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Home My WebLink AboutPLN 11-24Report to Executive Committee Report Number: PLN 11-24 Date: May 6, 2024 From: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO Subject: Application for Exceptions to Street Naming Policy ADM 220 - Naming of a private street for the Porsche Experience Centre development - File: S 07/22 Recommendation: 1. That the application from Pickering Developments Inc. to use of the name “Experience” and the suffix (street type) “Drive”, for the new private street to the proposed Porsche Experience Centre development, be approved; and 2. That the application from Pickering Developments Inc. to add “Porsche” and “Carrera” to the City of Pickering’s Street Name Reserve List, be denied. Executive Summary: This purpose of this report is to provide staff’s comments and recommendations on Pickering Developments Inc.’s application to Council to grant two exceptions to the City’s Street Naming Policy ADM 220. Pickering Developments Inc. requests Council add the names “Porsche”, “Carrera”, and “Experience” to the City’s Street Name Reserve List so that one of these names can be used on a new private street that will provide access to the proposed Porsche Experience Centre, and to allow the suffix “Drive” for naming the new private street. Staff recommend that Council approve an exception to name the proposed private street “Experience Drive”, and that Council deny the application for an exception to use “Porsche” and “Carrera” for naming the proposed private street, for reasons outlined in the report. Relation to the Pickering Strategic Plan: The recommendations in this report respond to the following Pickering Strategic Plan Key Priority of Advance Innovation & Responsible Planning to Support a Connected, Well-Serviced Community. Financial Implications: No direct costs to the City are anticipated as a result of the recommendations of this report. Discussion: The purpose of this report is to provide staff’s comments and recommendations on Pickering Developments Inc.’s application to grant two exceptions to the City’s Street Naming Policy ADM 220. In February 2023, Pickering Developments Inc. applied to the City to add three new street names, being “Porsche”, “Carrera”, and “Experience”, to the City’s Street Name Reserve List. The proponent intends to use one of these street names for a new private PLN 11-24 May 6, 2024 Subject: Application for Exceptions to Street Naming Policy ADM 220 Page 2 street that will provide access to the proposed Porsche Experience Centre development. Additionally, the applicant requested an amendment to the policy to allow the use of the suffix “Drive” instead of “Private” for the street name. For more context, see Attachment 1, for a map reflecting the location of the proposed private street. Following receipt of the required application fee in March 2023, the City circulated the three names to the Region of Durham. In September 2023, the Region of Durham confirmed that they had no objection to the proposed street names. Staff notified the proponent that, although the Region has approved the use of these names, the names “Porsche” and “Carrera” and the use of the suffix “Drive” on a private street are in contravention of the City Street Naming Policy ADM 220, and that the use of the name “Experience” could not be assigned to a street because the Street Naming Policy stipulates that public and private streets shall be assigned the name of a War Veteran or the War Dead, if there are names of War Veterans or War Dead available on the City’s Reserve List. The proponent was also informed that any exception/deviation to the City’s Street Naming Policy would be subject to a further application, which is subject to Council’s approval. Subsequently, Pickering Developments Inc. made this application and paid the associated additional application fee in late March 2024. In summary, the proponent is requesting Council to approve exceptions to the following subsections in the City of Pickering Street Naming Policy ADM 220: • 02.01 b): “Street names shall not result in or be perceived to confer, any competitive advantage, benefit or preferential treatment or advertisement to the named party, or product, service or a particular business”; • 02.01 g): “Proper names will only be approved for use by the City if: i) the names are those of the War Dead who were Pickering residents at the time they served; ii) the names are those of War Veterans who were, or became and remained, residents of Pickering after their service; iii) the name is that of a Pickering Firefighter who was killed on the job or passed as a result of a job-related injury/illness; or iv) the name is that of a resident, living or deceased, who has exhibited significant importance to Pickering’s heritage”; • 02.03 b) ii): “Private Streets will only use the suffix “Private”; • 02.03 c): “Private Streets will be named to provide wayfinding using the following criteria but shall not form part of the Municipal Address: i) where a development has multiple private streets; ii) where a development has a complex layout; and iii) where a development has multiple access points to public streets”; and • 06.01: “A