr. Letman advised that Council has granted approval in principle to a six storey mixed use development consisting of 58 apartment units on the site and that staff is seeking public input and direction from Council on the revised applications. Mr. Letman further advised that staff are currently reviewing the technical aspects of the planning applications in particular, review of the traffic and parking report and demonstration that the heritage attributes of the North East Old Aurora Heritage District will be conserved. Applicant/Agent Mr. Stephen Mak, of MArchitecture Inc. reviewed the design and concept of the proposed building and outlined the revisions and enhancements that have been made with respect to the proposal in order to address the comments and concerns previously raised by staff and the residents. Mr. Mak advised that the setback has been increased and that the top two levels of the building have been recessed to reduce the shadow and massing impact. Mr. Mak advised that during the designing process, the Town’s Official Plan was carefully considered and that the needs of the residents were an integral part of the overall concept. Mr. Mak advised that the height increase was a direct result of the reductions to the setback and massing and he requested that Council provide an exception to the height restrictions and parking requirements to allow the project to move forward. Mr. Jamie Bennett, Senior Planning Manager with the MMM Group, addressed Council to advise that the subject application is a perfect fit for the location in keeping with its surrounding uses and the Growth Plan, which encourages higher density mixed use developments within this area, and will provide economic benefits through assisting with the revitalization of the downtown core. Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 09-05 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Page 3 of 4 Mr. Bennett suggested that the location of the subject building is also a source of motivation for residents to walk instead of drive among the shops, thereby offsetting the need for parking on the site. Mr. Bennett concluded that the subject proposal has received general support from the agencies and staff who have reviewed it and that the Region of York strongly supports this project. Public Comments Mr. Michael Evans, owner of Aurora True Value Hardware store, spoke in support of the application suggesting that the building and retail component will help bring businesses and residents back to the downtown core, as well as greatly improve the overall attractiveness of that area. Mr. James Wood, resident of Spruce Street, expressed concerns regarding the height of the building and suggested that the shadow effect will impose on his property and have a negative impact on the area. Ms Eileen Dinning, resident of Glenview Drive, expressed concerns regarding the impact that this proposal will have on traffic and parking in the subject area. Mr. Gordon Barnes, resident of Catherine Avenue, suggested that the façade should be more in keeping with the Victorian design style in that area. Mr. Barnes also suggested that the project be constructed in keeping with the “Green Energy Act” and use LEED Gold design standards. The Architect, Mr. Mak, responded by advising that he was one of the first architects to design a LEED Gold standard building in Ontario and that there are many “green” initiatives being explored with respect to this building, some of which may not qualify within the LEED points system, however will have an environmentally positive impact overall. Mr. Steven Mills, resident of Yonge Street, inquired whether Council has the authority to make the final decision with respect to brick colour and facings, to which the Director of Planning and Development confirmed that they do have that right. Mr. Mills expressed concern with regard to the proposed height, scale and density of the proposal and suggested that staff communicate with representatives of the Tridel Condominium (Richmond Hill), which is a similar building in the area, to discuss what impacts they have experienced within that neighbourhood. Mr. George Steeves, resident of Catherine Avenue, expressed concerns regarding massing of the building and asked if the floor to ceiling heights can be reduced to lower the overall height without impacting on the number of proposed storeys. Mr. Steeves also expressed that the extension of the balconies reduces the effect of the proposed setback increase, and suggested that the shadow effect will still be imposing on his property at certain times. The Architect, Mr. Mak, responded by advising that they are already working on ways to reduce the height of the building within the proposed design and that a shadow study was conducted which concluded that the shadow impact was minimal. Mr. Mak also advised that the proposed building has been identified as a logical size, use and design for this site. Mr. Steven Mills, returned to suggest that the setback should begin at the third floor to be consistent with the other buildings of that type in the area, to which the Architect responded that it is a more aesthetically pleasing effect to have varying setback heights within an area to make the overall impression more diverse and interesting to the eye. Special Council – Public Planning Minutes No. 09-05 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Page 4 of 4 Mr. Robert Reeves, resident of Catherine Avenue, expressed concerns about this application setting a precedent for that area which could result in future applications for taller buildings and that this would have a negative impact on the sightlines, particularly from the south of the affected area. Mr. Reeves asked what the economic impact would be on the developer if the building height was reduced by one storey. The Architect, Mr. Mak, responded by advising that, with the massing and setback reductions that have already been made to the design which have cost the developers considerable funds and potential revenue, the project would not be economically viable if the number of storeys was also reduced. Mr. Mak further advised that this building is really a six storey building, however due to the sloping of the site, it turns into seven storeys at the front. The public portion of the meeting closed at 9:26 p.m. and Council’s deliberations began. Moved by Councillor Collins-Mrakas Seconded by Councillor Granger THAT the application be brought back to a future General Committee meeting, subject to the resolution of the comments and concerns that were raised at this meeting, providing that the applicant is willing to look at reducing the height of the proposed building back to six storeys; and THAT staff continue to work with the applicant to address the issues that have been raised at this meeting and the issues outstanding in the staff report. CARRIED IV READING OF BY-LAWS Moved by Councillor MacEachern Seconded by Councillor Granger THAT the following listed by-law be given 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings, and enacted: 5114-09.C BEING A BY-LAW to Confirm Actions by Council Resulting from Special Council – Public Planning Meeting 09-05 on February 25, 2009 CARRIED V ADJOURNMENT Moved by Councillor Granger THAT the meeting be adjourned at 11:05 p.m. CARRIED _________________________________ ________________________________ BOB McROBERTS, DEPUTY MAYOR CINDY JANZEN, DEPUTY CLERK