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Home My WebLink AboutJuly 30, 2025 - Special Council Special Council Meeting Agenda Electronic Meeting July 30, 2025 - 02:00 PM Chair: Mayor Ashe Please be advised that in accordance with Section 10.04 of the Procedure By-law, the City of Pickering is holding Council and Committee Meetings in an electronic format until further notice. Members of the public may observe the meeting proceedings by viewing the livestream on the HTML Agenda or the archived video available on the City's website. How to Participate Individuals looking to make a verbal delegation for items listed under Section 4 of the agenda may do so in accordance with the City’s Procedure By-law. In lieu of a verbal delegation, individuals may also submit written comments to clerks@pickering.ca. To register as a Delegation, please submit a Delegation Request Form by visiting pickering.ca/meetings. For inquiries related to accessibility, please contact Legislative Services Phone: 905.420.4611 | Email: clerks@pickering.ca Call to Order/Roll Call Disclosure of Interest Delegations Matters for Consideration Memorandum from the Director, City Development & CBO Page 3 Re: Enhanced Minister’s Zoning Order Amendment Request Southbridge Care Homes (Orchard Villa Long-Term Care) 1955 Valley Farm Road Recommendation: 1. 2. 3. 4. 4.1 That the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be advised that the City of Pickering does not support the proposed amendment to Minister’s Zoning Order, Ontario Regulation 125/23, requested by CVH (No. 6) LP (Southbridge Care Homes) for the lands municipally known as 1955 Valley Farm Road, as the requested amendment would result in significant adverse impacts on the existing community related to compatibility, traffic, municipal infrastructure, and parking, which have not been adequately assessed; 1. That the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be further advised that the City of Pickering requests the revocation of Minister’s Zoning Order, Ontario Regulation 125/23, on the basis that CVH (No. 6) LP (Southbridge Care Homes) has not advanced the building permit application for a proposed 15- storey mixed-use retirement facility, which was initially submitted in June 2023 and placed on hold in May 2024, despite the MZO having been approved in June 2023; and, 2. That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and MPP for Pickering – Uxbridge; The Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long- Term Care; Leaders of the Opposition Party; and the Leader of the Third Party. 3. Confirmatory By-law Adjournment 5. 6. Special Council Meeting Agenda July 30, 2025 - 2 - Memo To: Mayor Ashe and July 30, 2025 Members of Council From: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO Copy: Chief Administrative Officer Directors City Clerk Chief Planner Division Head, Development Review & Urban Design Subject: Enhanced Minister’s Zoning Order Amendment Request Southbridge Care Homes (Orchard Villa Long-Term Care) 1955 Valley Farm Road The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information regarding a proposed amendment to the Provincially approved enhanced Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) for the Orchard Villa long-term care facility located at 1955 Valley Farm Road. A. Background On July 10, 2025, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) posted a request by CVH (No. 6) LP (also known as Southbridge Care Homes), the property owner, to amend Minister’s Zoning Order, Ontario Regulation (O. Reg.) 125/23 on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (posting No. 025-0766). On July 11, 2025, City Development staff received an email from MMAH with the same information. According to the information posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO), while there is no legal requirement to post this notice on the ERO, the Ministry is seeking feedback on whether this MZO amendment should be considered, along with any information that could help inform the Minister’s decision. Following the City’s past practice for MZOs, on July 15, 2025 City Development staff advised Ministry staff to submit a formal letter to the attention of the City Clerk, along with the supporting concept plan and any other relevant materials, requesting that Pickering Council consider the proposed amendment through a Council resolution. On July 23, 2025 the City Clerk received an email from Ministry staff informing the City that Southbridge Care Homes (Southbridge) is seeking to amend the enhanced MZO filed as O. Reg. 125/23. The request was posted to the ERO for a 30-day public consultation, which closes on August 9. Also attached to the email was a conceptual plan submitted by the applicant in support of their requested MZO amendment. CAO 51-25 - 3 - July 30, 2025 Page 2 of 4 Enhanced MZO Amendment Request B. Current MZO On June 9, 2023, the MMAH approved MZO O. Reg. 125/23 to permit a multi-phased development, including: x three buildings with a maximum building height of 15 storeys x a long-term care home with a maximum of 832 beds x a nursing home x a retirement home with a maximum of 670 units The enhanced MZO also included: x minimum requirements for landscaped open area and building setbacks x exemptions from vehicular, bicycle and load requirements x removal of site plan control requirements from the subject lands Staff note that, prior to its Provincial approval, a Special Meeting of Council was held on May 1, 2023, to consider the original MZO request by Southbridge Care Homes referenced above. Council unanimously opposed this MZO request. See Attachment 1 for correspondence to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing regarding Council’s resolution. C. Building Permit Status Following the approval of MZO O. Reg. 125/23, Southbridge submitted a building permit application in June 2023 for a 15-storey mixed-use retirement facility with levels dedicated to seniors’ living, long-term care, amenities, and future commercial uses. The initial permit application was incomplete. In May 2024, Southbridge resubmitted the building permit drawings, which were deemed complete. Immediately after resubmitting and paying the permit fees, on May 16, 2024, Southbridge requested that its permit application be put on hold while further modifications to the building location were made and indicated that a new site plan would be provided. On December 23, 2024, the City contacted Southbridge to request a status update on their building permit application, which had been inactive since May 2024. The City had not received any response from the applicant. D. Proposed MZO Amendment Southbridge has requested the Minister to consider an amendment to the existing enhanced MZO to allow: