AGENDA - Special Council - 20060222PUBLIC PLANNING
EETING
NO.06-06
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006
7:00 p.m.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
AURORA TOWN NALL
PUBLIC RELEASE
17/02/06
TOWN OF AURORA
SPECIAL COUNCIL - PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING
AGENDA
NO. 06-06
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
7:00 p.m.
I DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
II APPROVAL OF AGENDA
RECOMMENDED:
THAT the content of the Agenda be approved as presented.
III PLANNING APPLICATIONS
IV READING OF BYLAWS
RECOMMENDED:
THAT the following listed by-law be given 1st, 2nd and 3rd
readings, and enacted:
4775-06.0 BEING A BY-LAW to (pg. B-1)
Confirm Actions by Council
Resulting From Meeting 06-06
on February 22, 2006
V ADJOURNMENT
Special Council — Public Planning Meeting No. 06-06 Page 2
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
AGENDA ITEMS
1. PL06-027 - Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law (pg. 1)
Amendment Applications
4240111 Canada Inc. (Origin Retirement Communities
Inc.), Northwest Corner of John West Way and
Hollandview Trail, Lot 82, Concession 1, Part 6,
Plan 65R-14423, File D09-01-06 and D14-01-06
RECOMMENDED:
THAT Report PL06-027 be received as information and that Council
determine their position with respect to the application, subject to public
comments received.
2. PL06-028 — Applications to Amend the Official Plan and Zoning (pg. 16)
By-law
Priestly Holding Corp. (Montessori School)
Part of Lot 80, Concession 1, E.Y.S., Block 5 of Plan
65M-2976 and Block 45 of Plan 65M-3461
Files D09-04-05 & D14-17-05
RECOMMENDED:
THAT Report PL06-028 be received as information; and
THAT Council determine their position with respect to the applications.
3. PL06-031 — Zoning By-law Amendment Application (pg. 25)
The Merkur Group, 14800 Yonge Street
Part Lot 77, Concession 1 W.Y.S.
File D14-04-06
RECOMMENDED:
THAT Report PL06-031 be received as information and that Council
determine their position with respect to the application, subject to public
comments received.
Special Council — Public Planning Meeting No. 06-06 Page 3
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
4. PL06-029 — Zoning By-law Amendment Application (pg. 33)
Terra Aurora
185 & 205 Industrial Parkway North
Lot 87, Plan 246, File D14-02-06
RECOMMENDED:
THAT Report PL06-029 be received as information and that Council
determine their position with respect to the application, subject to public
comments received.
PUBLIC PLANNING - FEBRUARY 22, 2006
AEaA ITEM J,,,,
TOWN OF AURORA
PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING No. PL06-027
SUBJECT: Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment Applications
4240111 Canada Inc. (Origin Retirement Communities Inc.)
Northwest corner of John West Way and Hollandview Trail
Lot 82, Concession 1, Part 6 Plan 65R-14423
File Number D09-01-06 and D14-01-06
FROM: Sue Seibert, Director of Planning and Development Services
DATE: February 22, 2006
RECOMMENDATION
THAT report PL06-027 be received as information and that Council determine their
position with respect to the application, subject to public comments received.
BACKGROUND
Location/Land Use
The subject lands are located at the northwest corner of John West Way and Hollandview
Trail (Figure 1). The lands are 7,196 sq.m. (1.7 acres) in size and have a frontage of
approximately 167.0 m (548 ft.) on Hollandview Trail and 48 m (157 ft. ) on John West
Way . The lands are currently vacant.
Surrounding Uses
North: Residential;
South: Vacant residential lands;
East: Park and vacant residential lands;
West: Open Space.
Official Plan
The subject lands are designated "High Density Residential' by the "Bayview Wellington
Centre Secondary Plan" (Official Plan #6). The Secondary Plan provides that high density
residential shall consist of a range of apartment unit types at a net site density of 99 to 173
units per hectare (40 to 70 units per acre). The building height shall not exceed 7 storeys
and underground parking shall be required with minimum surface parking. The lands as
shown in Schedule AA are located in the Community Core Area of the Bayview Wellington
Centre Secondary Plan" (Appendix 1). The general intention of this plan is to achieve a
graduation in residential density from higher in the Community Core Area to lower in the
periphery of the residential area. The objectives of this area also include the integration
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PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
February 22, 2006 -2- Report No. PL06-027
of the various uses, the creation of attractive, pedestrian friendly public spaces, including
streetscapes and the location of street related commercial and institutional uses in
association with upper floor residential and offices uses. The lands to the north of this site
are designated "Medium -High Density Residential" and included a range of medium -high
density housing types including street townhouses, block townhouses and garden
apartments. The lands were eventually developed as townhouse blocks. The proposed
use of the lands as an institutional retirement home is not considered to be "High Density
Residential" use.
