Planning Services Public Meeting Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131 Report To: Planning and Development Committee Date of Meeting: June 26, 2017 Report Number: PSD-047-17 Resolution Number: PD-136-17, C-214-17 File Number: ZBA 2017-0016 By-law Number: Report Subject: An Application by SmartREIT to rezone the subject lands to accommodate a 25,360 square metre retail outlet centre, Baseline Road, Bowmanville Recommendations: 1. That Report PSD-047-17 be received; 2. That staff consider the public comments received in the further processing of the application for rezoning (ZBA 2017-0016) including the preparation of a subsequent report; and 3. That all interested parties listed in Report PSD-047-17 and any delegations be advised of Council’s decision. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 2 Report Overview The Municipality is seeking public input on a proposal for a 25,360 square metre (273,000 square feet) retail outlet centre. SmartREIT is proposing to build a retail outlet centre across three properties located near the southeast corner of Waverley Road and Baseline Road West. The project will involve demolishing the vacant RONA building and using a cut and fill plan to replace the flood storage capacity required in the floodplain of the Bowmanville Creek. The Applicant has submitted several technical studies to support their proposal and demonstrate their conformity with the land use planning requirements of the Province, the Region of Durham and Clarington. 1. Application Details 1.1. Owner: Bowmanville Creek Developments Inc. 4246551 Canada Inc. & 220 Real Estate Limited Partnership Municipality of Clarington 1.2. Applicant: SmartREIT 1.3. Agent: MHBC Planning Limited 1.4. Proposal: To rezone the subject lands to accommodate a 25,360 square metre (273,000 square feet) retail outlet centre. 1.5. Area: 33.3 ac. 1.6. Location: 205 Baseline Road West, Bowmanville (site of the vacant RONA building and the surrounding lands). 1.7. Roll Number: 020-120-20705, 020-120-20650, 020-120-20750, 020-120-20600 1.8. Within Built Boundary: Yes Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 3 2. Background 2.1. The land at the southeast corner of Waverley Road and Baseline Road West have been planned for commercial development for over 30 years. The site is comprised of three properties (see Figure 1). 4246551 Canada Inc. owns the 3.75 ha property in the middle of the site that is occupied by the vacant RONA building. The second property wraps around the RONA property on three sides (west, south and east) and is owned by Bowmanville Creek Developments Inc. (BCD Inc.). It was intended that a RONA home improvement store would be the large retailer that would anchor the smaller retail and restaurant development on the rest of the site. The third property, along the east side of the site, is currently owned by the Municipality. In conjunction with this development proposal, the Applicant has requested that the Municipality consider deeming this land surplus and make it available for purchase. Figure 1 – The three properties within the proposed development site Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 4 RONA Property 2.2 In the fall of 2006, Site Plan approval was given for a 7,511 square metre (80,850 square foot) home improvement store. The current RONA building was constructed in 2008 but the building was never occupied. The Bowmanville store opening (along with three other RONA stores) was initially delayed due to the 2008 recession. 2.3 In July 2009, RONA made the decision to list the property and building for sale or lease. Over the past eight years municipal and Clarington Board of Trade staff have received numerous inquiries from prospective tenants and purchasers. However, the zoning regulations limited the types of businesses that could occupy the existing building. A Minor Variance application was submitted in September of 2016 to expand the list of businesses that could operate from the RONA property and building. The approved Minor Variance expanded the permitted uses from building supply and large product retailers to include other forms of retail sales. Bowmanville Creek Development Inc. Property 2.4 Development applications were also received to develop the lands surrounding the RONA store that are owned by Bowmanville Creek Developments Inc. (BCD Inc.). Final Site Plan Approval was granted by the Ontario Municipal Board in August of 2006. This approval was for 11,678 square metres (125,700 square feet) of commercial floor area. However, without an anchor tenant occupying the RONA building, no development has taken place on the BCD Inc. property. Municipality of Clarington Property 2.5 The lands to the east of the RONA and BCD Inc. properties is located within the floodplain of the Bowmanville Creek. In its current state, this land is environmentally protected. Through detailed consultations with the Municipality and Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority the Applicant has put forward a cut and fill plan to reallocate a portion of the flood storage capacity to an approved location in the Bowmanville Creek watershed. By placing fill on the Municipal land the Applicant is proposing to bring this land out of the floodplain and make it suitable for development. Current Proposal 2.6 A Pre-consultation Meeting was held with the Applicant and their consultants on May 11, 2017. Following that meeting, SmartREIT submitted an application to rezone the subject lands to accommodate a 25,360 square metre (273,000 square feet) retail outlet centre on May 26, 2017. A conceptual site plan is shown in Figure 2. