AGENDA - Special General Committee - 20081022SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE
AGENDA
NO.08=35
ESBAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008
7:00 P.M.
COUNCIL CNAMBERS
AURORA TOWN NALL
PUBLIC RELEASE
17/10/08
k -
AURORA
TOWN OF AURORA
SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING
AGENDA
NO. 08-35
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Council Chambers
Mayor Morris in the Chair
I DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST
ll APPROVAL OF AGENDA
RECOMMENDED:
THAT the agenda as circulated by the Corporate Services Department be
approved.
III DELEGATIONS
Public Input
IV CONSIDERATION OF ITEM FOR DISCUSSION
V ADJOURNMENT
Special General Committee Meeting No. 08-35
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Page 2 of 2
AGENDA ITEMS
1. PL08-107 — Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Applications pg. 1
Beswick Properties Yonge Street Inc.
14785 Yonge Street
Files D14-08-08 and D11-13-08
RECOMMENDED:
THAT Council approve Zoning Amendment Application D14-08-08; and
THAT Site Plan Application D11-13-08 be gproved to permit the
construction of a 2 storey, 3,608m2 (38,837 ft) multi -unit commercial
building; and
THAT Council authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute the site plan
agreement; and
THAT Implementing Zoning By-law 5085-08.D be enacted to rezone the
subject lands from "Service Commercial (C3)" to "Shopping Centre
Commercial (C4-23) Exception Zone" to permit a bank with a drive
through, retail stores and offices on the second floor.
SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008
ITEM#
EXTRACT FROM PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING NO. 08-19
HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008
III PLANNING APPLICATIONS
2. PL08-073 - Zoning By-law Amendment Application
Beswick Properties Yonge Street Inc.
14785 Yonge Street
File D14-08-08
Moved by Councillor MacEachern Seconded by Councillor Gaertner
THAT the application be approved in.principle; and
THAT the matter be brought back to a Special General Committee meeting, to be
scheduled the same evening as a regularly scheduled Public Planning meeting;
and
THAT the format of the Special General Committee meeting be structured similar
to a Public Planning meeting.
CARRIED
- 1 -
SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008
ITEM#
.2-
SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008 ITEM #
TOWN OF AURORA
AURORA SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE No. PL08-107
SUBJECT: Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Applications
Beswick Properties Yonge Street Inc.
14785 Yonge Street
File Numbers: D14-08-08 & Dll-13-08
FROM: Marco Ramunno, Director of Planning and Development Services
DATE: October 22, 2008
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve zoning amendment application D14-08-08;
THAT Site Plan Application Dll-13-08 be approved to permit the construction of a
2 storey 3,608m2 (38,837 ft2) multi -unit commercial building;
THAT Council authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute the site plan agreement,
and,
THAT Implementing Zoning By-law 5085-08.D be enacted to rezone the subject
lands from "Service Commercial (C3)" to "Shopping Centre Commercial (C4-23)
Exception Zone" to permit a bank with a drive through, retail stores and offices
on the second floor.
Proposal
Beswick Properties Yonge Street Inc, has submitted a zoning by-law amendment
application to rezone the subject lands from "Service Commercial (C3) Zone" to a site
specific "Shopping Centre Commercial (Ca) Exception Zone" to permit a bank (with
a drive through), retail stores and office uses on the second floor.
Statutory Public Planning Meeting
On June 3, 2008 Notice of a Public Meeting respecting the subject application was
given by mail to all assessed property owners within 120 metres (393 feet) of the
subject property; by public notification in the Aurora Era Banner; and, an information
sign was posted on the subject property.
On June 25, 2008 a Public Planning Meeting was .held regarding the subject Zoning
Amendment. application. No members of the public were in attendance. Council
passed the following resolution:
"THAT the application be approved in principle; and
THAT the matter be brought back to a Special General Committee meeting, to
be scheduled the same evening as a regularly scheduled Public Planning
meeting; and,
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SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22.1 2008
ITEM # 9-4
October 22, 2008 .2- Report No. PL08.107
THAT the format of the Special General Committee meeting be structured similar to a
Public Planning meeting."
Accordingly, this report is presented at this meeting for the purposes of providing
Council with a full evaluation of the subject zoning amendment application.
BACKGROUND
Location/Land Use:
The subject lands are located on the east side of Yonge Street, (municipally known as
14785 Yonge Street), just north of Edward Street. The property is 0.47 hectares (1.17
acres) in size; has a road frontage of approximately 79 metres (259 feet) along Yonge
Street; and, until recently contained two (2) existing buildings associated with the former
Aurora Toyota Car Dealership (demolished due to a fire) (see Figure 1). The
surrounding land uses are as follows:
North: existing commercial (retail commercial plaza);
South: existing commercial (fitness centre)
East: Dr. G.W. William Secondary School; and,
West: Yonge Street; existing commercial (No Frills plaza).
The subject lands are designated "Community Commercial Centre" by the Town of
Aurora Official Plan and zoned "Service Commercial (C3) Zone" within the Town of
Aurora By-law 2213-78, as amended.
