Item - 2016.TE18.7

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1.  City Council amend the Official Plan for the lands Downtown in accordance with the draft Area Specific Official Plan Amendment attached as Attachment 1 to the report (May 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

2.  City Council amend Zoning By-law 438-86 for the lands Downtown in accordance with the draft Area Specific Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment 2 to the report (May 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

3.  City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013 for the lands Downtown in accordance with the draft Area Specific Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment 3 to the report (May 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

4.  City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Area Specific Official Plan Amendment and Area Specific Zoning By-law Amendments as may be required.

The Toronto and East York Community Council requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to report to City Council on any further amendments to the revised draft Area Specific Official Plan Amendment attached as Attachment 1 to the report (May 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District and the revised draft Area Specific Zoning By-law Amendments attached as Attachments 2 and 3 to the report (May 27, 2016) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

This report recommends that City Council adopt the proposed City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to update the policies and performance standards for front, side and rear lot line setbacks for tall buildings in the Downtown.

This report and body of work is part of TOcore: Planning Toronto's Downtown, a three-year, inter-divisional study led by City Planning.  The purpose of TOcore is to ensure growth positively contributes to Toronto's Downtown as a great place to live, work, learn, play and invest by determining: a) how and where future growth will be accommodated, shaped and managed and b) what physical and social infrastructure will be needed, where it should be located and how it will be secured.

 
This report presents the outcomes of a six-month study and recommends amendments to the Official Plan and two Zoning By-laws to update the setback requirements for tall buildings in the Downtown.  The direction for this report arose from the TOcore Phase 1 Summary Report and Phase 2 Directions Report adopted by City Council on December 9, 2015 and is further discussed in the Decision History section of this report.

Since 2006, Planning Staff have reviewed property line setback requirements for tall building development using a series of guidelines, starting with Design Criteria for Review of Tall Building Proposals (2006) and later with the current Tall Building Design Guidelines (2013) and supplementary Downtown Tall Buildings Guidelines (2012).  Increasing use of guidelines has assisted in implementing the Official Plan intent and was due in part to the absence of performance standards in the Zoning By-law which spoke directly to tall building proposals.  This report recommends updating zoning provisions for lot line setbacks which date back to 1996, a decade before the first tall building design guidelines were adopted by City Council.

The proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments will apply within the Downtown and provide a policy and regulatory framework to ensure appropriate separation distance between tall buildings.  The proposed Zoning By-law amendments establish minimum required front, side and rear lot line setbacks and the policies provide the planning policy framework for those setbacks.  The setbacks will apply to the tower portion of a tall building on sites that can support tall buildings.  These updated setbacks protect important planning principles such as providing access to sky views, light, and privacy, enhancing a development site's ability to provide high-quality public realm improvements, and protecting the development potential of adjacent sites.

These policies and performance standards are a starting point in updating the Downtown planning framework and ensuring that future growth positively contributes to the liveability, sustainability and health of Toronto's Downtown. Further amendments will be made through the TOcore study.

Toronto and East York Community Council, on June 14, 2016, considered a staff report from the City Planning Division dated May 27, 2016 that recommended that City Council adopt the proposed City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments (herein referred to as "OPA" and "ZBLAs") to update the policies and performance standards for front, side and rear lot line setbacks for tall buildings in the Downtown.  The item was adjourned at the meeting and will be continued at the September 7, 2016 Toronto and East York Community Council meeting.

The proposed OPA and ZBLAs are the outcome of a six-month study and will provide policy and update the setback requirements for tall buildings in the Downtown.  The direction for this report arose from the TOcore Phase 1 Summary Report and Phase 2 Directions Report adopted by City Council on December 9, 2015.

This supplementary report provides clarification on prevailing site and area specific by-laws and the implementation of the new OPA and ZBLAs.  This report should be read in conjunction with the report dated May 27, 2016.