Item - 2015.EY4.3

At is meeting of January 13, 2015 Etobicoke York Community Council deferred consideration of the report from the Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District (Item EY3.4), to a statutory public meeting to be held on February 18, 2015 and directed the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division, to bring forward for consideration at the statutory public meeting the draft Official Plan Amendment submitted with the application.

A copy of the applicant's draft Official Plan Amendment is included as Attachment 1 to this report.

As outlined in the January 8, 2015 report from the Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District, staff recommended refusal of the application and draft Official Plan Amendment for the following reasons:

a.         The proposal conflicts with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe and is inconsistent with the Provincial Policy Statement.  No information was submitted to demonstrate that the land is not required for employment purposes over the long term or that there is a need to convert a portion of the site to non-employment uses.  As well, no information was provided to indicate how the proposed redesignation, to allow for residential uses, would not negatively impact the overall viability of the existing industries in the surrounding area. 

b.         The proposal does not conform to the City's Official Plan as it relates to Employment Areas.  The site is located in a stable employment area that continues to experience demand for employment space.  It is staff's opinion that the lands be retained for employment uses and there is no need for the requested conversion to meet the City's population forecasts as provided by the Growth Plan. 

c.         The proposal does not conform to Council adopted OPA No. 231 and SASP 447 which sets outs a new planning framework for the site and addresses land use compatibility issues.  Despite Council's adoption of OPA No. 231 that allows for the redesignation of a portion of the site to Mixed Use Areas and the introduction of residential uses subject to conditions, this application seeks broader land use policies through the elimination of all site-specific restrictions as they relate to residential uses.  Specifically, it eliminates the restrictions on maximum residential building heights and minimum residential building setbacks from the adjacent rail corridor included in SASP 447 to minimize adverse impacts from nearby industrial uses and the rail corridor. 

d.         The proposal does not include a strategy to address land uses capability issues that are known to exist in the area due to the proximity of the adjacent rail corridor and existing employment uses.  This could result in a potential future residential development that would require mitigation measures that may not contribute to an appropriate or safe living environment as demonstrated by the conceptual development submitted in support of the subject application.

e.         While the submitted development concept does not form part of the amendment to the Official Plan being requested, it does provide information regarding how the proposed land use changes may relate to a potential future development and be accommodated on the site.  As currently proposed, the conceptual development proposal does not conform to the Official Plan, is inconsistent with Council approved guidelines for Tall Buildings and fails to address compatibility issues with adjoining land uses and as a result would not provide for an appropriate living environment.