street shall be assigned the name of a War Veteran or the War Dead, if: a) there are names of War Veterans or War Dead available on the City’s Reserve List; and c) the street is a private street to be named for wayfinding, with a minimum of one street so named within each phase of development; and e) if the street referred to in subsection c), is within: PLN 11-24 May 6, 2024 Subject: Application for Exceptions to Street Naming Policy ADM 220 Page 3 i) a development application currently under review where the names have not yet been assigned to the streets as of the date of approval of the policy, as amended (June 27, 2022)”. Staff have reviewed the application and offer the following comments and recommendations for Council’s consideration: The purpose of the Council approved Street Naming Policy is to establish a consistent and predictable City approach to selecting street names for wayfinding, that both meet the values of the Corporation and ensure timely emergency response within the Municipality. The policy, among other things, supports the establishment of easily pronounceable names, but does not support names that confer a competitive advantage, benefit, or preferential treatment. With respect to Subsection 02.01 b), “Porsche” is a brand and “Carrera” is a specific model or product. Both of these names would clearly promote a product or brand of a business, which conflicts with the intent of the City policy. Additionally, with respect to the proposed exceptions to Subsections 02.01 g), 02.03 b) ii), 02.03 c), and 06.01, staff offer the following comments respectively: • “Porsche” is the surname of the founder of the company, but this person was neither Pickering War Veteran/War Dead, Pickering Firefighter nor someone who exhibited significant importance to Pickering’s Heritage. The name “Carrera”, to staff’s knowledge, has no association with this policy, nor does the name “Experience”. • Council’s policy preference for the use of the suffix “Private” exclusively for private roads stems from the position that it helps distinguish public from private streets and assists the public and public agencies with understanding which streets are governed and maintained by the City, and which ones are not. • The new private street is a simple driveway into the site off Church Street, whereas the policy states: i) that they are only to be named where a development has multiple private streets; ii) where a development has a complex layout; and iii) where a development has multiple access points to public streets. • There were nine Veterans’ names available on the City’s reserve list (as of April 9, 2024) for use on streets within any development with unnamed streets in Pickering. Although “Experience” has been approved for use on any street in Pickering and Council decides to permit an exception to Subsection 02.03 c) to name a Private Street, a Veteran’s name should be the first consideration for a name. Staff believe that the broad scope of the proposed exceptions would set an undesirable precedent and undermine the purpose and efficiency of the City’s Street Naming Policy and are unable to recommend support for the addition of the names “Porsche” or “Carrera” to the City’s Street Name Reserve List for use on the new private road. However, if Council should decide to grant an exception or exceptions to the above listed Street Naming Policy, it is recommended that it choose exceptions that are the least offensive to the purpose and intent PLN 11-24 May 6, 2024 Subject: Application for Exceptions to Street Naming Policy ADM 220 Page 4 of the Street Naming Policy, and that it be limited to Subsections 02.03 b) ii), 02.03 c), and 06.01, by approving the use of the name “Experience” and the suffix “Drive” on the new private street off Church Street, on the basis that they would be unique to, and complementary to, the car test track and this major tourist node in Pickering. Based on the above considerations, staff recommend the following: •That the application from Pickering Developments Inc. to use of the name “Experience” and the suffix (street type) “Drive”, for the new private street to the proposed Porsche Experience Centre development, be approved; and •That the application from Pickering Developments Inc. to add “Porsche” and “Carrera” tothe City of Pickering’s Street Name Reserve List, be denied. Attachment: 1.Map reflecting the location of the proposed private street Prepared By: Original Signed By Jill McMullen Supervisor, Geomatics Original Signed By Déan Jacobs, MCIP, RPP Manager, Policy & Geomatics Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By Catherine Rose, MCIP, RPP Chief Planner Original Signed By Kyle Bentley, P. Eng. Director, City Development & CBO JM:ld Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Original Signed By Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Attachment 1 to Report PLN 11-24 Site Plan City Development Department April 5, 2024FULL SCALE COPIES OF THIS PLAN ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AT THE CITY OF PICKERING CITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. S07/22 Turner & Townsend (Porsche Experience Centre) Applicant: DATE: File No: L:\Planning\01-MapFiles\S\2022