Proposed Site Development
The Owner proposes to develop the subject lands for a multi -unit commercial building
comprised of a bank with a drive through, retail stores and offices on the second floor
(See Figures 2 thru 4). Details of the proposed development are as follows:
• Building Size: 3608M2 (38,837 ftz)
• Number of Buildings: 1
• Building Height: 2 storeys
• Parking: 125 spaces (inclusive of 3 wheelchair accessible spaces)
+ Loading: 3 loading spaces
• Access: Two access are proposed, one full moves access at the south end of the
property and a right -out access at the north end of the property,
The proposed drive through associated with the bank will be located at the north end of
the site.
To facilitate the proposed development as outlined above, the applicant is proposing to
change the zone category from "Service Commercial (C3)" to "Shopping Centre
Commercial (C4) Exception Zone" with the following site specific development
standards:
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SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008 ITEM # " 5
October 22, 2008 - 3 Report No. PL-08-107
• a drive through as a permitted use (associated with the bank) whereas a drive
through is not permitted; and,
• relief from the buffer strip requirements along the side and rear property
boundaries whereas 1.5 metre wide buffer strips are required along the side and
rear property boundaries.
A site plan application has been submitted, File. D11-13-08 and is being processed
concurrently with the subject application and is discussed in detail later in this report.
COMMENTS
Planning Considerations
Official Plan
The subject property is designated "Community Commercial Centre" by the Town of
Aurora Official Plan. This designation permits a full range of retail and service
commercial uses as well as policies to guide new development, redevelopment and
strengthen Community Commercial Centres within the Town. The proposed zoning
change and site specific amendments are consistent with the provisions and policiesof
the Official Plan.
Zoning
The subject property is zoned "Service Commercial (C3) Zone." This zone category
provides a range of commercial and retail uses however does not include a bank or
financial institution as a .permitted use. Many of the surrounding properties in this area
of the downtown are zoned with a site specific C4 zone which does include a bank or
financial institution among the permitted uses which is why the applicant is requesting
this zone change. Based on the compatibility of the C4 zone uses in the surrounding
areas, staff do not have an objection to the proposed zone category change to a site
specific "Shopping Centre Commercial (C4) Exception Zone".
The Owner is also requesting a drive through in association with a bank or financial
institution as an additional permitted use to the C4 zone category. Drive throughs are
not permitted as of right in any of our commercial zone categories which allows staff the
opportunity to evaluate its appropriateness on a site by site basis. In the context of the
subject property, staff do not have an objection to the proposed drive through use in
association with a bank. The Owner has been able to demonstrate that a drive through
will not adversely impact the surrounding area or the activities on site through the
provision of a Traffic Impact Study which evaluated drive through usage at three
different banks The Owner has provided stacking for 5 vehicles, which exceeds the
industry standards of 4 vehicle stacking for bank drive throughs. In addition, the
proposed drive through on this site was designed such that in the event that if an
atypical situation arose, the overflow of vehicles waiting to use the drive through would
be queued behind the building and would not interfere with the internal traffic flow on
site. The provision to allow a drive through on the subject property site will be restricted
to banks or other financial institutions and not for restaurant uses.
-5-
SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008 ITEM # - 6
October 22, 2008 - 4 Report No. PL08-107
The Owner is also requesting the following technical amendments to the provisions of
the zoning by-law, which have arisen through the review of the proposal thought the site
plan approval process:
relief from Section 6.31 of the Town's By-law with respect to the provision of
buffer strip requirements whereas a minimum of 1.5 metre (4.92 feet) wide strip
is required
The subject site relative to those in the surrounding area is smaller. In order to develop
the subject property in keeping with urban design objectives as well as the inclusion of a
ramp associated with the underground parking structure, this left minimal areas along
the side and rear property boundaries for landscaping. Given that the adjoining
properties are commercial and there is no existing landscaping between many of these
commercial properties along Yonge Street; and, the fact that the Owner has increased
the amount of landscaping along the Yonge Street. frontage and provided landscaping at
each corner of the property, staff have no objection to the proposed amendment in this
regard.
• inclusion of the definition of gross leasable floor area for the purposes of using it
for determining parking calculations whereas gross floor area is used to calculate
parking requirements
Calculation of parking space requirements on this basis allows for the exclusion areas
that are not usable areas such as electrical and ventilation rooms, equipment rooms,
common areas such as lobbies, washrooms etc. Staff have been using this calculation
method in recent newer commercial developments so as to better reflect the.areas used
for commercial purposes in terms of the calculation of parking requirements.
Accordingly, staff have no objection to the inclusion of this definition for the purposes of
calculating parking requirements.