Zoning By-law
The lands are zoned "Third Density Apartment Residential RA3-8 Exception Zone". A
maximum of 150 apartment dwellings units in a maximum of two buildings is permitted.
This zone includes provision to require the building to be tiered above the 4th floor, as well
as provisions to allow for a variety of unit types (1, 2 and 3 bedroom units). The zone also
includes parking provisions which provides for a minimum of 90% of the total parking shall
be below grade. The proposed retirement home does not meet the zoning provisions.
PROPOSAL
The owner has applied to the Town to permit an Institutional use to allow for a retirement
residence operated by "Origin Retirement Communities". The proposed retirement home is
a five storey building having 144 full service rental units consisting of a mixture of studio, 1
bedroom and 1 bedroom and den suites. (Figures 3, 4 and 5) A portion of the facility
includes a 30 unit assisted living floor. Services in this residence include all utilities, all
meals (commercial kitchen), laundry/cleaning services, and daily social activities,
recreational and exercise classes. The parking proposed for this site is 0.4 parking
spaces per unit which is a total of 58 parking spaces located along the north property line
of the site. Preliminary landscaping plans provide for the landscaping along the north
property line and west of the building.
A Zoning By-law Amendment application has been submitted to rezone the lands from
"Third Density Apartment Residential RA3-8 Exception Zone" to "Institutional I-X Exception
Zone" and an Official Plan Amendment application has been submitted to redesignate the
lands from "High Density Residential" to "Institutional" to establish site specific zoning by-
law and site specific official plan amendment to allow the use of the lands for a retirement
residence.
COMMENTS
Planning Considerations
Bayview-Wellington Centre Secondary Plan (OPA #6) is a higher density, multi -use urban
centre providing employment, shopping and recreation opportunities and a high quality
residential neighbourhood providing a full range of housing options. This urban centre
includes the location of the Town Hall, Senior's Centre and access to local and regional
transit services including York Region Transit (YRT), Aurora GO Station and VIVA.
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PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
February 22, 2006 - 3 - Report No. PL06-027
Commercial retail developments to the serve the needs of the neighbourhood are also
located in the Bayview Wellington community. This area is also adjacent to the open
space amenities of the Holland River valley.
Lands within the Community Core area are comprised of the highest density residential
development (Appendix 1). Lands to the east and south of this site are designated and
zoned for 5 to 7 storey residential apartment and mixed use developments. Bayview-
Wellington Centre Secondary Plan supports all forms of supportive housing including
nursing homes and retirement homes, notwithstanding this, the site is designated "High
Density Residential', which does not specifically include retirement homes as a permitted
use.
The chart shows the existing zoning and the proposed zoning specifications for this site:
TOWN OF AURORA
ZONING BY-LAW
REQUIREMENTS
USES
PERMITTED
#OF
BUILDINGS
(MAX.)
BUILDING
HEIGHT
(STOREYS)
MAX.
# OF
UNITS
(MAX.)
PARKING
PARKIN
SPACES/
UNIT
COV
ERAGE
(MAX.)
Existing Zone
Apartment
2 Buildings
7 Storeys
150
90%
1.50
40%
Third Density
Building(s)
Below grade
spaces/
Apartment Residential
25 metres
unit
RA3-8 Exception Zone.
Proposed Zone
Retirement
1 Building
5 Storeys
150
100%
0.40
40%
Institutional)-X
Home
Surface
spaces/
Exception Zone'.