x a long-term care home with no maximum number of beds x a retirement home with no maximum number of units x a nursing home x apartment house dwellings x multiple attached dwellings x accessory uses - 4 - July 30, 2025 Page 3 of 4 Enhanced MZO Amendment Request The amendment would permit up to 13 buildings, including: x one new 15-storey long-term care home of 320 beds x five 6-storey residential buildings x three 35-storey apartment towers x a maximum height in the southwest quadrant of 15 stories and a maximum height of 35 storeys for the rest of the site x other relief from the City of Pickering’s Zoning By-law, including parking, bicycle parking, loading spaces, landscaped open space, setbacks, maximum floorplate sizes and other matters Attachment 2 to this memo is a copy of the conceptual plan submitted by Southbridge in support of their requested amendment. E. Staff Comments The concept plan submitted in support of the proposed MZO amendment includes three 35-storey towers, a 15-storey long-term care facility at the southwest quadrant of the property, and multiple 6-storey residential buildings. The plan also illustrates a new internal private east-west road connecting Duffins Creek Crescent and Valley Farm Road. From a cursory review of the limited information, this proposal represents a significant departure from the surrounding neighbourhood, which is predominantly composed of low-density residential. The proposed building height and density are incompatible with the established built form and are likely to result in adverse impacts, including shadowing, overlook, and loss of privacy for adjacent properties. The concept plan also shows vehicular access to Duffins Creek Crescent, which is a private condominium road. However, no cross-use access agreement has been secured between the applicant and the condominium corporation, which may further adversely impact the existing community. Additionally, the applicant has not submitted any technical studies or supporting documentation to demonstrate that sufficient municipal infrastructure or transportation network capacity is available to support this level of intensification. The removal of site plan control further limits the City’s ability to: x ensure context-sensitive design x undertake appropriate assessment of servicing capacity x secure necessary infrastructure upgrades x collect parkland dedication to support appropriate public outdoor space for future residents It is also important to note that Southbridge submitted a building permit application in June 2023 for a 15-storey retirement residence on the site, but placed it on hold in May 2024, and has shown no indication of proceeding with permit issuance or construction. - 5 - July 30, 2025 Page 4 of 4 Enhanced MZO Amendment Request Conclusion Based on the available information and considering both the insufficient time for a coordinated review by agencies and Council’s previous position on the originally requested MZO from 2023, staff offer the following recommendation for Council’s consideration. 1. That the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be advised that the City of Pickering does not support the proposed amendment to Minister’s Zoning Order, Ontario Regulation 125/23, requested by CVH (No. 6) LP (Southbridge Care Homes) for the lands municipally known as 1955 Valley Farm Road, as the requested amendment would result in significant adverse impacts on the existing community related to compatibility, traffic, municipal infrastructure, and parking, which have not been adequately assessed. 2. That the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be further advised that the City of Pickering requests the revocation of Minister’s Zoning Order, Ontario Regulation 125/23, on the basis that CVH (No. 6) LP (Southbridge Care Homes) has not advanced the building permit application for a proposed 15-storey mixed-use retirement facility, which was initially submitted in June 2023 and placed on hold in May 2024, despite the MZO having been approved in June 2023. 3. And that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and MPP for Pickering – Uxbridge; The Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long- Term Care; Leaders of the Opposition Party; and the Leader of the Third Party. NS/nr Attachments 1. Letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 2. Submitted Conceptual Plan - 6 - Pickering Civic Complex | One The Esplanade | Pickering, Ontario L1V 6K7 T. 905.420.4611 | F. 905.420.9685 | Toll Free 1.866.683.2760 | clerks@pickering.ca | pickering.ca Sent by Email May 3, 2023 The Honourable Steve Clark Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing 777 Bay St. 17th Floor Toronto, ON M7A 2J3 minister.mah@ontario.ca Subject: Minister’s Zoning Order Request - Southbridge Care Homes (Orchard Villa Long-Term Care) - 1955 Valley Farm Road File: A-1400 The Council of The Corporation of the City of Pickering considered the above matter at a Special Meeting held on May 1, 2023 and adopted the following resolution: Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned at 905.420.4660, extension 2019. Yours truly, Susan Cassel City Clerk 1. That the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be advised that the City of Pickering cannot support the consideration of granting a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) at 1955 Valley Farm Road as the families of Orchard Villa Retirement Community and the surrounding neighbourhood have not been adequately consulted, and the impacts of the development with respect to traffic, parking, municipal infrastructure, and compatibility with the existing neighbourhood have not been adequately evaluated; and, 2. That a copy of this resolution be sent to The Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care, MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, all Durham MPPs, Leader of the Opposition Party, and the Leader of the Third Party. Corporate Services Department Legislative Services $WWDFKPHQW - 7 - Re: Minister’s Zoning Order Request May 3, 2023 Page 2 of 2 SC:am Copy: The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Member of Provincial Parliament, Pickering- Uxbridge The Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care Lorne Coe, Member of Provincial Parliament, Whitby Jennifer French, Member of Provincial Parliament, Oshawa Todd McCarthy, Member of Provincial Parliament, Durham Patrice Barnes, Member of Provincial Parliament, Ajax Laurie Scott, Member of Provincial Parliament, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock Marit Stiles, Leader, Official Opposition John Fraser, Interim Leader, Ontario Liberal Party Director, City Development & CBO Chief Administrative Officer - 8 - , +, # !, ",, , ,' ,' $WWDFKPHQW - 9 -