Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 2, 2020 Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 1 Present: Mayor David Ryan Councillors: D. Pickles Also Present: M. Carpino - Interim Chief Administrative Officer K. Bentley - Director, City Development & CBO P. Bigioni - Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor F. Jadoon - Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects N. Surti - Manager, Development Review & Urban Design C. Rose - Chief Planner S. Cassel - City Clerk D. Jacobs - Manager, Policy & Geomatics C. Celebre - Principal Planner-Development Review K. Kilbourne - Principal Planner, Policy R. Perera - (Acting) Committee Coordinator K. Ashe M. Brenner S. Butt I. Cumming B. McLean 1. Roll Call The City Clerk certified that all Members of Council were present and participating electronically in accordance with By-law 7771/20. 2. Disclosure of Interest No disclosures of interest were noted. 3. Statutory Public Meetings Councillor Cumming, Chair, gave an outline of the requirements for a Statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act. He outlined the notification process procedures and also noted that if a person or public body does not make oral or written submissions t o the City before the By-law is passed, that person or public body are not entitled to appeal the decision of City Council to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), and may not be Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 2 entitled to be added as a party to the hearing unless, in the opinion of LPAT, there are reasonable grounds to do so. Catherine Rose, Chief Planner, appeared before the Committee to act as facilitator for the Statutory Public Meeting portion of the meeting, explaining the process for discussion purposes as well as the order of speakers. 3.1 Information Report No. 13-20 City Initiated Official Plan Amendment Application: Kingston Mixed Corridor and Brock Mixed Node Intensification Areas Proposed Amendment 38 to the Pickering Official Plan Proposed Informational Revision 26 to the Pickering Official Plan File: OPA 20-004/P A statutory public meeting was held under the Planning Act, for the purpose of informing the public with respect to the above-noted application. Kristy Kilbourne, Principal Planner, Policy, provided the Committee with an overview of the City Initiated Official Plan Amendment Application OPA 20 -004/P. Through the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Ms. Kilbourne outlined the proposed amendment 38 to the Pickering Official Plan, and the proposed informational Revision 26 to the Pickering Official Plan. She stated that the City is proposing to amend its Official Plan by adding new policies and mapping, and revising existing policies and mapping, to implement the Council-endorsed Kingston Road Corridor and Specialty Retailing Node Intensification Plan. The amendment would apply to lands generally located along the Kingston Road Corridor, excluding the City Centre, and also to lands within the Specialty Retailing Node, east of Brock Road, north of Highway 401, and south of Kingston Road. Ms. Kilbourne outlined the community consultation process, and the public comments received for further review and consideration. Alan Jeffs, 1995 Royal Road, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection to discuss the impact of new development in the Kingston Corridor and Specialty Retailing Node, and stated that this development could be both beneficial and detrimental to the community. Mr. Jeffs raised concerns regarding the impact to existing neighbourhoods and the importance of density massing, height requirements, and shadow impacts to adjacent properties, stating that these issues should be addressed at this time in the proposal with great specificity. He commented that Council decisions pertaining to the Kingston Corridor and the Node would shape the community for decades to come and noted that understanding the projected population growth is critical as fast population growth could leave residents in the area severely underserved in key community and infrastructure support. Mr. Jeffs stated that locally available jobs are needed as Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 3 well as office and retail space to facilitate more than the target number of new jobs to be met in the area. He further commented that developers have a financial incentive to increase the number of residential units rather than investing in commercial and retail space. Mr. Jeffs advised that he would be submitting a letter outlining his concerns and comments in more detail and concluded his delegation by stating that now is the time to give significant shape to development applications by broadening and strengthening the Pickering Official Plan. A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and City Staff regarding:  whether applications currently in process would have to comply with the proposed policies once they come into effect or whether they would be grandfathered in with the existing policies;  ensuring that the City’s policies, that govern development applications, convey the need for a mix of uses, including commercial and retail space;  how the capping of the maximum Floor Space Index (FSI) for the City centre compared to the capping for the Kingston Corridor and Brock Mixed Node Intensification areas;  the tools available to the City to manage projected growth, and the restrictions under the Planning Act, as well as the City’s obligations to review all submitted development applications; and,  concerns in the community, and on Council, regarding the cumulative effects of multiple applications for the area and the use of holding provisions to ensure there are sufficient capacities in place. 