14555 NIAGARA RIVER PARKWAY PLANNING IMPACT AND STREETSCAPE ASSESSMENT Professional Planning Services Inc September 2017 14555 Niagara River Parkway Page 2 of 10 Planning Impact and Streetscape Assessment INTRODUCTION The subject property is a new building lot to be created and is shown as Part 2 on the cover page to this document. Part 2 is 0.674ha in size. Part 1 is the retained parcel and is occupied by an existing dwelling, a garage and an out-building. Part 1 is 0.360ha in size. A wooded ravine is located along the east side of Part 2 and along the rear of Part 1. The top of the slope has been plotted and is shown on the survey sketch. There is sufficient land above the top of the slope on both Part 1 and Part 2 for a dwelling. The property is located in the urban area of the Village of Queenston. The entire property is designated Low Density Residential in the Official Plan with the conservation designation applied to the rear of the lands. The portion of the ravine along the east property line is designated Low Density Residential The Low Density Residential designation permits single detached, semi-detached and duplex dwellings. Policy 4.1 states that “Newly created lots with direct frontage on the Niagara River Parkway and/or abutting the Niagara Escarpment shall have minimum dimensions of 60m in width and 45m in depth and should generally be similar in overall size width and depth to adjacent and neighbouring residential lots”. The frontage of Part 1 is 32m and the proposed frontage for Part 2 is 48.603m. Town Staff has indicated that an Official Plan amendment is required for the proposed frontage of Part 1 and Part 2. The Town’s Zoning By-law zones the subject property Established Residential (ER2) with the ravine along the east side and rear of the property zoned Open Space (OS-1). The Established Residential Zone permits single detached dwellings and secondary uses such as a Bed & Breakfast and accessory buildings. The minimum lot frontage required for lots fronting on the Niagara River Parkway with no service road is 60m. The lot frontage for Part 1 is 32m and the proposed frontage for Part 2 is 48.603m. A zoning by-law amendment is required. A minor variance application could be considered however the combined Official Plan and Zoning By-law is more time effective and is considered by Town Council. The minor variance application is considered by the Committee of Adjustment which is different from Town Council. The application for minor variance cannot be filed until after the Official Plan amendment has been approved. The owner of the property, Tiina Luik has retained Professional Planning Services Inc to undertake the required Planning Impact and Streetscape Assessment. SITE AND SITUATION The property (Part 1 & 2 combined) is municipally addressed as 14555 Niagara River Parkway and is located in the Village of Queenston. The property slopes along the east property line and along the rear property line to a wooded ravine. The top of the slope is shown on the survey sketch. The existing home faces the Niagara Parkway and there is sufficient land above the top of the bank to create a new building lot Part 2. The Niagara Parkway road curves as it approaches the subject property from the south and then curves again as the road heads north to the Old Town of Niagara. The surrounding land uses consist of single detached dwellings of varying sizes. The frontages vary and some of the lots have a significant depth. The subject property is the largest property in the area. PROFESSIONAL LAND USE PLANNING SERVICES September 2017 14555 Niagara River Parkway Page 3 of 10 Planning Impact and Streetscape Assessment POLICY DOCUMENTS Provincial Policy Statement Planning in Ontario is regulated by the Ontario Planning Act. Subsection 3(5) of the Act requires that a decision of the council of a municipality in respect of the exercise of any authority that affects a planning matter shall be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement. The application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law for lot frontage the property at 14555 Niagara River Parkway is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement in the following regard: • Provincial Policy 1.1.1 states that: “Healthy, livable and safe communities are sustained by: a) promoting efficient development and land use patterns which sustain the financial well-being of the Province and municipalities over the long term” • Provincial Policy 1.1.3.1 states that: “Settlement areas shall be the focus of growth and development and their vitality and regeneration shall be promoted” • Provincial Policy 1.1.3.2 states that: “Land use patterns within settlement areas shall be based on: a) densities and a mix of uses which: 1. Efficiently use land and resources; 2. Are appropriate for, and efficiently use, the infrastructure and public