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 5 2.7 Outlet centres are generally characterized by the following key attributes: • They contain retail tenants that sell their brand‐name goods at discounted prices; • They typically have much larger trade areas than traditional retail centres, extending as far as 50‐60km or more in many cases; • They often do not have traditional anchor tenants, rather a collection of several major retailers that function as large ‘draws’ or attractions; • They are generally located along major well‐travelled highways, and in close proximity to significant tourist destinations, and/or with access to major consumer markets; and • They generally range in size from 4,600-37,000 square metres (50,000‐400,000 square feet) in gross leasable area. (source: urbanMetrics) 2.8 The application was deemed complete on June 9, 2017. Figure 2 – Conceptual Site Plan (Source: SmartREIT) Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 6 2.9 Should this rezoning application be successful, the tentative timeline for this project is as follows: • Development approvals – Fall of 2017 • Earth works to implement the cut and fill plan – 2018 • Building Construction – 2019 • Opening Day – Summer of 2020 3 Land Characteristics and Surrounding Uses 3.1 The subject site is located in the south end of Bowmanville, near the southeast intersection of Waverley Road and Baseline Road West. The site is comprised of vacant land and an unoccupied home improvements store. Figure 3 – Development site and surrounding lands Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 7 3.2 The surrounding uses include: North - Low density, residential neighbourhood (see Figure 4) South - Highway 401 East - Bowmanville Creek and TSC store West - Shell fuel bar, Waverley Road interchange Figure 4 – Homes on Lockhart Gate 4. Provincial Policy A few of the objectives of the Provincial Policy Statement and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is to ensure that new development occurs within existing settlement areas and takes advantage of existing municipal infrastructure. The subject site is located within the “Built Boundary” of the Bowmanville Urban Area. A significant portion of new growth must occur inside of the built boundary (existing neighbourhoods). In addition, development should not prevent the future expansion of the community. Development should be coordinated to ensure a balance between promoting economic prosperity and efficiently managing the natural environment. Maintaining the vitality and viability of downtowns and main streets is also a key objective of Provincial policy. Development shall generally be directed outside of hazard areas (such as floodplains) or areas of environmental sensitivity. However, Provincial policy also sets the broad conditions that must be satisfied before development can proceed in these areas. The detailed application of the Provincial policies is reflected in the policies of the Durham Regional Official Plan and the Clarington Official Plan. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-047-17 Page 8 5. Official Plans 5.1 Durham Regional Official Plan The Durham Region Official Plan designates the subject site as “Living Areas” to the west and “Major Open Space Areas” to the east. “Living Areas” are intended to be used for housing purposes as well as limited office and retail in appropriate locations provided that the functions and characteristics of other commercial areas such as Town Centres (now known as Urban Centres in Clarington OPA 107) are not adversely affected. In addition, local centres and corridors, major retail uses and certain Employment Area uses may be permitted, provided appropriate designations and policies are included in the municipal official plan. The “Major Open Space Areas” matches the area of the site that is currently within the floodplain of the Bowmanville Creek. A “Key Natural Heritage and Hydrologic Feature” is also identified as crossing the eastern part of the development site. Development and site alteration is not permitted within areas subject to flooding hazards. However, development may be considered in these areas identified, in accordance with relevant Provincial policies and regulations. Baseline Road West and Waverly Road are identified as Type “A” Arterial Roads.