3.2 Information Report No. 15-20 Official Plan Amendment Application OPA 20-002/P Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 06/20 Director Industrial Holding Limited (Sorbara Group) Part of Lot 29, Range 3, Broken Front Concession (603 to 643, 645 and 699 Kingston Road) A statutory public meeting was held under the Planning Act, for the purpose of informing the public with respect to the above-noted application. Kristy Kilbourne, Principal Planner, Policy, provided the Committee with an overview of the Official Plan Amendment Application OPA 20 -002/P and the Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 06/20. Through the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Ms. Kilbourne outlined the property location, submitted concept plan and noted that the purpose of the proposed Official Plan Amendment is to add a site-specific exception for the subject lands to increase the maximum permitted residential density to 500 units per net hectare, and to increase the maximum Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 4 permitted Floor Space Index (FSI) to 5.0, and that the purpose of the Zoning By- law Amendment is to change the existing zoning to an appropriate site-specific zone category to permit the proposed uses. Ms. Kilbourne outlined the public comments, and the design comments identified by Staff for further review and consideration. Ryan Guetter, Weston Consulting - Planning + Urban Design, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection on behalf of the applicant to provide an overview of the proposed development. Mr. Guetter provided a brief overview of the applications, referring to a PDF document that was circulated to the Committee prior to the meeting. Annette Gatsis, Pickering Resident, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection to inquire about the timeline and the targeted demographic of the proposed development. Ms. Gatsis further inquired about how the applicant would mitigate the shortage of schools in the area if a majority of families with young children occupy the proposed development. A question and answer period ensued b etween Members of the Committee, City Staff, and Ryan Guetter, regarding:  the amount of commercial space that would be built in the first phase of the development and whether parking spaces for the commercial space would be above or underground;  the location of the bicycle parking spaces within the development;  responsibilities for maintaining the internal private roads within the proposed development;  whether affordable housing would be incorporated into the project;  whether charging stations for electric vehicles would be available within the proposed development;  the access points into the development with respect to the access points for the adjacent development and how the negative impacts on traffic would be mitigated;  how the spirit of the Kingston Mixed Corridor and Brock Mixed Node Intensification Study compared to the proposed development with respect to density and massing;  target data pertaining to jobs per capita; and,  the benefits of the multi-residential proposal for residential tax payers and the importance in residents understanding these benefits. 3.3 Information Report No. 14-20 Official Plan Amendment Application OPA 20-003/P Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 5 Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 07/20 Site Plan Application S 06/20 First Simcha Shopping Centres Limited and Calloway REIT (Pickering) Inc. (SmartCentres) Part of Lot 18, Concession 1, Now Parts 1 to 20 & 22 to 40, Part of Lots 21 & 41, 40R-26237 (Save & Except Parts 1 to 3, 40R-27791) (1899 Brock Road) A statutory public meeting was held under the Planning Act, for the purpose of informing the public with respect to the above-noted application. Cristina Celebre, Principal Planner, Development Review, provided the Committee with an overview of Official Plan Amendment Application OPA 20 -003/P, Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 07/20, and Site Plan Application S 06/20. Through the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Ms. Celebre outlined the location plan, and the proposed development, noting that the applications propose to rezone Block 1 to an appropriate mixed-used residential zone category with site- specific performance standards to facilitate the proposed apartment buildings and grade related commercial uses. Ms. Celebre outlined the public comments and design comments identified by Staff for further review and consideration. Matthew Kruger, SmartCentres