service facilities which are planned or available and avoid the need for their unjustified and/or uneconomical expansion” The subject property is within a settlement area and proposed development represents an infill oppoutunity that fits in well with the existing streetscape and the neighbourhood. Places to Grow Plan 2006 The Places to Grow Plan is a Provincial Plan applying to all of southern Ontario including the Niagara Region. The Places to Grow Plan complements the Provincial Greenbelt Plan in that the Greenbelt Plan protects agricultural resources and limits urban growth. The Places to Grow Plan indicates where growth can occur and encourages intensification and redevelopment. The Places to Grow Plan identifies the urban area of Queenston as being within the built boundary where development and redevelopment is encouraged. The proposal to create an infill lot is consistent with the Places to Grow Plan. Regional Planning Objectives The Regional Municipality of Niagara Policy Plan designates the subject land as “Built Up Area” which permits a variety of residential, commercial and industrial uses. The Policy Plan encourages intensification within the built boundary and mirrors the objectives of the Provincial Policy Statement and the Places to Grow Plan. Official Plan PROFESSIONAL LAND USE PLANNING SERVICES September 2017 14555 Niagara River Parkway Page 4 of 10 Planning Impact and Streetscape Assessment The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake Official Plan designates the subject lands as “Low Density Residential”. Under Section 9.3 Land Use Designations subsection (1) single detached dwellings, semi- detached dwellings and accessory structures and uses are permitted. Section 6.32 – Special Study Areas and Special Policy Areas identifies Queenston as Special Policy Area. Figure 4 – Land Use Designations for the Village of Queenston designates the subject lands as “Low Density Residential”. Policy 4.1 – Low Density Residential states that: “This designation is located along York Road and portions of the Niagara River Parkway and consists of a range of housing styles with a variety of setbacks and typically generous lot widths. Development in this designation is generally newer than that within the historic core of the Village and the majority of the properties back onto either agricultural lands or the Niagara Escarpment Natural Areas. Access is provided either directly from the Niagara River Parkway or via a service road paralleling the parkway. The intent of policies outlined below is to respect the existing residential pattern, varied lot sizes and generous frontage within this designation.” Policy 4.1 further states that “Newly created lots with direct frontage on the Niagara River Parkway and/or abutting the Niagara Escarpment shall have minimum dimensions of 60m in width and 45m in depth and should generally be similar in overall size width and depth to adjacent and neighbouring residential lots”. The frontage of Part 1 is 32m and the proposed frontage for Part 2 is 48.603m. Town Staff has indicated that an Official Plan amendment is required for the proposed frontage of Part 1 and Part 2. Response: Within the urban boundary of the Village of Queenston along York Road and the Niagara Parkway there are 74 properties designated Low Density Residential. Of those existing properties only 4 currently meet the frontage requirement of 60m and the lot depth of 45m. This represents 5.4% of the total number of existing properties and is not sufficient to form a planning basis for the frontage and depth required in the Queenston Plan. It is also noted that the Niagara River Parkway runs parallel to the Niagara River from the Old Town of Niagara through the urban area of the Village of Queenston, the urban area of Niagara Falls and the urban area of Fort Erie. Within these urban areas there are a variety of housing styles, frontages and lot depths. Outside of the urban areas the lot sizes increase and are generally one acre in size. This is not a choice of urban design but necessity size the lots outside of the urban area are on private services and require a larger lot size. Lands within the urban area are subject to the intensification policies of the Provincial Policy Statement and the Places to Grow Plan. Both these plans promote small lot sizes and the efficient use of municipal services. A lot with 60m of frontage and 45m of depth is 2700m2 in size or about 0.66 acres. It is hard to imagine how such a lot size can be considered to be consistent with the Provincial Plans. Finally it is well known that the residents of Queenston are opposed to any development. The Queenston Secondary Plan involved a significant public process and it is easy to imagine the residents suggesting the larger frontage and lot depth since it appears there is no oppourtunity to create such a lot in the Village.