Item - 2018.TE33.7

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend the Official Plan for the lands at 822-838 Richmond Street West and 860-862 Richmond Street West, respectively, substantially in accordance with the draft Official Plan Amendment, attached as Attachment 10 to the report (May 22, 2018) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, Toronto an East York District.

2. City Council authorizes the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Official Plan Amendment as may be required.

3.  City Council request the Acting Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District to consider through the Site Plan Control process and Committee of Adjustment process:

a. Built form transition measures in the form of additional stepbacks of the upper floors along the east elevation, along with a review of material choices for the proposed additional floors to mitigate potential concerns of privacy, light intrusion, and overlook from the residents of the residential building located at 850 Richmond Street West and the rear yards of the properties on the east side of Strachan Avenue, and;

b.  Landscaping treatments to screen the garbage and recycling bins along the Richmond Street West frontage, and to review the location for bicycle parking.
 

4. City Council request the Acting Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District to study industrially-zoned sites within Area 2 of Garrison Common North Secondary Plan area, bounded by Queen Street West south to King Street West and Niagara Street west to Strachan Avenue, and consider updates, as required, to the Zoning By-law to reflect the changes in adjacent land uses and built form.

4.  City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to consider on-street loading zones in front of 860-862 Richmond Street West.

The Toronto and East York Community Council held a statutory public meeting on June 6, 2018, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

This application proposes redevelopment on two separate properties.  A two-storey vertical addition and a five-storey addition to the western side of the existing three-storey building is proposed on the property located at 822-838 Richmond Street West.  On the westerly property, a two-storey vertical addition is being proposed to the existing three-storey building located at 860-862 Richmond Street West.

Both properties are designated as Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan, are within the boundaries of the Garrison Common North Secondary Plan area, and are zoned as Industrial in City of Toronto Zoning By-law 438-86, as amended. Neither property is subject to City-Wide Zoning By-law 569-2013.

This report reviews and recommends approval of the application to amend the Official Plan to allow for two 5-storey buildings, located at 822-838 Richmond Street West and 860-862 Richmond Street West, respectively.

This application advances the City-wide objective of retaining and expanding employment opportunities.  The proposed additions to the existing buildings, and the continuation of the existing software design and development use, address the provisions in the Official Plan Neighbourhoods designation policies regarding built form and use.  The scale of the proposed additions to the existing warehouse-styled buildings is sensitive to, and appropriate within, the surrounding built form context.  The continuation of the existing use will not adversely impact the adjacent residences beyond what would be permitted in the as-of-right Industrial zoning classification.

The application addresses the provisions of the Garrison Common North Secondary Plan as the proposal is sensitive to, and protective of, the communications and media operations nature of the area, helping to solidifying the area as one of the leading locations for new industry technologies, and expanding upon existing employment opportunities.

The proposed development is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014), and conforms to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017).

City Planning recommends City Council adopt a site specific Official Plan Amendment to facilitate the proposed development.