REIT, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection and stated that he was in attendance to respond to any questions raised. Alan Jeffs, 1995 Royal Road, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection to raise concerns regarding built form considerations, office space, and the proposed parking. Mr. Jeffs noted that a number of City documents highlight the builder’s obligation to provide a 45 degree angular plane, however, according to the applicant’s proposal this would be exceeded and further noted that the architectural drawings outlining the angular plane had not yet been submitted. Mr. Jeffs stated that the City of Pickering Official Plan requires adequate sunlight for the public realm and neighbouring properties, and a shadow study to be submitted, and noted that the applicant’s proposal identifies a minimum of 5 hours of sunlight for the public realm. He further added that that Kingston Road Corridor and Specialty Retailing Node Intensification Plan have designated this location as the preferred office location for the Corridor and the Node, however, there is no mention of office space in the applicant’s proposal. Mr. Jeffs raised further concerns regarding the 0.8 residential parking ratio and the 1.0 retail parking ratio, adding that this would not be sufficient for businesses and residents and was below the average of several other municipalities. He stated that all new owners should sign a waiver acknowledging the parking space ratio, should those ratios not be changed. Mr. Jeffs concluded his delegation by noting he would be Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 6 submitting a letter outlining his concerns pertaining to the proposed development in more detail. Jacqueline Beesley, 1665 Pickering Parkway, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection and noted that critical studies pertaining to the development had not been submitted by the applicant yet, and Council must receive such documents prior to making a decision. She added that the proposed development would impact traffic on Brock Road, parking, and transportation, noting that she was advised by Durham Region Transit that there were no plans to expand the transportation line for the proposed development. She commented that a cloverleaf design is not a design that could be implemented for traffic overflow without changes to transit, and stated that the potential increase to the population would not be feasible from a traffic perspective. She raised further concerns regarding the 0.8 parking space per unit, noting that this is lower than the normal standard. Ms. Beesley stated that the proposal excludes a window glare study, which is common for tall developments, and added that the design would result in diving hazards on Brock Road. She inquired how emergency services would be impacted and that specialized training and equipment would be needed for Fire Services to reach the higher floors during an emergency. She questioned the impact to taxpayers and stated that Council should consider community votes in making these decisions. Ms. Beesley added that the lands designated for an airport are only a short distance away, which would result in more traffic congestion once an airport is built, and that the location of the towers was not feasible or logical. She concluded her delegation by inquiring as to why the proposed development is being advertised this early in the process, and added that a petition was circulating in the community with several concerns regarding the development. Matthew Kruger, SmartCentres REIT, noted that he would work with the City to address the concerns raised by the delegates and noted that the proposed buildings are not being advertised yet. A question and answer period ensued b etween Members of the Committee, City Staff, and Matthew Kruger, regarding:  whether a traffic count study had been conducted;  whether a traffic signal would be installed at entrance B;  whether there would be access from the site to Brock Road and the proposed turning movements for this access;  whether the fly over on Notion Road would be taken into consideration during the traffic study;  whether there would be bicycle parking spaces within the development; Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 7  whether the fully signalized Road B had been discussed with the Region and whether the proposed road would be right in/right out;  whether the Zoning By-law Amendment was to facilitate all 4 of the proposed buildings;  the need for all the assessment studies to be completed prior to making any decisions and the importance of looking at traffic count data pre COVID-19 due to the decrease in travel during the pandemic;  the need for the development to support public parks and pedestrian connectivity and reviewing the submitted site plan concurrently to ensure the support of public space;  the preferred location for office space within the proposed development;  whether employment targets and economic benefits to the residential tax base would be addressed and considered in the Staff Recommendation Report;  whether there had been a review to ensure there was an adequate number of schools to accommodate the increased population from the proposed development;  the long term redevelopment plans for the balance of the SmartCentres lands;  whether the proposed roadway to provide access from Brock Road was in addition to the two access points identified in the proposed development; and,  the need to consider inclusion of affordable housing in the development. Nilesh Surti, Manager, Development Review & Urban Design, advised Members of the Committee that Staff would work with SmartCentres REIT, and Sorbara Group, to address the concerns raised by the delegates and Members of the Committee. 