OSSINGTON AVENUE AREA STUDY COMMENTARY
AND
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue PLANNING OPINION
TORONTO'S GROWTH IMPERATIVE
The City of Toronto is forecast to have approximately 3.08 million residents by 2031 – representing a growth in population of approximately 500,000 over the next 20 years. [AVENUES & MID-RISE BUILDINGS STUDY: Introduction]
Toronto labelled its 21st century urban ambition, its Official Plan, an Intensification Strategy... – Intensification is about increasing magnitudes.
Meanwhile, cities around the globe labelled their comparable efforts as Consolidation Strategies... – Consolidation is about how things fit together.
Toronto launched its Official Plan without an accompanying Zoning By-law – an implement intended to inform development with articulating metrics. As a result, the existing in-force Zoning was dismissed as archaic, though little or no change was anticipated throughout the majority of the city... – “the planned context typically reinforces the existing context”. [OP: 3.1.2 BUILT FORM]
The development industry embraced intensification as an invitation to open the bidding. The notion of an intensification imperative arose, manifest in spiralling and spreading height and density increases... – in effect: urban sprawl.
* A perfect storm had arisen, fuelled by intensification without metrics, amplified by assertions of a growth imperative, resulting in proposals such as the 103-111 Ossington Avenue proposal...begging the question of veracity, as to whether this is a fitting solution.
||| OSSINGTON AVENUE IS NOT AN AVENUE, NOT AN AREA TARGETED FOR GROWTH
Policy 2. Growth will be directed to the Centres, Avenues, Employment Districts and the Downtown [OP: 2.2 STRUCTURING GROWTH IN THE CITY]
Avenues are expected to deliver 50% of Toronto's growth. [AVENUES & MID-RISE BUILDINGS STUDY: Introduction]
*** Ossington Avenue is not designated an Avenue.
There is no doubt, Toronto will meet its intensification target within the prescribed interval, without resorting to any extraordinary efforts.
– One has only to traverse the Bloor-Danforth Avenues structure with its existing subway backbone, to appreciate the vast capacity of Avenues to accommodate intensification.
– Another example is the Yonge and Eglinton Growth Centre, where a spiralling spread of tall buildings is now projected to increase the area's population by 20,000 in 20 years.
*** There is no need for Ossington Avenue to serve any intensification requirement. Furthermore, Ossington Avenue is only a small narrow strip of less than 1000m of Mixed Use frontages.
– Even if Ossington Avenue were required to intensification... the effort would be for nought.
– Even if in the impossible event that all of Ossington Avenue were intensified to the extent of 103-111 Ossington Avenue, the resultant population increase would deliver only 0.5% of Toronto's overall objective.
– A more realistic projection, based on possible-potential growth, is a figure of less than 0.1%.
Hardly worth the imposition! Ossington Avenue's intensification is simply for profit.
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THE AVENUES AND MID-RISE BUILDING STUDY DOES NOT APPLY TO OSSINGTON AVENUE
The recommendations of the Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study are intended only to be applied to: “segments of the Avenues that are designated in the Official Plan as Mixed-Use Areas, Employment Areas, Institutional Areas and Regeneration Areas...” [AVENUES & MID-RISE BUILDINGS STUDY: 2.1 Where the Recommendations Apply]
The Avenues and Mid-Rise Building Study, (hereon referred to as the 'Avenues Guideline'), clearly states in its Introduction: that it is only intended to be applied to Mixed-Use Areas within Avenues.
*** It is inappropriate to apply the Avenues Guideline to the design and to the planning justification of 103-111 Ossington Avenue. Simply put: the Avenues Guideline should be dismissed from the assessment of this proposal.
Unfortunately, at this time there is no equivalent Non-Avenue and/or Low-Rise Building Study that might inform development initiatives. There is no good reason, even in the absence of an appropriate set of guidelines, to take up 'a wrong-set of planning measures'.
The inappropriateness of borrowing guidelines, and applying them where they are not intended is evident in the evolution of Toronto's Tall Building Guidelines.
– A set of Tall Building Guidelines was adopted in 2006, whose preparation had focused on the North York 'new city' urban context noted for its large areas, virtual greenfields.
