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Minutes - Public Planning - 20150930 TOWN OF AURORA SPECIAL COUNCIL – PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING MINUTES Cafetorium St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School Wednesday, September 30, 2015 ATTENDANCE COUNCIL MEMBERS Mayor Dawe in the Chair; Councillors Abel, Gaertner, Humfryes, Kim, Mrakas, Pirri, Thom, and Thompson MEMBERS ABSENT None OTHER ATTENDEES Director of Legal and Legislative Services/Town Solicitor, Director of Planning and Development Services, Manager of Development Planning, Planner, Town Clerk, Deputy Clerk, and Council/Committee Secretaries Mayor Dawe called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m. 1. DECLARATION OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND GENERAL NATURE THEREOF There were no declarations of pecuniary interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. 2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Moved by Councillor Pirri Seconded by Councillor Mrakas THAT the agenda as circulated by Legal and Legislative Services be approved. CARRIED Special Council – Public Planning Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Page 2 of 5 3. PLANNING APPLICATIONS Mayor Dawe outlined the procedures that would be followed in the conduct of the public meeting. The Town Clerk confirmed that the appropriate notice had been given in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Planning Act. 1. PL15-073 – Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision, Official Plan Amendment, and Zoning By-law Amendment, Highland Gate Developments Inc., 21 Golf Links Drive, Files: SUB-2015-01, OPA-2015-01, and ZBA-2015-02 On a motion of Councillor Abel seconded by Councillor Thompson, Council consented, on a two-thirds vote, to waive the requirements of subsection 3.8(c) of the Procedural By-law to permit Gary Grierson, on behalf of the Board of Directors of Highland Green, York Region Condominium Corporation No. 692, to speak for 15 minutes. Planning Staff The Planner, Mr. Lawrence Kuk, presented an overview of the application and staff report, including background information and details related to the proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision, Official Plan Amendment, and Zoning By-law Amendment, to permit a residential plan of subdivision on a 41-hectare parcel of land, and to redesignate and rezone the subject lands. He noted that the applicant proposes 184 single detached dwelling lots, a high-density residential block, parkettes, open space/vistas, and environmental protection. The Planner indicated that staff would undertake a technical review of the applications and address the comments received from the public and Council. The Director of Planning and Development Services, Mr. Marco Ramunno, clarified that comments received from any agencies have been shared with the applicant, ratepayers groups, and posted on the Town website. Consultant Mr. Don Given, of Malone Given Parsons Ltd., on behalf of the applicant, presented an overview of the proposed Highland Gate redevelopment, including resident and agency comments regarding the draft plan and changes to the lotting fabric in the draft plan. Mr. Given also briefly addressed some resident concerns regarding traffic, one-foot reserves, the proposed condominium, landscaping and parkland. The Director of Legal and Legislative Services/Town Solicitor, Mr. Warren Mar, in response to the applicant’s presentation, clarified that that Legal and Legislative Services provides comments in regards to legal issues, and does not provide objection or approval on the merits of planning applications. Special Council – Public Planning Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Page 3 of 5 Public Comments Aurora residents, including Chris McGowan, Linda O’Connell, Gary Grierson, William Hayes, Klaus Wehrenberg, Chris Neal, Doug Bushey, Jean Fraser, Lorraine Coens, Janet Marsh, David Medcalf, Peter Levers, David Newton, Susan Walmer, and Greg Cumiskey expressed their concerns and suggestions on the following matters: • Opposed to the proposed Tennis Court • Destruction of Green Space • Disagree with the objectives and methodology of LSRCA • Loss of significant mature trees • Loss of trails and greenspace • Increased traffic and congestion, and concerns related to submitted traffic report • Opposed to Commercial units on the ground floor of the proposed condominium building • All parking spaces for the Condominium building should be on-site and not off-site • Proposed development will exacerbate the existing water damage in the area • Opposed to double frontage and single-sided roads • Incompatibility with the stable residential neighbourhood Official Plan designation • Proposed development does not comply with the vision statements from the Official Plan • Town needs to provide appropriate community facilities, in addition to swimming pools and arenas • Walkability of Golf Links Drive with the proposed Condominium building • Single-loaded roads is a financial burden to the Town and its residents • Proposed streets are too narrow for on-street parking plus vehicular movements • Proposed trails being located on the right-of-way • Beacon Report needs to be peer reviewed • Development charges only pay for portion of development, not all of it • Town needs more focus on commercial and industrial targets than residential target • Fails to meet current Planning guidelines • Does not protect existing greenspace and environmentally sensitive areas • Does little to improve or expand the Trails network • Setting dangerous precedents • Reduce the number of proposed homes and increase the parkland • Parkland provided by applicant is not useable land • Proposal is an example of overdevelopment Special Council – Public Planning Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Page 4 of 5 • Town needs to exercise the 0.3 metre reserve to property • Increases or changes to tax levies • Storm water management and probability of sewer back-up • High water table, grading, and drainage issues • Undersized roads and the impact of waste collection, snow removal and parking • Impact on existing views of the green space • Proposed development not required to meet Town’s intensification target • Proposed lot sizes not comparable to existing lots on Kennedy Street West • Existing homes now backing onto a road • Significant impact of condo height on existing residences • Use of subject lands to create park, pond or other form of green space • Lack of pedestrian safety due to increased traffic • Increased amount of infill requests Aurora residents also inquired about the following: • Size of buffer zone • Location of street lights • Relocation of sewer main beneath the golf course • Local access during construction • Expected construction time frame • Measures taken to ensure construction schedule will be communicated to residents • Measures to ensure that high construction standards will be enforced • A comprehensive list of all Town by-laws and policies that the developer is requesting to be exempted from • Similar applications in the Greater Toronto Area • Other development options/alternative plans The Director of Planning and Development Services commented that we are currently in the middle of the public planning process as outlined by the Planning Act, and that the Town has an obligation to review all applications that are submitted. Further, in regards to this application, there are various departmental and third party reviews on background and technical reports being conducted. Moved by Councillor Mrakas Seconded by Councillor Abel THAT Report No. PL15-073 be received; and THAT the public comments heard at the September 30, 2015 Public Planning meeting be received and referred back to staff; and Special Council – Public Planning Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Page 5 of 5 THAT public comments will continue to be heard at the October 28, 2015 Public Planning meeting on the proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision, Official Plan Amendment, and Zoning By-law Amendment applications. CARRIED 4. READING OF BY-LAW Moved by Councillor Abel Seconded by Councillor Mrakas THAT the following confirming by-law be given first, second, and third readings and enacted: 5767-15 BEING A BY-LAW to Confirm Actions by Council Resulting from Special Council – Public Planning Meeting on September 30, 2015. CARRIED 5. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Councillor Thom Seconded by Councillor Pirri THAT the meeting be adjourned at 9:11 p.m. CARRIED GEOFFREY DAWE, MAYOR STEPHEN M. A. HUYCKE, TOWN CLERK THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL COUNCIL – PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2015, RECEIVED FINAL APPROVAL BY COUNCIL ON OCTOBER 13, 2015.