18 metres
unit
The proposed use:
■ Retirement home with a maximum of 150 units and ancillary uses
The proposed use of the subject lands is compatible with the surrounding, existing and
proposed land uses and is in keeping with the original community concept. The above
chart outlines the existing zoning for the site and the proposed zoning. The provisions of
the proposed by-law include the deletion of an apartment use, permitting one building not
two, a reduction in height and a lower parking space requirement. A five storey retirement
home on this site will not significantly increase traffic in the area as residents rely on
transportation provided by the facility and on transit, and with close proximity of services
such as the Seniors Centre and local shopping, residents may walk to these services. The
use of the parking provided is predominantly by staff and visitors.
It is suggested that the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment to permit
the proposal include polices and provisions to attempt to minimize the impacts of this
development on the neighbours to the north. Such policies should include, requirements of
high standard of urban design which will conform to the "Wellington Lanes North Urban
Design Guidelines" which guides in the review of design, massing and landscaping.
Design components should include encouraging the building be tiered as was envisioned
when this site was originally zoned, appropriate massing of the roofline, colour and variety
of cladding of materials which is compatible with surrounding community. In orderto assist
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PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
February 22, 2006 - 4 - Report No. PL06-027
in the evaluation of the design of this proposal and its impacts on adjoining property, staff
have also requested a shadow study which will be reviewed by the controlling architect. To
provide a substantial buffer to the townhouses to the north, in addition to the proposed
fencing, suitable plant materials should be installed along the northern edge of the property
which will provide greater privacy and act as a sound buffer to the townhouses and mitigate
any impacts from loading and garbage removal. Provisions in the OPA and By-law should
include buffer strip requirements and fence height as determined appropriate by staff.
Department Comments
Town Departments have no objection in principle to this proposal. The Building
Administration Department has no objection to the parking standard proposed. They have
stated that Park Place Manor provides 0.4 parking spaces per unit and Sunrise Assisted
Living development provides for 0.5 parking spaces per unit. Leisure Services
Department had noted that all proposed landscaping shall be in compliance with the
Bayview Wellington Community Urban Design Guidelines.
Parking and Traffic Study
The proponent has commissioned a parking study which has shown that the reduced
parking standards proposed for this site will be acceptable. Empirically, staff have no
method to test the validity of the parking report assumptions. However, staff note that the
peak parking demand for the proposed retirement home will typically be at times (evenings,
weekends, holidays) when other parking in the immediate vicinity (such as parking around
Civic Square Gate and the Town Hall) will be minimal. Accordingly, staff are of the opinion
there is sufficient parking available in the immediate area to accommodate overflow
parking from the retirement home should it be needed.
Peer Review Comments
Watchorn Architects Inc. has been retained to provide urban design review for this
proposal. The lands are governed by the "Wellington Lanes North Urban Design
Guidelines". The consultants while acknowledging the use as institutional; have set a high
design standard for this development due to its location, and that fact that it will set the
standard for the higher density blocks around it. They note that this building should not
evoke an institutional look as the architectural style should remain consistent in this
community.
In this stage of the review, the urban design architect has offered preliminary comments, a
more detailed and comprehensive review will be undertaken at the site plan stage. At this
stage, the consultants have stated that there appears to be a good variety of cladding
materials, but with the extensive use of brick, they would expect to see some detailing of
the brickwork in the form of varied coursing, corbelling or quoining where appropriate.
Materials and colours would be reviewed during a complete design review with the
expectation that the colour selections would fit within the context of the existing community
and would compliment the neighbouring dwellings. The consultants recommend that a
medium to dark tone be selected for the brick colour to give a warmer presence on the
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PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
February 22, 2006 - 5 - Report No. PL06-027
street and to tie into the residential scale of the neighbourhood.
Resident Concerns
Several residents from Ochalski Road have expressed concerns and objection to the
proposed development. These objections have been discussed with staff and directly with
the developer and their professional planner. The concerns include the height of the
building, massing of the building, the blocked sunlight due to the height, increase noise,
traffic and illumination, the minimal landscape buffer proposed, and the loss of access to
the rear property from gates which have been installed by Ochalski residents. Other
residents have stated that they have no objection with the proposed use, however, would
like certain design elements to be incorporated into this development. These include
creating a greater landscape buffer along the property line, providing a higher acoustic
fence along the property line, decreasing the height of the building and creating a
"stepped"/"tiered" building.