– The 2006 Guidelines were applied to tall building in other contexts including the downtown with its 'old city' urban context noted for its fine grain established road network and streetwall built form. It was apparent that the Guidelines were not transferable, being inadequate and inappropriate.
– This resulted in the production of the Downtown Tall Buildings Design Guidelines, adopted in July 2012.
– It was realised the Downtown measures were not universally applicable, to for instance the Yonge Eglinton Growth Centre with its 'middle city' urban context noted for its long neighbourhood streetscapes with residential setbacks, requiring different solutions.
– As a result, Council requested the development of a City-wide Tall Building Design Guideline. This initiative is currently in progress.
This explanation clearly demonstrates that planning measures need to fit-the-purpose.
*** It would be better to declare 103-111 Ossington Avenue premature. No doubt this would kindle the production of an appropriate planning guideline, Ahem!
||| OSSINGTON'S ROOTS
Policy 10. Lost historical sites should be commemorated whenever a new private development or public work is undertaken in the vicinity... [OP: 3.1.5 HERITAGE RESOURCES]
It would be remiss to neglect Ossington Avenue's remarkable history.
– It is one of Toronto's oldest streets, prominently noted on maps dating back 200 years.
– What later became known as Ossington Avenue was once an integral part of the Dundas Road, the signal-road connecting to destinations-west in Upper Canada.
– At first it was a 'desire-path' tracing a native route circumventing the Humber Valley impasse, later it adapted to the grid, granted with a still evident twist.
– By 1850 Ossington Avenue had tributary streets and building clusters at Queen Street, and along the west side at Argyle Street, and again at Foxley Place.
– By 1900 Dundas Street no longer bend south to join Queen Street, but instead crossed the Garrison Creek. By 1915 it was a principal streetcar route in Toronto's matrix. As transit ridership bypassed, so began Ossington Avenue's decline in stature.
– Its significance lingered into the mid-1900's as evident in the 1945 transit plan for an underground tramway, a subway, along Queen Street surfacing at Ossington Avenue. (Remarkably similar to today's Eglinton LRT, streetcars surfaced at Ossington Avenue to run above ground west along BOTH Queen Street and Dundas Street.)
– Ever since, Ossington Avenue has been a local affair, with its Mixed-Use designation more a reflection of its prior enterprise.
– The inclusion of light industrial uses was both a reflection of Ossington Avenue's roots, and likewise to conveniently augmenting the locality's diminished prominence.
In conclusion... Ossington Avenue's heritage should be “commemorated whenever a new private development or public work is undertaken in the vicinity”. It would reinforce the locality's raison d'être as a unique city-wide destination.
(further historical information appended)
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue does not commemorate the locality's history.
||| CONTEXTS
The existing context of any given area refers to what is there now. The planned context refers to what is intended in the future. [OP: 3.1.2 BUILT FORM; Sidebar 3-7]
STUDY AREA EXISTING CONTEXT
Ossington Avenue is a fading Mixed Use Area in need of consolidation rather than intensification.
Ossington Avenue is best understood viewed from its mid-point at the Argyle Street intersection.
– From this vantage the locality displays the characteristics of a traditional village encompassed by residential developments, progressively more extensive and orderly in the broader circumference.
– Ossington Avenue proper has the features of a traditional village core... a main street comprised of retail establishments, workplace enterprises and residual residential components.
– The village's configuration carries through into its scale, being principally composed of two and three storey structures.
– Along with industrial structures, there are purpose-built retail shops with residences on top. These are intermixed with house-form structures, most of which accommodate retail at grade.
– In close proximity to Ossington Avenue is its traditional frame area, consisting of lanes and streets supporting an eclectic mixture of residential, commercial and community facilities of varying vintages, including two junior schools, with further east the expanse of Trinity Bellwoods Park.
– The framework of lanes is predominantly under-sized, reflective of their early establishment, particularly in the southeast and northwest sectors which are vestiges of mid-19th century village decisions.
– Whereas a typical village main street would taper away into residential and industrial precincts, Ossington Avenue's main street abruptly intersects Queen Street and Dundas Street with their pronounced change ups into significant thoroughfares.
– Queen and Dundas Streets are Avenues, being overwritten by intensification.
