Final Report - Application to Amend the Etobicoke Zoning Code Princess Garden Management, 1137-1141 Royal York Road File No
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CITY CLERK Clause embodied in Report No. 2 of the Etobicoke Community Council, as adopted by the Council of the City of Toronto at its meeting held on April 14, 15 and 16, 2003. 11 Final Report - Application to Amend the Etobicoke Zoning Code Princess Garden Management, 1137-1141 Royal York Road File No. TA ZBL 2001 0002 (Ward 4 - Etobicoke Centre) (City Council on April 14, 15 and 16, 2003, amended this Clause by striking out the recommendation of the Etobicoke Community Council and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “It is recommended that Council adopt the following Motion: “WHEREAS City staff recommended that the application be approved with either a 17-storey height limit stepping down to 11 storeys, or a 14-storey height limit stepping down to 10 storeys (Option ‘C’); and WHEREAS Etobicoke Community Council approved the application with the building footprint shown as Option ‘C’, but with a 10-storey height limit; and WHEREAS the proposal for a 14-storey building, stepping down to a height of 10 storeys shown as Option ‘C’ is an appropriate use of the land; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council adopt the recommendations embodied in the staff report dated February 24, 2003, from the Director, Community Planning, West District, to approve the development of a 14-storey building, stepping down to 10 storeys, using the footprint shown as Option ‘C’, subject to the following: (a) that all greenspace on the site be accessible to the residents of both the existing building and the new building; (b) before introducing the necessary Bills in Council for enactment, the City Solicitor shall be satisfied that the owner has provided a Letter of Understanding confirming the provision to the tenants of window coverings, and that there will be no flow through rent increases; and (c) before introducing the necessary Bills in Council for enactment, the Owner shall be required to enter into an agreement with the City of Toronto, respecting transportation improvements on Royal York Road and Royal York Court, a sidewalk on Royal York Court, and any other services deemed necessary by the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services; Toronto City Council 2 Etobicoke Community Council April 14, 15 and 16, 2003 Report No. 2, Clause No. 11 AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the following reports be received: (i) (December 18, 2002) from the Director, Community Planning, West District; (ii) (February 11, 2003) from the Director, Transportation Services, District 2; and (iii) (April 8, 2003) from the Commissioner of Urban Development Services.”) The Etobicoke Community Council recommends that: (1) Option ‘C’, appended to the report dated February 24, 2003, from the Director, Community Planning, West District, be approved, with a maximum height of 10 storeys; (2) all greenspace on site be accessible to the residents of both the existing building and the new building; and (3) the reports dated December 18, 2002, from the Director, Community Planning, West District, and February 11, 2003, from the Director, Transportation Services, District 2, be received. The Etobicoke Community Council reports, for the information of Council, having requested the Director, Community Planning, West District, to submit a report directly to Council, for consideration with this matter, on technical amendments and conditions to give effect to Recommendations Nos. 1 and 2 above. The Etobicoke Community Council held a continuation of the statutory Public Meeting commenced on January 21, 2003. The Etobicoke Community Council submits the following report (February 24, 2003) from the Director, Community Planning, West District: Purpose: The purpose of this report is to discuss further refinements to the draft bill and responds to Community Council’s request to examine the impact of reducing the height of the proposed building to 10 or 14 storeys. Financial Implications and Impact Statement: There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of this report. Toronto City Council 3 Etobicoke Community Council April 14, 15 and 16, 2003 Report No. 2, Clause No. 11 Recommendations: It is recommended that City Council: (1) request the Director of Community Planning, West District to finalize amendments to the Zoning Code for the former City of Etobicoke that either enacts the recommendations of the December 18, 2002 staff report, or enables Option C as attached to this report, if Council determines that a lower building height is desirable; (2) before introducing the necessary Bill to City Council for enactment, require the owner to enter into an agreement with the City respecting transportation improvements on Royal York Road and Royal York Court, a sidewalk on Royal York Court, and any other services deemed necessary by Works and Emergency Services; and (3) before introducing the necessary Bill to City Council for enactment, require the owner to enter into an agreement with