AZUR RESORT & SPA
3596 OLD MONTREAL ROAD TRANSPORTATION IMPACT ASSESSMENT: SCOPING REPORT
NOVEMBER 12, 2019 DRAFT
3596 OLD MONTREAL ROAD TRANSPORTATION IMPACT ASSESSMENT: SCOPING REPORT
AZUR RESORT & SPA
SCOPING REPORT DRAFT
PROJECT NO.: OUR REF. NO. 19M-00516-00 DATE: NOVEMBER 12, 2019
WSP SUITE 300 2611 QUEENSVIEW DRIVE OTTAWA, ON, CANADA K2B 8K2
T: +1 613 829-2800 F: +1 613 829-8299 WSP.COM
TABLE OF 1 SCREENING ...... 1 CONTENTS 2 SCOPING ...... 2 2.1 Screening Form ...... 2 2.2 Description of Proposed Development ...... 2 2.3 Existing Conditions ...... 3 2.4 Planned Conditions ...... 7 2.5 Study Area ...... 7 2.6 Time Periods ...... 8 2.7 Horizon Years ...... 8 2.8 Exemptions Review ...... 9
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TABLES TABLE 1. TRANSPORTATION IMPACT ASSESSMENT (TIA) SCREENING OPTIONS ...... 1 TABLE 2. DESCRIPTION OF INTERSECTION AT OLD MONTREAL ROAD AND REGIONAL ROAD 174 ...... 5 TABLE 3. TOTAL TRIPS AND PERCENTAGE PEAK PERIOD TRAVEL DEMAND BY MODE ...... 6 TABLE 4. PRELIMINARY VEHICLE TRIP GENERATION ESTIMATES ...... 9 TABLE 5. TRIP GENERATION: D02-02-08-0065 (2983 NAVAN ROAD) VS. 3596 OLD MONTREAL ROAD ...... 10
FIGURES FIGURE 1: EXISTING PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING FACILITIES ...... 3 FIGURE 2: ULTIMATE CYCLING NETWORK ...... 4 FIGURE 3. 2019 PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES – AM / (PM) ...... 6 FIGURE 4: STUDY AREA ...... 7 FIGURE 5. HOURLY INTERSECTION VOLUMES AT REGIONAL ROAD 174 AND OLD MONTREAL ROAD (APRIL 2019) ...... 8
APPENDICES A SCREENING FORM B CONCEPT PLAN C TRANS O-D DATA
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1 SCREENING
This Transportation Impact Assessment has been prepared to support the Zoning By-law Amendment Application to amend the zoning for 3596 Old Montreal Road from a Rural Countryside – RU Zone to a Rural Commercial – RC, Subzone 11 (RC11). The intended future use is a proposed thermal spa with a total built area of 2680 m2. The Transportation Impact Assessment follows the City of Ottawa’s Transportation Impact Assessment Guidelines (2017) which includes five steps: 1 Screening 2 Scoping 3 Forecasting 4 Analysis 5 Transportation Impact Assessment Submission The Screening Step determines the need to continue with a Transportation Impact Assessment study. The development is assessed against three triggers: trip generation, location, and safety to identify the next step of the TIA study. If one of more of the triggers is satisfied, the Scoping Step must be completed. If none of the triggers are satisfied, the TIA is complete. If one or more triggers are satisfied, specific TIA components are required to be carried out depending on the combination of triggers (Table 1). The proposed development at 3596 Old Montreal Road had satisfied the trip generation trigger indicating that, as part of the Steps Two through Five of the TIA process, the Design Review and Network Impact components should be addressed. For reference, the completed Screening Form is provided in Appendix A.
Table 1. Transportation Impact Assessment (TIA) Screening Options
TIA TRIGGERS SATISFIED
Next Step of TIA Process Trip Generation Location Safety
Deemed Complete No No No Step Two: Design Review Only No Yes (one or both) Step Two: Design Review and Network Impact Yes Yes / No Yes / No
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2 SCOPING
2.1 Screening Form
The completed Screening Form and Concept Plan (dated September 19, 2019) are provided in Appendix A and Appendix B, respectively.