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue does not “fit”, “respect” nor “improve” its existing context. THE PLANNED CONTEXT
“the planned context typically reinforces the existing context” [OP: 3.1.2 BUILT FORM]
Ossington Avenue's planned context is the continuation of its Mixed-Use, intended to encourage a broad array of commercial, residential and institutional uses, in single use and/or mixed use buildings. Any intensification that is proposed is to be compatible with the adjacent Neighbourhoods, providing a gradual transition in scale and density.
“Not all Mixed Use Areas will experience the same scale or intensity of development”. [OP: 4.5 MIXED USE AREAS; Preamble]
The Mixed-Use designation does not establish the magnitude of development. These measures are embodied in the Zoning By-law's provisions for height and density etc.
– The property is zoned CR T2.5 C2.0 R1.5; H14.
– This permits development to a maximum of 2.5-times GFA, in a mixture of commercial/(light industrial) not exceeding 2.0-times GFA, and residential not exceeding 1.5-times GFA;
– The variable mix allows latitude for market, tenancy and other considerations.
– The maximum permitted height of 14m.
– The combination of the aggregate density of 2.5-times GFA in concert with the 14m height again provides additional latitude in a building's configuration.
– Building solutions may range from a ground-hugging two and a half storey massing, to a vertical proposition with four storeys covering 2/3 of the site, other variations between.
– Together these measures provide a planning construct not unlike a brandy glass, where the contents are never intended to extend to the brim.
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue does not “fit”, “respect” nor “improve” its planned context.
||| THE EMERGING CONTEXT
Besides regard for the existing and a planned context, consideration is required to an emerging context. It is readily apparent that Ossington Avenue is in a state of flux, where change beyond the existing planning framework is immanent. There is no disagreement that Ossington Avenue will experience significant change. The extent, magnitudes and character of this new future remains to be determined.
– On the one hand development ambitions, as evident in 41 Ossington Avenue's construction and the 103-111 Ossington Avenue's proposal, are seeking increased magnitudes of mass and density.
– On the other hand, the community is seeking improvement to Ossington Avenue's purpose comprised of with a high-order mix of uses encourage arts, entertainment, recreation, leisure facilities and improve the offering of neighbourhood services... all within minimum change to the streetscape's built form massing and density provisions.
– In turn, Planning has responded to these competing interests, commencing an Area Study intent upon establishing an up to date comprehensive planning framework to channel development to deliver an agreed beneficial outcome.
CHANGE AGENTS
Improvement and change will be brought about by three distinct development agents with different methodologies of practice: 1) renovators adapting existing structures, 2) infill builders, and 3) large scale developers. Each agent has its own characteristics, differing capabilities in approaching the work, and produce different results. All three have their roles to play in unfurling Ossington Avenue's future. They are the tools to be applied in a determined mixture identified as achieving the most appropriate future outcome. Identifying where each can be advantageously applied is fundamental to a comprehensive planning framework.
RENOVATION is most immediate agent, applicable to the broadest spectrum of properties, creating small but broad reaching changes and improvements, as well as full-on regeneration of buildings intended to maintain historical and character structures. As a general observation, the west side of Ossington Avenue will experience more renovations than the east side, with the greatest frequency in the mid and southern segments. Renovation work lacks the economies of new construction, however it can go where, and perform work, that new builders cannot approach. There is the added benefit in leasing, avoiding the imposition of new-built property tax increases which amount to some $10/SF per annum. A price sensitive consideration affecting the tenant mix, and so the overarching retail structure. Storefront improvement programs offering small loans have been used effectively to bring about main streets upgrades in other municipalities. – 1/3, to maybe 2/3, of all frontages may be improved in this fashion over 20-years. Some of this work will be be overwritten by later new construction.
INFILL BUILDING is undertaken by a diversity of firms. Small scale buildings provides economies, and deliver a new building typology replacing existing structures. Infill can be undertaken on small sites where building replacement is desirable and it can also fill in gaps in the streetscape continuum. The northern portion of Ossington Avenue is more likely to experience infill, and there is considerable overlap with renovations. However infill solutions are often precluded by parking provisions, as below grade parking is problematic on small sites. If planning tools can be established offering consolidative strategies where parking demands can be deferred until additional increments are built alongside, substantial infill work can be unlocked.
