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HomeMy WebLinkAboutInformation Report 01-23 Information Report to Planning & Development Committee Report Number: 01-23 Date: February 6, 2023 From: Catherine Rose, MCIP, RPP Chief Planner Subject: Zoning By-law Amendment Application 10/22 City Initiated 2570 Tillings Road 1. Purpose of this Report The purpose of this report is to provide preliminary information regarding an application for Zoning By-law Amendment, initiated by the City, to rezone the subject lands to permit a future public elementary school and a future public park. This report contains background information on the proposed amendment. This report is intended to assist members of the public and other interested stakeholders to understand the proposed amendment. Planning & Development Committee will hear public delegations on the application, ask questions of clarification and identify any planning matters. This report is for information and no decision is being made at this time. Staff will bring forward a recommendation report for consideration by the Planning & Development Committee upon review of the comments received and revisions to the amendment if necessary. 2. Property Location and Description The subject property, having a total land area of approximately 7.2 hectares, is located at the southwest corner of Tillings Road and Scenic Lane Drive, within the Duffin Heights Neighbourhood (see Location Map, Attachment #1). The property is currently owned by the City, and was previously occupied by the City’s Operations Centre. The existing structures on the property have been demolished. The intention is to sell approximately 2.8 hectares of the property to the Durham District School Board to facilitate the future construction of a public elementary school. The surrounding land uses are as follows (see Air Photo Map, Attachment #2): North: To the north, across Scenic Lane Drive, are existing detached, semi-detached, and townhouse dwellings. East: To the east, across Tillings Road on the north and south sides of Dersan Street, are woodlots owned by the Province of Ontario. Information Report 01-23 Page 2 South: Immediately to the south is a vacant, wooded parcel that is privately owned. Further south is a stormwater management pond owned by the City of Pickering. West: To the west are lands owned by the City of Pickering containing significant woodlands. 3. Proposed City-Initiated Zoning By-law Amendment In December of 2022, the Durham District School Board (DDSB) submitted an application for Site Plan Approval (File: S 17/22) to permit the construction of a new two-storey public elementary school on the northeastern portion of the subject property (see the Submitted Site Plan from the DDSB, Attachment #3). The proposed new school is anticipated to accommodate 536 students, and will include four new childcare rooms with 73 childcare spaces. The DDSB has advised that the new school is tentatively scheduled to open in September 2024. For the DDSB to receive Provincial funding to acquire the lands, and to obtain a building permit to construct the new school, the site is required to be zoned to an appropriate zone category that permits an elementary school and related uses. Currently, the subject property is zoned “A – Rural Agriculture Zone” within Zoning By-law 3037, as amended by By-law 6577/05. Permissible uses within the “A” Zone include a detached dwelling, home occupation, various agricultural uses, public or private parks, and agricultural-related business uses. Prior to the passing of Amending By-law 6577/05, institutional uses (including schools) were permitted with the “A” Zone. In 2005, the City initiated a zoning by-law amendment application (File A 15/05) to restrict institutional uses on lands zoned Rural Agriculture within the City. At the time, staff determined that the continued permission of institutional uses on agricultural lands on an ‘as-of-right’ basis did not conform with policies in the Pickering Official Plan, and risked potential conflict with surrounding urban and rural uses. Therefore, Zoning By-law 6577/05 was passed, which removed institutional uses as a permitted use on lands zoned Rural Agriculture, while existing institutional uses continued to be permitted. In addition, it was determined that new institutional uses could be permitted through site-specific rezoning applications, as this would allow Council to ensure that individual developments conform with Official Plan policies, and are compatible with nearby land uses. As such, the City is proposing administrative changes to the existing zoning by-law to permit an elementary school and related uses on the northeastern portion of the property. Immediately to the west of the proposed school, the City is proposing a future public park. As part of this rezoning, the City is also proposing to rezone the northwestern portion of the property to permit a public park. The future park will have an area of approximately 1.4 hectares. A preliminary proposal for the park includes a children’s playground, walking paths and a potential tennis/pickleball court. The remainder of the property to the south, which contains a significant woodlot, is proposed to be rezoned to an appropriate open space zone