2.2 Description of Proposed Development
The Zoning By-law Amendment application requests that the property at 3596 Old Montreal Road (the Site) be amended from Rural Countryside – RU Zone to Rural Commercial – RC, Subzone 11, Rural Exception XXXr (RC11[XXXr]). The proposed future use is a thermal spa which will be operated by Azur Resort & Spa and include a total built area of 2680 m2 (1580 m2 ground floor and 1100 m2 first floor). The Site is currently a vacant property in the City of Ottawa, Ontario and is located on the south side of Old Montreal Road, just east of Becketts Creek Road. The existing zoning of Rural Countryside accommodates agricultural, forestry, and country residential lots created by severance and other land uses characteristic of Ottawa’s countryside. The proposed development will consist of indoor and outdoor wellness facilities. The low profile, horizontal green roofs will be integrated into the agricultural and flat grasslands landscape of the region. The proposed buildings would contain pools, changing rooms, an administrative area, a lounge, and massage areas. An auxiliary restaurant, bar, boardroom, and instructional facility (consisting of a yoga studio/classroom), are proposed as well. The building will be hidden by the tree canopy when viewed from Old Montreal Road. The Concept Plan includes 150 vehicle parking spaces, located at the rear of the building. The parking lot includes 3 parking spaces for buses, a loading area (to basement), and a valet and drop-off area in front of the main building entrance (located on the west side of the parking lot). A drop-off loop is used to promote car share and shuttle services. The estimated date of occupancy is 2020 with construction occurring in a single phase. One full movement driveway access will be provided on Old Montreal Road, approximately 400 m east of Becketts Creek Road, as shown in the Concept Plan.
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2.3 Existing Conditions 2.3.1 Roadways and Pedestrian / Cycling Facilities
The Transportation Impact Assessment considers two existing roads, Old Montreal Road and Regional Road 174. These roads are all under the jurisdiction of the City of Ottawa. The road classification for City of Ottawa roadways are defined in the City of Ottawa Official Plan, 2013, Volume 1, Section 7, Annex 1 Road Classification and Rights- of-Way. Descriptions for each roadway can be found below: Old Montreal Road is a rural collector that runs on an east-west alignment along the northern edge of the proposed site. Old Montreal Road includes a single lane of traffic in each direction divided by a painted centreline, unpaved shoulders, and a posted speed limit of 80 km/h near the study area. The Official Plan reserves a 26 metre Right-of- Way in the study area. Regional Road 174 is a village/rural arterial that runs on an east-west alignment in the vicinity of the site. Regional Road 174 includes a single lane of traffic in each direction divided by a painted centreline, paved shoulders, and a posted speed limit of 90 km/h near the study area. The Official Plan reserves a 47.5 metre Right-of-Way in the study area. There are no existing pedestrian or cycling facilities along the boundary streets (Figure 1) and the Cycling Spine Route on Old Montreal Road terminates west of Beckett’s Creek Road (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Existing Pedestrian and Cycling Facilities
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Figure 2: Ultimate Cycling Network
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2.3.2 Intersections
The unsignalized intersection of Old Montreal Road East and Regional Road 174 is located within 1 km of the proposed site development and is described briefly, in the table below.
Table 2. Description of Intersection at Old Montreal Road and Regional Road 174
INTERSECTION DESCRIPTION LANE ARRANGEMENT
Old Montreal Road East and Regional Road 174 is a 3-legged unsignalized intersection with a stop control on Old Montreal Road and free-flow conditions along Regional Road 174. There are no turning restrictions and no pedestrian crossing facilities on any approach. Lane Configurations
2.3.3 Driveways
There are two private residential driveways within 200 m of the proposed access: — 75 m east at 3690 Old Montreal Road — 120 m east at 3702 Old Montreal Road
2.3.4 Transit
OC Transpo provides limited bus service to Cumberland, ON. The nearest bus stop to 3596 Old Montreal Road is approximately 2 km west of the proposed site: - Eastbound/westbound Transit Stop 3695 KINSELLA / OLD MONTREAL on Old Montreal Road (served by Bus Route 221) Bus services are offered on weekdays only during the AM and PM peak periods. There are two westbound buses in the morning and two eastbound buses in the afternoon/evening.
2.3.5 Area Traffic Management Measures
There are no existing area traffic management measures near the proposed vehicle access on Old Montreal Road.
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2.3.6 Peak Hour Travel Demand
The 2019 traffic counts obtained from the City of Ottawa indicate that the peak hourly traffic volume along the property frontage (on Old Montreal Road) is less than 100 vehicles per hour. For reference, the AM (7:00am- 8:00am) and PM (3:45pm-4:45pm) peak hour volumes at the nearby intersection of Old Montreal Road and Regional Road 174 are shown below.
