Planning Rationale Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue February 26, 2013 Our Mission Transformation through transportation. Our Vision To leverage the power of transportation and community to create a modern, integrated capital city that is environmentally, socially, economically and culturally sustainable and a desirable place for living, working and visiting. Light rail will shape how we grow our City. Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue Table of Contents 1 Introduction ___________________________________________________________ 4 2 Proposed Development _________________________________________________ 4 3 Purpose of Zoning By-law Amendment Application __________________________ 7 4 Purpose of Street Closing Application _____________________________________ 9 5 Provincial Policy Statement ______________________________________________ 9 6 Official Plan ___________________________________________________________ 9 7 Old Ottawa East Secondary Plan and Community Design Plan ________________ 11 8 Lees Station Transit-Oriented Development Study __________________________ 13 9 Conclusion___________________________________________________________ 14 Page 3 of 14 Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue 1 Introduction This Planning Rationale is intended to support a Zoning By-law Amendment application and a Street Closing application to permit a proposed parking lot with approximately 174 parking spaces at 193 and 200 Lees Avenue. 193 Lees Avenue is a triangular-shaped lot located at the southeast corner of Lees Avenue and Highway 417, as shown in Figure 1. The property is owned by the City of Ottawa and has a lot area of 0.32 ha. The site is used for a drive aisle for the University of Ottawa’s Lees Campus. The site is also traversed with underground municipal services and utilities. 200 Lees Avenue is located south of Highway 417 and Lees Avenue and adjacent to 193 Lees Avenue. The site is used for the University of Ottawa’s Lees Campus including institutional buildings and an open air stadium. The property is owned by the University of Ottawa and has a lot area of 6.07 ha. The site contains approximately 108 parking spaces. An existing driveway provides vehicular access to the site from a signalized intersection at Lees Avenue. The surrounding land uses are as follows: North: Highway 417 and Lees Avenue East: Rideau River with a pedestrian/cycling bridge located immediately east of 200 Lees Avenue South: Rideau River West: Transitway and Lees Avenue with the Lees Rapid Transit Station and high-rise residential uses located further to the west 2 Proposed Development The City is proposing to construct a parking lot with approximately 174 parking spaces at 193 Lees Avenue and part of 200 Lees Avenue. The proposed development includes the realignment of an existing east-west drive aisle, the provision of pedestrian and cycling facilities, and landscape planting. The new parking lot will replace 19 existing parking spaces, and will result in the net addition of 155 parking spaces. A concept plan showing the proposed parking lot location and general configuration is provided in Figure 2. One of the construction staging areas required for the construction of the Downtown tunnel for the Confederation Line Light Rail Transit project is located on part of Parking Lot K at Page 4 of 14 Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue Figure 1. Location Map. Page 5 of 14 Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue Figure 2. Concept Plan. Page 6 of 14 Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue the University of Ottawa’s Main Campus. This site is being provided to the Confederation Line’s design-build-finance-maintain contractor, the Rideau Transit Group, for 62 months commencing in April 2013. The construction staging area requirements will result in the temporary loss of 120 parking spaces from Parking Lot K during this time period. The construction of the proposed parking lot at 193 and 200 Lees Avenue is intended to partially compensate the University of Ottawa for the temporary loss of the parking spaces at Parking Lot K during the construction period for the Confederation Line project. The City will be responsible for the construction of the proposed parking lot on or before September 1, 2013. The University will be responsible for the repair and replacement of the asphalt surface, and the day-to-day maintenance and cleaning of the parking spaces, including, but not limited to snow removal and cleaning. The City is proposing to convey 193 Lees Avenue to the University of Ottawa within 60 days of completion of construction of the parking lot. The City is proposing to provide the parking rights for 92 parking spaces at Sandy Hill Arena to the University of Ottawa from April 2013 until August 2013 to temporarily offset the displaced parking spaces at Parking Lot K until the proposed parking lot has been constructed at 193 and 200 Lees Avenue. City Council passed a temporary Zoning By-law Amendment in January 2013 to permit the proposed parking arrangement at Sandy Hill Arena. 