3. Delegations 3.1 Steve Edwards, Project Director, GHD Whitby Larry Macdonell - Applicant Re: Report PLN 22-20 Draft Plan of Subdivision Application SP-2019-02 Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 07/19 Oak Hill Developments Ltd. and White-Pine General Contractors Ltd. Lots 60 and 61, Plan 418 (467 and 471 Rosebank Road) Steve Edwards, Project Director, GHD Whitby, joined the electronic meeting via audio connection and noted Larry Macdonell, Oak Hill Developments Ltd, was Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 8 also present via audio connection to answer questions if required. Mr. Edwards noted that following the public meeting and the input received, the proposed development had reduced the number of lots from 11 to 8, resulting in lower density. He stated that he had 2 further requests relating to the Zoning By-law amendment being, a change in height from 9 metres to 10 metres, and a change to the dwelling depth and lot coverage to facilitate a bungalow dwelling on lot 4. Mr. Edwards noted that the change would be within the proposed limit of the Infill and Replacement Housing in Established Neighbourhoods Study, which recommended up to 20 metres for lots greater than 40 metres in depth. 4. Planning & Development Reports 4.1 Director, City Development & CBO, Report PLN 22-20 Draft Plan of Subdivision Application SP-2019-02 Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 07/19 Oak Hill Developments Ltd. and White-Pine General Contractors Ltd. Lots 60 and 61, Plan 418 (467 and 471 Rosebank Road) A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and Nilesh Surti, Manager, Development Review & Urban Design, regarding:  the feasibility of the two requests from Steve Edwards, with Mr. Surti advising that 9 metres would provide for a well designed house and is in line with the Council approved Infill and Replacement Housing in Established Neighbourhoods Study guidelines and that he would follow up with Mr. Edwards regarding the request to accommodate a bungalow footprint and would look at this before the By-law comes before Council for enactment;  how access would be provided to lots 7 and 8 on Gillmoss Road;  whether Gillmoss Road would be extended to accommodate lot 8;  whether Dunn Crescent and its northerly extension would be removed from the Pickering Official Plan and whether a cul-de-sac would be constructed;  who would be responsible for maintaining the retaining wall;  conditions in place for construction management plans; and,  ensuring that a sign with the contact information for the developer is placed on site during construction should residents have questions or concerns regarding the development. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Pickles Seconded by Councillor Brenner Planning & Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Council Chambers – 7:00 pm Chair: Councillor Cumming 9 1. That Draft Plan of Subdivision Application SP-2019-02, submitted by Oak Hill Developments Ltd. and White-Pine General Contractors Ltd., on lands being Lots 60 and 61, Plan 418, to establish a residential plan of subdivision consisting of 8 lots for detached dwellings as shown on Attachment #4 to Report PLN 22-20, and the implementing conditions of approval, as set out in Appendix I, be endorsed; 2. That Zoning By-law Amendment Application A 07/19, submitted by Oak Hill Developments Ltd. and White-Pine General Contractors Ltd., to implement Draft Plan of Subdivision SP 2019-02 on lands being Lots 60 and 61, Plan 418, be approved, and that the draft Zoning By-law Amendment as set out in Appendix II to Report PLN 22-20 be forwarded to Council for enactment; 3. That Amendment 8 to the Rosebank Neighbourhood Development Guidelines – Precinct No. 3, to allow an exception permitting minimum lot frontages of 12.2 metres for 4 lots fronting Gillmoss Road to implement Draft Plan of Subdivision SP-2019-02, be endorsed as set out in Appendix III; and, 4. That Informational Revision 27 to the Pickering Official Plan Rosebank, Neighbourhood Map 11, to delete the proposed new northerly extension of Dunn Crescent to intersect with the future easterly extension of Gillmoss Road, as set out in Appendix IV, be approved. Carried 6. Other Business 6.1 Councillor McLean inquired about the status of the Nautical Village Visionary Study, with Kyle Bentley, Director, City Development & CBO, noting that Staff would be providing an update through a Memo to Council in December. 7. Adjournment Moved by Councillor Brenner Seconded by Councillor Butt That the meeting be adjourned. Carried The meeting adjourned at 10:33 pm.