February 8, 2006 Public information session/open house
Origin Retirement Communities on February 8, 2006 hosted a Public Information
Session/Open House to discuss the proposal with the neighbours. The session included
the Bayview-Wellington Ratepayers Association President, John Gallo, and residents of
Ochalski Road. Origin has provided a letter in response to the discussions held at the
meeting (see Appendix 2). Origin has stated that they are committed to try and satisfy the
residents concerns and have agreed to several design elements thatwere discussed at the
meeting.
Origin has committed to the following:
stepped down of the "wings" of the building (closest part to the townhouses) to 4
storeys;
reviewing the potential of lowering the height of the roof structure;
enhanced landscaping (greater buffer, fence with significant trees) along the north
property line.
Origin will re-examine the architectural design of the building and attempt to create a more
"stepped/tiered" built form of the building which will create greater setback of the upper
floors. The applicant has explained that their architect will examine the feasibility of the
terracing and lowering the building as there are certain building code requirements
regarding the locations of exits within the independent and assisted living portions that
require the stairs to be where they are, so any changes must be reviewed to ensure
compliance with Building Code requirements. Similarly the architect has to examine the
feasibility to lower the roof by relocating certain functions of the roof -top mechanical to the
basement. The extent of the landscaping buffer expansion will depend upon the footprint
of the building and the required width of the driveway in order to implement a substantial
buffer strip. As noted above, the applicant will also submit a shadow study to be reviewed
by the urban design architects.
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PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
February 22, 2006 - 6 - _ Report No PL06-027
In discussions with residents and Origin, staff feel that the meeting with residents was
productive. The residents have expressed their concerns with this development, and the
applicant has committed to work with staff and residents to mitigate the impacts of this
development on the adjacent neighbours.
SERVICING ALLOCATION
It is staffs understanding through discussions with the Region of York, that an Institutional
use is not subject to the same criteria as residential uses, and therefore this proposal will
not affect residential servicing capacity in the Town.
OPTIONS
At the Public Planning Meeting, taking into consideration comments from staff and
residents, Council has the option of approving the applications in principle, subject to the
resolution of outstanding issues. Should this option be chosen, approval of the zoning by-
law should be given in concert with Site Plan Approval to ensure that details of the
landscape buffer, fencing, and building design have been addressed. They also have the
option of resolving that the application is brought back to a further public meeting upon
resolution of the major outstanding issues, or they have the option of denying the
applications outright.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
LINK TO STRATEGIC PLAN
The Strategic Plan contains objectives to ensure high quality, comprehensive community
planning to protect the overall investment of citizens in the community. Critical review of
the subject applications through the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law
Amendment processes will facilitate this objective.
PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT
There are no conflicts with the policies of the Provincial Policy Statement as a result of this
application.
CONCLUSIONS
Applications have been submitted for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law
Amendment application to permit a retirement home on the subject lands. Should Council
determine there is merit in the subject applications, it is recommended that the approval of
the Official Plan Amendment be subject to the public comments received. It is further
recommended that approval of the Implementing Zoning By-law be subject to the review of
at least the first site plan submission. This would ensure for a more detailed review of the
proposed development and would ensure the proper function of the site and its compliance
PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
February 22, 2006 - 7 - Report No. PL06-027
with the Implementing By-law.
ATTACHMENTS
Figure 1 - Location Plan
Figure 2 - Survey
Figure 3 - Site Plan
Figures 4 & 5 - Elevations
Appendix 1 - Schedule "A"-Bayview Wellington Centre Secondary Plan
Appendix 2 — Letter from Origin Retirement Communities
PRE -SUBMISSION REVIEW
Management Team Meeting — February 15, 2006
Prepared by: Cristina Celebre, Planner
Extension 4343
Z__ �_,L_
S e eibe , 7P. .C.l., R.P.P.
Director of Planning and Development Services
-7-
LOCATION PLAN
APPLICANT: 4240111 CANADA (ORIGIN
RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES INC.) 0 75 150 AuR-oxA
FILES: D09-01-06 & D14-01-06 yo"""io("d co.' ✓ty
AURORA PLANNING DEPARTMENT Metres
DATE: FEBRUARY 22, 2006 FIGURE 1
Location Map created by the Town of Aurora Planning Department, January.382006, Modified February 47th, 2006, Base data provided by York Region.
PUBLIC PLANNING — FEBRUARY 22, 2006
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