Planning Justification Report 321 to 325 Courtland Avenue East, 230 and 240 Palmer Avenue, and 30 Vernon Avenue Former Schneiders Site 321 Courtland Ave. Developments Inc. City of Kitchener Official Plan Amendment Zoning By-law Amendment Draft Plan of Subdivision April 2019 Planning Justification Report 321 to 325 Courtland Avenue East 230 and 240 Palmer Avenue 30 Vernon Avenue Former Schneiders’ Site 321 Courtland Ave. Developments Inc. City of Kitchener Official Plan Amendment Zoning By-law Amendment Draft Plan of Subdivision April 2019 Prepared for: 321 Courtland Avenue Developments Inc. 560 Wellington Street London, Ontario N6A 3R4 Prepared by: GSP Group Inc. 72 Victoria Street South, Suite 201 Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4Y9 Contents 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background .........................................................................................................................1 1.2 Proposed Applications.........................................................................................................1 1.3 Report Content and Structure .............................................................................................2 2. Site Description and Context ........................................................................................................3 2.1 Site Location and Description .............................................................................................3 2.2 Existing Site Conditions.......................................................................................................3 2.3 Surrounding Context ...........................................................................................................6 3. Proposed Development...............................................................................................................11 3.1 Development Intent ...........................................................................................................11 3.2 Development Master Plan.................................................................................................11 3.3 Development Phasing .......................................................................................................23 3.4 Development Total and Density Projections.....................................................................23 4. Proposed Applications ................................................................................................................25 4.1 Official Plan Amendment...................................................................................................25 4.2 Zoning By-law Amendment ...............................................................................................29 4.3 Draft Plan of Subdivision...................................................................................................30 5. Supporting Studies......................................................................................................................33 5.1 Servicing............................................................................................................................33 5.2 Stormwater Management..................................................................................................33 5.3 Transportation ...................................................................................................................34 5.4 Noise and Vibration...........................................................................................................35 5.5 Wind...................................................................................................................................35 5.6 Urban Design.....................................................................................................................36 6. Policy Overview and Analysis .....................................................................................................37 6.1 Planning Act ......................................................................................................................37 6.2 Provincial Policy Statement...............................................................................................38 6.3 Growth Plan for Greater Golden Horseshoe.....................................................................44 6.4 Grand River Source Water Protection Plan ......................................................................48 6.5 Region of Waterloo Official Plan .......................................................................................48 6.6 City of Kitchener Official Plan (2014) ................................................................................51 6.7 City of Kitchener Official Plan (1994) ................................................................................71 6.8 PARTS Rockway Plan.......................................................................................................73 7. Conclusions.................................................................................................................................92 APPENDIX A Record of Pre-Submission Consultation APPENDIX B Draft Official Plan Amendment APPENDIX C Draft Zoning By-law Amendment APPENDIX D LEED Neighbourhood Development Feasibility Assessment 1. Introduction 1.1 Background GSP Group was retained by 321 Courtland Ave. Developments Inc. as the land use planners for its proposed development of the former Schneiders’ site in Kitchener (referenced as the “site” in this report). The site is a 10.36-hectare assembly of multiple properties situated on the south/west side of Courtland Avenue between Stirling Avenue and Borden Avenue (for the purposes of this report, Courtland Avenue is referenced as north, Stirling Avenue as west, Borden Avenue as east, and the CNR rail line as south). This industrial complex consisted of six buildings, although demolition is currently underway and certain buildings have been removed or are in the process. The site is currently designated for general industrial uses as part of the Courtland Mill-Woodside Park Secondary Plan in the City of Kitchener’s 1994 Official Plan. The City of Kitchener Planning Around Rapid Transit Stations (“PARTS”) initiative related to new ION stations, however, builds on the direction of Regional and Provincial policy and the new City 2014 Official Plan concerning transit-oriented development and mixed-use intensification and redevelopment. The Planning Around Rapid Transit Study (PARTS) plan for the Rockway Station Area contains the site and the surrounding neighbourhood and calls for a mixed, intense, compact, connected and balanced fabric in the neighbourhood, and particularly such a redevelopment on the site. Accordingly, 321 Courtland Avenue Developments Inc. is proposing a large scale, mixed-use redevelopment that will transform the site and integrate it within the surrounding neighbourhood. New public street extensions into the site will integrate the site with the surrounding street fabric and break down the large block into smaller development areas. The residential mix will include a varied composition of mid-rise and high-rise apartment buildings, stacked townhouses, and mixed- use buildings. Adapted and new employment floor space will be focused on the retention of existing site buildings and is meant to contribute to a new complete district within the existing neighbourhood. An integrated series of open spaces will include both a public park, a publicly- accessible urban plaza, and outdoor private terraces and patios. 1.2 Proposed Applications 321 Courtland Ave. Developments Inc. is proposing applications for an Official Plan Amendment, Draft Plan of Subdivision, and Zoning By-law Amendment for the site. The Official Plan Amendment will redesignate the site from the “General Industrial” designation applicable to mixed-use, employment, residential, and park designations together with site-specific policies to reflect intent and vision of the proposed development plan. The Draft Plan of Subdivision will establish a new east-west public street running through the site into which the extensions of Kent Avenue and Palmer Avenue would connect, in effect creating six development blocks for residential, non- residential, and public park uses. The Zoning By-law Amendment will rezone the six development blocks from the existing “General Industrial (M2) Zone” to mixed-use, residential and park zones Planning Justification Report | 321- 325 Courtland, 230 & 240 Palmer, 30 Vernon (Schneiders) 1 GSP Group | April 2019 corresponding to the proposed Official Plan designations, and including site-specific provisions tailored to the proposed development plan A Pre-Submission Consultation Meeting was held on December 12, 2017 with staff from the City of Kitchener, Region of Waterloo, and Grand River Conservation Authority. The Record of Consultation (see Appendix A) requires a Planning Justification Report to assess the proposed applications consistency and conformity with applicable provincial and municipal planning policy. 1.3 Report Content and Structure This Planning Justification Report provides the rationale and justification for the proposed planning applications and development plans. It provides: o A description of the site’s existing conditions and its context within Kitchener and the immediately surrounding neighbourhood (Section 2); o A summary of the proposed site development