category. Information Report 01-23 Page 3 4. Pickering Official Plan The Pickering Official Plan designates the majority of the subject property as “Urban Residential Areas – Medium Density Areas”. A small portion of the property along the western lot line is designated as “Open Space System – Natural Areas”. Community uses such as schools, childcare facilities and parks are permissible uses within the Urban Residential Areas land use designation. The Duffin Heights Neighbourhood Map identifies the subject property as a site for a proposed public elementary school. The proposed amendment conforms to the policies within the Pickering Official Plan. 5. Notification of Statutory Public Meeting Notice of the Statutory Public Meeting regarding this application was provided through a mailing to all properties within 150 metres of the subject property (in total, notice was mailed to 105 property owners). In addition, a public meeting notice sign was erected at the property on January 5, 2023. As of the date of this report, no written or verbal comments have been received from the public. 6. Planning & Design Section Comments The subject property was always intended for the use of a future public elementary school. The proposed school is a much needed community facility for the Duffin Heights Neighbourhood that will serve existing and future students. Furthermore, the proposed park will provide additional public open space that will serve the growing neighbourhood. To achieve the DDSB’s deadlines to obtain funding approval from the Province and acquire the lands from the City to enable the construction of the school, City staff intend to bring forward a recommendation report to the March 6, 2023 Planning & Development Committee meeting for approval, and to the March 27, 2023 Council meeting for Council to enact the implementing zoning by-law. 7. Procedural Information 7.1 General • written comments regarding this proposal should be directed to the City Development Department; • oral comments may be made at the Statutory Public Meeting; • all comments received will be noted and used as input to a Recommendation Report prepared by the City Development Department for a subsequent meeting of Council or a Committee of Council; • any member of the public who wishes to reserve the option to appeal Council’s decision must provide comments to the City before Council adopts any by-law for this proposal; and • any member of the public who wishes to be notified of Council’s decision regarding this proposal must request such in writing to the City Clerk. Information Report 01-23 Page 4 8. Owner/Applicant Information The City is the current owner of the property and the applicant. Attachments: 1. Location Map 2. Air Photo Map 3. Submitted Site Plan Prepared By: Original Signed By Isabel Lima Planner II Original Signed By Nilesh Surti, MCIP, RPP Manager, Development Review & Urban Design Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By Catherine Rose, MCIP, RPP Chief Planner IL:ld Date of Report: January 20, 2023 Attachment #1 to Information Report 01-23 Dersan Street Ti l l i n g s R o a d Bruny Avenue Winville Road Edgecroft Drive Elmsley Drive Scenic Lane Drive Palmer's Sawmill Road 1:4,000 SCALE: © The Corporation of the City of Pickering Produced (in part) under license from: © Queens Printer, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.;© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Department of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.; © Teranet Enterprises Inc. and its suppliers all rights reserved.; © Municipal Property Assessment Corporation and its suppliers all rights reserved.; City DevelopmentDepartment Location MapFile:Applicant:Municipal Address: A 10/22 THIS IS NOT A PLAN OF SURVEY. Date: Jan. 11, 2023 City of Pickering2570 Tillings Road SubjectLands L:\PLANNING\01-MapFiles\A\2022\A 10-22 City of Pickering\A10_22_LocationMap.mxd Future School Site Open Space Lands Future Park Attachment #2 to Information Report 01-23 Dersan Street Ti l l i n g s R o a d Bruny Avenue Winville Road Edgecroft Drive Elmsley Drive Scenic Lane Drive Palmer's Sawmill Road Te a k M e w s Air Photo MapFile:Applicant:Municipal Address:Date: Jan. 11, 2023 L:\PLANNING\01-MapFiles\A\2022\A 10-22 City of Pickering\A10_22_AirPhoto.mxd 1:4,000 SCALE:THIS IS NOT A PLAN OF SURVEY. © The Corporation of the City of Pickering Produced (in part) under license from: © Queens Printer, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.; © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Departmentof Natural Resources. All rights reserved.; © Teranet Enterprises Inc. and its suppliers. All rights reserved.; © Municipal PropertyAssessment Corporation and its suppliers. All rights reserved. City DevelopmentDepartment SubjectLands Future School Site Open Space Lands Future Park A 10/22City of Pickering2570 Tillings Road Attachment #3 to Information Report 01-23 L:\Planning\01-MapFiles\A\2022 January 13, 2023DATE: Applicant: Municipal Address: File No: Submitted Site Plan FULL SCALE COPIES OF THIS PLAN ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AT THE CITY OF PICKERING CITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. City Development Department A 10/22 2570 Tillings Road City of Pickering