Item - 2019.EY7.4

Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council refuse the application to amend the Official Plan and the Etobicoke Zoning Code at 12, 16 and 20 Cordova Avenue for the reasons set out in the report (June 21, 2019) from the Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor, together with appropriate staff, to appear before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (the "LPAT") in support of City Council's decision to refuse the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application, in the event the refusal is appealed to the LPAT.

3. City Council direct City staff to continue discussions with the applicant to address issues identified in the report (June 21, 2019 from the Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District.

4. City Council defer making a decision on the Rental Housing Demolition application under Municipal Code, Chapter 667 pursuant to Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, to demolish the existing rental dwelling units at 12, 16 and 20 Cordova Avenue.

5. City Council authorize the City Solicitor, in the event the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application is appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (the "LPAT"), to request the LPAT to withhold its Order should the application be approved in some form, until all of the following have been completed and secured:

a. The final form of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments are to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

b. City Council, or the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning under delegated authority, has made a decision on the Rental Housing Demolition application, under Chapter 667 of the Municipal Code pursuant to Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act to demolish the existing rental dwelling units at 12, 16 and 20 Cordova Avenue.

c. The owner be required to submit a revised Functional Servicing and Stormwater Management Report to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services.

d. The owner be required to submit a revised Transportation Impact Study to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Transportation Services.

e. The owner enter into a financially secured agreement for the construction of any required improvements to the municipal infrastructure, should it be determined that upgrades are required to support the development based on the report in Recommendations 5(c) and (d) above, accepted by the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services and the General Manager of Transportation Services.

f. Community benefits, rental housing and other matters required to support the development are secured in a Section 37 Agreement executed by the owner and registered on title to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

This application proposes to amend the Official Plan (Etobicoke Centre Secondary Plan) to redesignate the subject lands from Mixed Use Areas B to Mixed Uses Areas A and the Etobicoke Zoning Code to permit the construction of a 27-storey residential apartment building (75.7 m in height, excluding mechanical penthouse) on the lands municipally known as 12, 16 and 20 Cordova Avenue.

This report reviews and recommends refusal of the application to amend the Official Plan and the Etobicoke Zoning Code as the proposal would result in an overdevelopment of the site and represents a significant increase in height and density from that currently permitted in the Official Plan and Zoning By-law.

A Rental Housing Demolition application is required as 12, 16 and 20 Cordova Avenue combined contain six or more residential units, of which at least one is rental. A Rental Housing Demolition application (File No. 19 174970 WET 03 RH ) was submitted on June 20, 2019.  Due to the timing of the application submission, staff have not had an opportunity to review the application at the time of writing this report.

The proposed development is not consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014), as it would establish an inappropriate development precedent for this area, including inadequate building setbacks and overwhelming building massing.

The proposal also fails to conform with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019), as it would not provide an appropriate scale of development and lacks appropriate transition of built form to adjacent areas.

Further, the proposed development does not achieve the objectives set out in the City's Official Plan. The development does not provide appropriate built form that fits within its context.