Figure 3. 2019 Peak Hour Traffic Volumes – AM / (PM) The TRANS Committee was established to co-ordinate transportation planning efforts among various planning agencies located within the National Capital Region and maintains a number of traffic related databases. The proposed development is located in the Rural East TRANS District (350). The TRANS O-D Survey results (including a map of the district area) are provided in Appendix C. The most recent Origin-Destination (O-D) Survey was completed by TRANS in the Fall of 2011. The following table summarizes the TRANS trip data for this district. Table 3. Total Trips and Percentage Peak Period Travel Demand by Mode
MODE AM PEAK (6:30AM – 9:00 AM) PM PEAK (3:30PM – 6:00PM) From District To District Within District From District To District Within District Auto Driver 56% 46% 49% 58% 67% 55% Auto Passenger 17% 13% 21% 18% 18% 23% Transit 9% 30% 1% 19% 11% 2% Bicycle - 1% 1% - - 2% Walk - 1% 9% 1% - 9% Other 18% 8% 20% 5% 5% 11% Total 4,490 1,810 820 2,220 4,160 660 Source: TRANS 2011 O-D Survey, District 350 Rural East
The primary mode of transportation for trips undertaken within the district is by vehicle with 70% of all trips being in a vehicle (driver and passenger) during the AM peak period and 78% during the PM peak period. Transit accounts for less than 5% of in-district travel, but accounts for 30% of predominately commuter related traffic in the AM peak period (working outside the district). Active transportation modes (walking and cycling) account for approximately 10 to 11% of trips completed within the district (~150 trips).
2.3.7 Boundary Street Crash History
The recent crash history (2014 to 2018) obtained from the City of Ottawa’s Open Data was reviewed for the boundary streets adjacent to the site. During the past five years, there have been 6 crashes adjacent to the site as follows: - Two crashes on Old Montreal Road between Beckett’s Creek Road and Regional Road 174 - Four crashes at the intersection of Old Montreal Road East and Regional Road 174 No crash patterns can be identified as there were fewer than six collisions during the past five years.
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2.4 Planned Conditions 2.4.1 Changes to Study Area Transportation Network
Ottawa Road 174 Road Project – The City of Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan (2013) identifies a road widening of two to four lanes along Regional Road 174 between Trim Road and the eastern city boundary as part of the 2031 Network Concept. However, this project has not been included in the 2031 Affordable Network. Ottawa Road 174 Cycling Network – The City of Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan (2013) identifies a proposed scenic entry cycling route between Ted Kelly Lane and the eastern city boundary as part of the Cycling Network – Primary Rural (With Scenic Entry Routes) Map.
2.4.2 Other Area Developments
A single development application located within the Study Area is listed in the City of Ottawa’s Development Application Search tool that may be considered to potentially influence our analysis in this Transportation Impact Assessment: - 3400 Old Montreal Road (D07-12-16-0081) – Spiritual Sanctuary with Associated Multi-Faith Place of Worship Building
2.5 Study Area
The limits for the Transportation Impact Assessment study area are shown in Figure 4 and include: — Old Montreal Road between Becketts Creek Road and Regional Road 174 — The one intersection described in Section 2.3.2
Figure 4: Study Area
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2.6 Time Periods
The time period for traffic analysis which may be of interest as part of the Zoning By-law Amendment application process is the Weekday Evening Peak Hour (3:45 pm – 4:45 pm). This represents the peak hour of a weekday with nearly 500 more vehicles entering the nearby intersection of Old Montreal Road and Regional Road 174 than during the morning or afternoon peak hours (Figure 5). The evening peak hour would likely overlap the anticipated weekday business hours of the proposed Spa (9 am – 11 pm); while the morning peak hour would not.
Figure 5. Hourly Intersection Volumes at Regional Road 174 and Old Montreal Road (April 2019)
2.7 Horizon Years
The proposed development is expected to be completed in a single phase with a target occupancy year of 2020. The horizon period which may be of interest as part of the Zoning By-Law Amendment application process is occupancy plus five years or the year 2025.
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2.8 Exemptions Review
The potential for impacts to the transportation network will be highly influenced by the final site concept and the typical daily operational elements associated with the proposed Spa use (opening hours, closing hours, services offered). However, we do not anticipate that the noted Spa operational elements will be developed as part of the Zoning By-law Amendment application in sufficient detail to carry out Steps 3 or 4 of the Transportation Impact.