the tenants with respect to window coverings, use of new amenity space, use of the internal open space area, and rent increases. Background: At its meeting of January 21, 2003, Etobicoke Community Council had two reports before it regarding the Final Rezoning Report for 1137-1141 Royal York Road. The first, dated December 18, 2002, recommended that a by-law be approved for the addition of a 17-storey apartment building on a site occupied by a 10-storey apartment building, a Section 37 agreement be enacted and agreements entered into prior to the enactment of the bill. The second, dated January 17, 2003, advised that the bill required changes before being enacted and the Director of Community Planning West District would report further on this during the April 2, 2003 Community Council Meeting. Etobicoke Community Council required the continuation of the Public Meeting on March 3, 2003, and requested the Director of Community Planning, West District, to submit a report on further refinement of the draft bill and the impact of reducing the height of the proposed building to 10 or 14 storeys. Toronto City Council 4 Etobicoke Community Council April 14, 15 and 16, 2003 Report No. 2, Clause No. 11 Comments: (1) 10 and 14-Storey Options The applicant prepared five 10 and 14-storey options attached to this report as Attachments Nos. 1-10 (Site Plans SP-A to SP-E and Elevations Options A-E), with the same number of units as the proposal described in earlier reports, to demonstrate the impacts on the site and surrounding area. SP-A and Option A show the current proposal at 19-storeys. The December 18, 2003 report recommended a reduction to17-storeys. This option has the smallest foot print and the most landscaped open space. SP-B and Option B show a 10-storey slab building that removes much of the central open space currently occupied by mature landscaping and a significant grove of trees that are important to the tenants in the existing rental building. The other three site plan and elevation options (C, D and E) show 14-storey options with varying degrees of encroachment into the central green space and successive widening of the 10-storey portion of the building immediately adjacent to Royal York Road. This presents a more prominent façade to Royal York but starts to impact views from the existing building to the southwest. The applicant has indicated that SP-A and Option A, the current proposal, is his preferred option. City staff have reviewed the various options and determined that each has a different impact on the site and the existing apartment building. The planning and design principles used when reviewing the current proposal are as follows: (a) save as much of the mature vegetation and green space as possible; (b) place the proposed building away from the existing rental building to reduce shadow impact and pedestrian level wind impact; (c) preserve view corridors from the existing building to the west and south; and (d) reduce the height to minimize view, shadow and wind impacts. The new options vary in how they compare to the current option, but at least one of the principles described above is made worse in each case: (i) Option B takes away the central green space but will be only 10 storeys; (ii) Option C reduces the maximum height to 14 storeys, but blocks southerly views from some units in the existing apartment and encroaches into the central green space; (iii) Option D reduces the maximum height to 14 storeys, but widens the 10 storey portion along Royal York Road and starts to block views from the existing apartment to the west and is also blocking some views to the south; and Toronto City Council 5 Etobicoke Community Council April 14, 15 and 16, 2003 Report No. 2, Clause No. 11 (iv) Option E reduces the maximum height to 14 storeys, but widens the Royal York frontage further and increases the views blocked to the west. Of the options that reduce the building height to 14 storeys, staff prefer Option “C”, which has a minimal impact on the internal green space area, while retaining the same building footprint on Royal York Road as the original proposal. (2) Apartment Neighbourhood at Anglesey Boulevard and the Kingsway At the January 21, 2003 Public Meeting, a deputant asked if the approval of the current proposal would set a precedent for the High Density Residential Area at Anglesey Boulevard and the Kingsway. Both the Etobicoke Official Plan and the new Toronto Official Plan set out criteria for intensification of existing apartment sites that must be followed. The Etobicoke Official Plan criteria include: proximity to retail facilities or other high density designations; adequacy of local social and educational services; proximity to collector roads and level of accessibility; the suitability of the site to accommodate the proposed density; on-site parking, landscaping and recreational facilities; the desire to provide a range of dwelling types and building heights; the effect of increased traffic; no adverse impacts in terms of overshadowing or loss of amenity; the relationship to nearby lower density residential uses; and proximity to significant open space.