– 1/4, to maybe 1/2, of all frontages may be developed in this fashion over 20-years.
LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT is undertaken by a small group of players, who produce significant results in a cost effective, systematic fashion, requiring substantial site sizes free of constraints, and resulting in large scale propositions. Larger sites allow for the unlocking of below grade parking resulting in the familiar condo offering. The preponderance of historic undersized rear lanes throughout Ossington Avenue constrains large scale developments, as back-of-house loading and parking operations require full scaled lanes. A dozen sites were tentatively identified, sprinkled throughout the area, capable of accommodating work of this nature. However this number needs to be discounted by assembly issues such as fragmented ownerships, amongst other issues. Developers generally utilise high order planning approvals to unlock development approvals. – 1/8, to maybe 1/4, of all frontages may be developed in this fashion over 20-years.
DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY The degree to which each of these development agents is able to engage in Ossington Avenue's future development affects the overall outcome. A robust renovation program can restore buildings and the vibrance of the streetscape. Small sized developments can repair break downs in the street's continuum. However, if small scale incremental changes are obstructed by overly restrictive planning, then improvements will tend to stall... leading tomore assemblies suited to large development initiatives. The existence of the Avenues and Mid-Rise Building Study Guideline – in the absence of any equivalent Low- Rise Guideline – skews development thinking towards the larger building typology.
– 1/3, maybe 1/2, of all frontages will remain unchanged over a 20-year interval.
Having assessed what each of these change agents can deliver over time, the existing 3-storey streetwall massing remains the predominant interlacing feature that will last throughout Ossington Avenue's evolution. Infill and large scale developments can attain an appropriate fit by maintaining, reinforcing, this 3-storey 'strake'. Where further height occurs it should be swept back, and stepped back, reducing its visibility from the street perspective.
Similar measures have been effectively developed for Queen Street East. *** In 20 years time, developments like103-111 Ossington Avenue could only occupy 1/8, to possibly 1/4 of Ossington Avenue's streetscape. The remaining 3/4 to 7/8 will be smaller structures, of which between 1/3 to 1/2 will be comprised of building existing today. As such, 103-111 Ossington Avenue and buildings like it, need to be scaled down in order to “fit”, “respect” and “improve” – to belong within Ossington Avenue's future context.
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STABILITY
“By focusing most new residential development in the Centres, along the Avenues, and in other strategic locations, we can preserve the shape and feel of our neighbourhoods. However, these neighbourhoods will not stay frozen in time.” [OP: 2.3 STABLE BUT NOT STATIC; 2.3.1 HEALTHY NEIGHBOURHOODS]
In order to achieve the Official Plan's overarching vision of city with a “healthy future” it is important to establish appropriate protocols and algorithms that may to be applied.
BAU (Build As Usual) is effectively a spot-market approach where development is considered as the industry deems advantageous, involving minimal planning direction of an informative, beneficial nature. Experience with this approach has been mixed.
A GUIDED APPROACH can be effective in articulating comprehensive beneficial outcomes, providing models of desired development solutions in advance, composed of a vocabulary of component parts that have been subjected to study. Guidelines need to well circulated in advance to inform development, whilst their decision making remains in a state of flux prior to becoming crystalline in the form of hardline drawings, and hence planning resistant.
*** By relegating intensification to designated area's, the majority of Toronto can be maintained in a stable condition respecting the city's scale and character. Some change and adjustments will still occur within these stable areas. 103-111 Ossington Avenue resides within a stable area and should be scale accordingly.
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BUILT FORM
Most of Toronto is already built with at least one generation of buildings. For the most part, future development will be built on infill and redevelopment sites and will need to fit in, respecting and improving the character of the surrounding area. [OP: 3.1.2 BUILT FORM; Preamble] Below are the three tests of a new development's “fit”, “respect” and “improvement” of its surroundings including adjacent buildings, those facing across the street, and the rhyme and rhythm of the streetscape continuum as a whole.
1. Is the development satisfactory for its immediate existing context upon its completion?
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue introduces a new composition of large scale mass, of a distinctly different articulation with a cavalier 'look at me' attitude ignoring the existing verse of grain and character – presumptive of it's surroundings being insignificant and intended to be replaced.