2.8.1 Exemption Request for Step Three (Forecasting)
The trip generation will be highly influenced by the typical daily operations of the Spa (opening hours, closing hours, services offered). It is however, unlikely that peak hour for the generator will coincide with the peak hour of the roadway traffic. For example, the weekday morning site generated trips will likely not coincide with the AM peak hour (7:00am-8:00am) of the nearby Regional Road 174. Further analysis and assessment of the typical daily operations will require a more refined site concept which we believe is best defined and carried out and prepared as part of a future Application for Site Plan Control. To provide a strong understanding of the future transportation demand, we initiated preliminary trip generation estimates for the proposed development based on a review of development applications for similar proposed developments elsewhere. Comparable Spa Facilities were recently developed in the Town of Whitby and the Transportation Impact Assessment (carried out by others) identified trip generation estimates that were based on data obtained from Le Nordik, located in Chelsea, QC. Based on these empirical trip generation data we have carried out a preliminary review for the proposed Spa located at 3596 Old Montreal Road and the vehicle trip generation estimates are provided below.
Table 4. Preliminary Vehicle Trip Generation Estimates
PEAK ENTERING EXITING TOTAL Weekday Morning 191 26 217 Weekday Evening 70 103 173 Saturday Mid-Day 100 20 120
The background area network travel volumes are anticipated to remain similar to the existing conditions. Currently, Old Montreal Road has a lane capacity of 600 vehicles per hour adjacent to and near the proposed site. There is a peak of 85 vehicles per hour traveling along this section of roadway. Therefore, the addition of 220 vehicles during the morning peak hour volume (two directions) associated with the proposed Spa could be accommodated by Old Montreal Road. Old Montreal Road has sufficient reserve capacity available to accommodate this future growth in vehicle demand. A potential concern, however, may be related to the northbound left turning movement at the intersection of Old Montreal Road / Regional Road 174. As part of the Application for Site Plan Control when more details are expected to be available, a detailed assessment would be carried out to ascertain whether additional mitigating measures may be required to ensure that an acceptable Transportation Level of Service within the Study Area is maintained. An exemption to TIA Step 3, as part of the Zoning By-law Amendment application, is requested based on the existing relatively growth rate in background traffic in the area, the available spare capacity for the area roadway infrastructure, the relatively low existing traffic volume along the boundary street, and the current uncertainty associated with the Spa operational elements at this point in the planning process. It is understood that Step 3 would need to be completed as part of the Site Plan Control application should the Zoning By-law Amendment be approved..
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2.8.2 Exemption Request for Step Four (Analysis)
Precedents exist for excluding Step 4 of a Transportation Impact Assessment as part of a Zoning By-law Amendment application. For example, in June 2018, a TIA was accepted for the proposed commercial development at 2983 Navan Road (D02-02-08-0065). At the Rezoning Application stage, the TIA included an exemption to Step 4 indicating that TIA Step 4 would be prepared as part of the Site Plan Control application. The proposed development at 2983 Navan Road was for a large commercial development which included a grocery store (3,400 m2), general retail (3,000 m2), two sit-down restaurants (500 m2 each), a fast-food restaurant (430 m2) and a gas bar with a car-wash (10 fueling positions). This development is significantly larger than the proposed Spa at 3596 Old Montreal Road. For comparison, the estimated vehicles trips generated by each development and existing boundary road volumes are provided in the following table.
Table 5. Trip Generation: D02-02-08-0065 (2983 Navan Road) vs. 3596 Old Montreal Road
2983 NAVAN ROAD 3596 OLD MONTREAL ROAD Peak Hour New Vehicle Trips Existing Traffic New Vehicle Trips Existing Traffic Generated Volumes Generated Volumes Weekday Morning 175 Navan: 1,050 217 35 Brian Coburn: 740 Weekday Evening 369 Navan: 1,050 173 85 Brian Coburn: 675 Saturday Mid-Day 481 N/A 120 N/A
An exemption to TIA Step 4, as part of the Zoning By-law Amendment application, is requested based on past precedent and the smaller size of the proposed development compared to previous applications that obtained this exemption. It is fully understood and acknowledged that Step 4 would need to be completed as part of the Site Plan Control application assuming that the Zoning By-law Amendment is approved.
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APPENDIX
A SCREENING FORM