• a minimum lot area of 4300m2 (46,286 ft2) whereas a minimum of 5,OOOm2
(53,821 ft2) is required,
The subject property is. among the smaller properties in this area and the C4 zone
category has traditionally been applied to these larger properties. Given that the
development can generally meet the other siting specifications of the by-law, staff do
not oppose the requested zoning exception.
a side yard setback to the building of 4.0 metres (13 feet) whereas a minimum of
7.4 metres (24.2 feet) is required
This zoning exception is required as per the definition in the
underground parking structure is considered part
objection to this zoning exception given that the
bring the main building closer to the property line.
yard setback of almost 11 metres (36 feet) on th
along the north side.
e
ramp to the
not have an
intended to
The main building will maintain a side
south side and 8.5 metres (27.8 feet)
by-law the
of the building. Staff do
proposed exception is no
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SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008 ITEM # 1 - 7
October 22, 2008 .5- Report No. PL08-107
Site Design
Staff are satisfied with the siting of the building and the proposed building elevations on
the subject property. The Owner is proposing to use a combination of red clay brick and
white architectural masonry block with a blue prefinished metal roof and white metal trim
on the exterior. of the building (see Figures 3 and 4 and coloured elevations provided).
Landscaping
The Owner has provided a 2 metre wide landscape strip along the Yonge Street
frontage that consists of a mix of trees, shrubs, perrenial and ornamental plantings.
Walkways and seating areas have been strategically located at certain breaks in the
landscape strip to provide for pedestrian interconnection to the site from Yonge Street.
The applicant has also provided landscape corner features along the Yonge Street
frontage and to a slightly lesser extent at the north-east and south-east corners of the
site (see. Figure 5).
In addition, The Owner has undertaken discussions with The York Region School Board
with regard to the possibility of planting of trees and landscaping on the school property
as a means of screening the commercial activities on the subject property from the
school site (see Figure 5). The Owner advised that the school board seemed
amenable to the idea however wanted an opportunity to consult with the appropriate
Board personnel and reviewed the Owner's proposal in this regard. The Owner Is
willingto pursue this given that landscaping was not provided along the rear property
boundary as would typically been provided.
Staff are satisfied with overall landscaping proposed for the subject site.
Parking and Access
Based on 4.5 parking spaces per. 100mZ of gross leasable area, 118 parking spaces are
required. The Owner has provided a total of 125 parking spaces, inclusive of three
handicap spaces. 34 spaces inclusive. of one handicap space Will be provided at street
level and 91, inclusive of two handicap spaces, will be provided in the underground
parking structure.
In terms of access, two access are proposed, one full moves access at the south end of
the property and a right -out access at the north end of the property. Town staff have
reviewed the functionality of these accesses and are satisfied that adequate access to
the site has been provided.
VIVA Transit Requirements
Previously; the Region of York identified that a 43.0 metre right-of-way was required
along the frontage of this section of Yonge Street in order to fulfil the requirements of
the future VIVA Transitway system. However, the Region of York has now confirmed
that their plans have been revised along this portion of Yonge Street and this
requirement is no longer needed. The Owner, through the site plan approval process
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SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008
ITEM # ?�
October 22, 2008 - 6 Report No. PL08-107
will be required to dedicate to the Town an 18.0 metre road widening.
Department CommentslReaion of York Transportation Services
The application was circulated to all Town departments and appropriate external
agencies for review and comment. All departments and agencies had no objection to
the proposal in principle.
SERVICING ALLOCATION
Not applicable.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no financial implications as a result of the Zoning Amendment application.
Applicable fees, securities and cash -in -lieu of parkland will be payable through the site
plan approval process.
LINK TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Goal A: Foster and enhance a strong and stable economy consistent with the attributes
of a sustainable community.
Objective Al. Develop economic opportunities to aid in the growth and progress of
Aurora as a desirable place to do business.
Link to Goals and Objectives
Critical review of the subject application through the Zoning Amendment process
contributes to the development of a well -planned and sustainable community.
PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT
There are no conflicts with the policies of the Provincial Policy Statement as. a result of
this application.
OPTIONS
Council has the following options regarding the subject zoning by-law amendment and
site plan amendment application:
Option 1: . As stated in the Recommendation section of the report; or
Option 2: Direct staff to report back to Council addressing any issues that may be
raised at the Special General Committee Meeting.
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SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE - OCTOBER 22, 2008 STEM # 1-9
October 22, 2008 - 7 - Report No. PL08-107
CONCLUSION
Based on an evaluation of the subject zoning amendment application in the context of
the Provincial and Town policies, and its appropriateness and compatibility with existing
and future surrounding land uses, staff recommends approval of the zoning amendment
application and site plan application. In addition, the Planning and Development
Services Department recommends enactment of by-law 5085.08-D.
ATTACHMENTS
Figure 1 - Location Plan
Figure 2 - Proposed Site Plan
Figure 3 - Proposed Building Elevations -North and West
Figure 4 - Proposed Building Elevations -South and East
Figure 5 - Proposed Landscape Plan
Appendix `A": Draft By-law 5085.08-D
PRE -SUBMISSION REVIEW
Management Team Meeting —October 15, 2008
Prepared by. Deborah Giannetta, M.Sc.PI., Planner
Extension 4347
Marco arrUnno. MCIP, RPP
Director of Planning and Development Services
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