2. Is its configuration supportive of further developments emerging in incremental stages? Any change to the north will be of a small-build or renovation nature, to the south there is the possibility of a range from ongoing renovations to assembly for a large-build site. The across street frontage is constrained by a multiplicity of small lots, restricted lane size(s), close- proximity residential, and historical considerations – one portion 'possibly' capable of a large- site solution some distance into the future. Overall, the west side of Ossington will continue to have a three storey facade strake, which all new developments need to respect in order to maintain their 'fit' in the emerging composition.
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue fails to demonstrate in its scale and massing the capacity to establish a “fit” within the streetscape in concert with one or two other similar developments.
3. Is this development sustainable? maintaining relevance to aggregated change over time? As few sites throughout the extent of Ossington Avenue have large-build capability, and small- build solutions have inherent parking restraints limiting their magnitudes, the overall streetscape in the long term will be primarily a three storey nature.
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue has twice the number of floors, causing it to stand out as a citadel standing above in contradiction to the streetscape's continuum. It's height needs to be de-emphasized, either reducing its height or significantly diminishing its view from the street.
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RETAIL STRUCTURE
Policy 2. Traditional retail shopping streets will be improved as centres of community activity by: a) encouraging quality development of a type, density and form that is compatible with the character of the area and with adjacent uses. [3.5.3 THE FUTURE OF RETAILING]
Whereas Ossington Avenue may be characterised as a location-of-last-resort, lacking on-street transit and off-street parking – in truth it represents a rich aggregation of readily accessible just-around-the- corner, off-high-street shops and services.
South of Queen Street a substantial downtown-lifestyle community is emerging, representing significant foot traffic within a critical walking distance to be channelled. It involves leveraging Ossington Avenue's extensive retail floor plate and likewise absorbing destabilised retailers precipitating from intensification activity along the adjoining Avenues.
– Ossington Avenue is a 575m long retail continuum stretching between two Avenues.
– Queen Street and Dundas Street are vehicular thoroughfares with streetcar services.
– At Ossington Avenue's mid-point, Argyle is within 300m both north and south.
– Ossington Avenue is comprised of two continuous, predominantly activated retail edges.
– The continuum is backfilled with alternate uses.
– it is broken in one segment by a housing complex south of Halton Street.
– Ossington Avenue's retail properties are consistently shallow.
– It is highly unlikely that a big-box or mini-major could intrude into the mix.
– Off-street parking is minimal, which is a deterrent to a full array of retail offerings.
– The preexisting retail floor plate is a key asset, offering a diversity of sizes and conditions.
– An attractive incentive is older spaces free from $10/ft per annum business tax.
– The breadth of permissible uses provides alternative tenancies, reducing vacancy gaps.
– Ossington Avenue's retail characteristics enable it to accommodate emerging trends.
– A lack of retail orchestration has resulted in the past in problematic conditions: Once, a preponderance of automotive uses; Later, involving opportunistic entertainment clubs.
RETAIL STRUCTURE PLAN Ossington Avenue has the capability to be an arts-entertainment- restaurant-leisure-recreational oriented destination. It requires:
– Providing a legible and conducive public realm experience.
– Promoting uninterrupted activated edges.
– Aggregate a diversity of retail sectors.
– Focus on low-car oriented tenancies to overcome parking limitations.
– Maintain a breadth of shop sizes to provide a diversity of tenancies *** 103-111 Ossington Avenue's principal floor is configured as simple retail space and its purpose is left to the vagaries of later determination, whereas in being new built it has the opportunity to deliver the most contemporary and “quality” of space of a “type, density and form” that reinforces and improves Ossington Avenue's Retail Structure. A reasonable request from a building that request additional height and density. Possibilities include double height portions for alternative tenancies or mezzanines, which may be a simple as incorporating knock out floors into the structure.