3 Purpose of Zoning By-law Amendment Application 193 Lees Avenue is zoned “I2A[350]” (Major Institutional Zone, Subzone 2A, Exception 350] in the City of Ottawa Zoning By-law No. 2008-250, as shown in Figure 3. Exception 350 prohibits all uses except for a utility installation. The existing zoning reflects a gas substation that was previously located on the property. The substation has been removed. The City’s Disposals and Environmental Remediation Unit conducted an internal and utility circulation of the property at 193 Lees Avenue in 2011. Based on the comments received from the circulation, there was no need identified to use the property for a utility installation. 200 Lees Avenue is zoned “I2A” (Major Institutional Zone, Subzone 2A). The zoning permits a broad range of uses including a post secondary educational institution. A Flood Plain zoning overlay applies to part of 200 Lees Avenue adjacent to the Rideau River. The purpose of the Zoning By-law Amendment application is to amend the existing zoning at 193 Lees Avenue from “I2A[350]” to “I2A[347]” to delete the exception that prohibits all uses except for a utility installation, and to add Exception 347. Exception 347 is a specific exception related to the University of Ottawa that allows for uses within certain zones to locate parking on Page 7 of 14 Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue other related sites. The purpose of the Zoning By-law Amendment application is also to amend the zoning at 200 Lees Avenue from “I2A” to “I2A[347]” so that both 193 Lees Avenue and 200 Lees Avenue maintain consistent zoning. In order to permit a parking lot to be constructed straddling two lots, it is requested that the following text be added to Exception 347: -193 Lees Avenue and 200 Lees Avenue are considered one lot for zoning purposes. Figure 3. Existing Zoning. WIGGINSWIGGINS PRIVPRIV CHAPELCHAPELCHAPEL CRES CRESCRES WIGGINSWIGGINS PRIVPRIV O1L[310]-h O1L[316]-h I1A R4T[483] LEESLEESLEES AVEAVEAVE LEESLEESLEES AVEAVEAVE ROBINSONROBINSON AVEAVE HURDMANHURDMAN RDRD LEESLEESLEES AVEAVEAVE IG1 F(1.5) L1 HURDMANHURDMAN RDRD ROBINSONROBINSON AVEAVE HWY417HWY417 IC118IC118 RAMP62RAMP62 HURDMANHURDMAN RDRD HIGHWAYHIGHWAY 417417 HIGHWAYHIGHWAY 417417 HIGHWAYHIGHWAY 417417 HWY417HWY417 IC118IC118 RAMP35RAMP35 HWY417HWY417HWY417 IC118 IC118IC118 RAMP35 RAMP35 RAMP35 I2A[350] HIGHWAYHIGHWAY 417417 O1L[316]-hO1L[316]-h GM[63] F(2.1) O1L[316]-h O1L[316]-h HWY417HWY417HWY417 IC118 IC118IC118 RAMP45 RAMP45 RAMP45 I2A LEESLEESLEES AVEAVEAVE LEESLEESLEESR5C[871] AVEAVEAVE H(75) LEESLEESLEES AVEAVEAVE O1 O1L[316]-h R4M EVELYNEVELYN AVE AVE O1C O1L[310]-h Page 8 of 14 Planning Rationale – Zoning By-Law Amendment and Street Closing Applications 193 and 200 Lees Avenue 4 Purpose of Street Closing Application 193 Lees Avenue was previously dedicated as public highway due to the former alignment of Lees Avenue prior to the construction of Highway 417. Lees Avenue was realigned to cross Highway 417 to the west of the site, and 193 Lees Avenue is now considered to be an “untravelled” street. Lees Avenue is identified in the Official Plan as an arterial road with a protected right-of-way width of 23 m between Main Street and Robinson Avenue. The existing right-of-way for Lees Avenue adjacent to 193 Lees Avenue has a width of approximately 40 m. As the existing right- of-way width exceeds the protected right-of-way width, there is no need to retain any part of 193 Lees Avenue as public highway. Accordingly, the purpose of the Street Closing application is to close 193 Lees Avenue as a public highway to allow for 193 Lees Avenue to be consolidated with 200 Lees Avenue and to permit the proposed parking lot. 5 Provincial Policy Statement The Provincial Policy Statement, issued under the authority of Section 3 of the Planning Act, provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and development. The Planning Act states that a decision by Council on a planning matter shall be consistent with policy statements issued under the Act. The Provincial Policy Statement provides policy direction in three main areas: building