Item - 2018.EY31.9

Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1.  City Council direct City staff, including the Director of Affordable Housing, to continue to negotiate with the applicant to resolve the outstanding issues detailed in the report (May 16, 2018) from the Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District, and to streamline the application, in accordance with Open Door policies. 

2.  City Council direct the City Solicitor and appropriate City staff, to attend and to oppose the application in its current form should the application be appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) on the basis of City Council's failure to make a decision on the application within the statutory timeframe of the Planning Act.

 
3.  City Council direct City staff to schedule a community consultation meeting for the lands at 1800 - 1818 St. Clair Avenue West and 383 - 425 Old Weston Road together with the Ward Councillor.

 
4.  City Council direct that Notice for the community consultation meeting be given to landowners and residents within 120 metres of the site.

 
5.  City Council direct that Notice for the statutory public meeting under the Planning Act be given according to the regulations of the Planning Act.

This report provides preliminary information and an early opportunity to raise issues for follow-up with regard to the subject application. It seeks City Council's direction on the community consultation process and indicates the expected timing for a Final Report to City Council. The application has been circulated to all appropriate agencies and City divisions for comment and a staff review of the application is underway.

This application proposes the remediation and redevelopment of the subject lands with six buildings, comprised of five low-rise blocks of stacked 3.5-storey (9.75 m) townhouses on the Old Weston Road lands and an 11-storey (36.6 m in height, excluding the mechanical penthouse) mixed use building with retail and live-work space at grade on the St. Clair Avenue West lands. A total of 242 residential units are proposed, of which 104 are townhouse units and 138 are units within the proposed mixed use building. The proposed development would have a total gross floor area of 23,228 m2, of which 22,789 m2 is proposed for residential use and 439 m2 is proposed for commercial use. The proposed overall density represents a Floor Space Index of 2.2 times the area of the lands. Vehicular access is proposed from Old Weston Road and Cloverdale Road and a total of 177 below-grade parking spaces are proposed.

The applicant requested pre-application consultation meetings for assistance in defining the requirements for application submission. Staff held the meetings with the applicant on January 10, 2018 and February 6, 2018.

The application was submitted on March 28, 2018. A notice of complete application with regard to the application was issued on April 26, 2018.

A community consultation meeting is anticipated to be held following direction from City Council. A Final Report will be submitted for City Council's consideration following community consultation, the resolution of outstanding issues related to this application and the holding of a statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act. The target timeline for the Final Report is anticipated to be in the first quarter of 2019.

City Planning staff have identified concerns with the proposal described in this report with respect to conformity with the City's Official Plan, built form, the mixed use buildings' height, massing, site layout, shadow impact and proposed vehicular access. These issues and all additional matters that arise through the development review process will need to be addressed prior to submission of the Final Report to City Council.  While staff will continue to work with the applicant to address the issues noted here, since it is an election year, it is recommended that City Council direct the City Solicitor and appropriate City Staff to attend and oppose the application in its current form should the application be appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) on the basis of City Council's failure to make a decision on the application within the statutory timeframe of the Planning Act.