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SCALE AND RELATIONSHIP
Policy 2. In Mixed Use Areas development will:
c) locate and mass new buildings to provide a transition between areas of different development intensity and scale...... particularly towards lower scale Neighbourhoods;
d) locate and mass new buildings so as to adequately limit shadow impacts on adjacent Neighbourhoods, particularly during the spring and fall equinoxes;
As regards non-residential transitions, Ossington Avenue is bracketed by designated Avenues, namely: Queen Street and Dundas Street, where intensification is slated to occur. The transition line between Avenues scale development and structures along Ossington Avenue should pivot upon the street they address and then conforms to the notion of the scale wrapping around from the primary frontage to the subordinate frontage. This places the Avenues transition lines within the extent of Ossington Avenue, at which points there should be a legible acknowledgement of transition, with a step down to the three storey streetwall facade that is to carry throughout the length of Ossington Avenue.
As regards residential transitions Ossington Avenue is a narrow north-south Mixed-Use strip, sandwiched within a house-form Neighbourhood including of note: lane oriented and narrow-street oriented housing, arising from the locality's history of early development. These unique housing conditions are of particular concern in establishing appropriate transitions. There are existing examples of transition within the locality providing appropriate references.
*** As regards 103-111 Ossington Avenue's shadowing, RAW's shadow diagrams are difficult to trust, as the line work indicates misconceptions about the principles of light, which may obscure deeper errors. There are concerns about the shadowing of residential properties on the west side of Argyle place. The shadow analysis draws comparisons between the proposed shadow patterns and assumed as-of-right shadows, implying there is no appreciable difference. However, this is not a fair comparison as it involves a planning fiction, namely that a four storey development contained within the height limitation will not require an equivalent loading facility. Allowing for the loading facility, there is substantially more shadow associated with the six storey proposal that impacts houses fronting on Argyle Street, on the east side of Argyle Place.
A further shadow concern is the summertime impact upon the back yards of houses fronting along Givins Street at supper time when outdoor BBQing is in season. Granted, this condition is not within the confines of the equinox test. However summer shadow conditions have been applied in other development assessments, in particular the Minto towers at Yonge Eglinton, resulting in the substantial reduction of the south tower – to relieve summertime shadow impacts on the backyards of houses along Soudan Avenue during super time.
e) locate and mass new buildings to frame the edges of streets and parks with good proportion... [OP: 4.5 MIXED USE AREAS; Policies]
Throughout the length of Ossington Avenue the predominate, unifying characteristic is, and will continue to be, the streetscape' three storey streetwall. New develop is to “fit”, “respect” and “improve” this characteristic. Height above this strake is to diminutive and discrete rather than pronounced. The storefronts immediately to the north have a combine frontage of some 15m, limiting its options to renovations and possibly a small-build proposition. *** 103-111 Ossington Avenue should demonstrate how it again “fits”, “respects”and “improves” this relationship.
Properties to the south extend some 75m through to Bruce Street. Structures vary between one and two stories and includes the house addressed as 40 Argyle Place. Redevelopment interest can be expected. Meanwhile, in the midst (30m south of 103-111 Ossington Avenue) is the House of Horvath cigar factory, a substantial two story factory. It is the pivotal property, determining what may happen and when.
*** The approval of 103-111 Ossington Avenue should be contingent upon providing a knock out into the adjoining property for the extension of underground parking, facilitating flexibility to the south.
The west side of Ossington Avenue is complex and eclectic, predominantly three storey in nature with a one storey portion at the Argyle Street intersection. To anticipating wholesale redevelopment is unlikely proposition at this time, and this condition is likely to exist for some time as an integral part of Ossington Avenue's existing context.
*** 103-111 Ossington Avenue's massing and architectural treatment needs to “fit”, “respect” and “improve” this condition which is immediately adjacent to the focal Argyle Street intersection.
103-111 Ossington Avenue backs on to a vehicular passage of 6m, more or less, called Argyle Place, which has a residential address at 40 Argyle Place. Across the way are the garages of houses fronting on Givins Street, except at the north end – where there are houses facing Argyle Street which bracket the lane. There is a school associated parking lot at the south end. As well as functioning as a typical lane, and being a streetscape for number 40 Argyle Place, this passage serves as a pedestrian and cycle route as well as being a noteworthy neighbourhood feature. New development should fit, respect and improve Argyle Place's condition – and not presume it to be only a utility service lane.
*** The rear of 103-111 Ossington Avenue should “fit”, “respect”, “improve” and activate Argyle Pl.
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