Item - 2022.NY32.7

North York Community recommends that:

1. City Council refuse the application for the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment at 307 Sheppard Avenue West for the reasons set out in the report (May 4, 2022) from the Director, Community Planning, North York District.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor, together with appropriate staff, to appear before the Ontario Land Tribunal in support of City Council’s decision to refuse the application, in the event that the application is appealed.

3. In the event that the application is appealed and the Ontario Land Tribunal approves the applications in whole or in part, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to request the Tribunal withhold its Order(s) approving the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments applicable to the subject lands until such time as the City Solicitor confirms that:

a. the final form and content of the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendments are satisfactory to the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the City Solicitor, in consultation with the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, and other appropriate Divisions; and
 

b. the owner has addressed any issues arising from the technical review of the application identified as part of Engineering and Construction Services review of the file, to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services and the General Manager, Transportation Services.
 

4. City Council authorize the City Solicitor and other City Staff to take any necessary steps to implement City Council's decision.

This application proposes to amend the City of Toronto Official Plan, City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013 and former City of North York Zoning By-law 7625 for the lands at 307 Sheppard Avenue West to permit a 9-storey (29.1 metres) mixed use building. The proposal contains a total of 33 residential units and 140 square metres of ground floor commercial space. The total gross floor area ("GFA") would be 2979 square metres, resulting in a density of 4.29 times the lot area. A total of 24 parking spaces are proposed in a two-level underground parking garage accessed by a car elevator.

The proposed development represents an overdevelopment of the site that is not appropriate for the local context and does not respect the vision for the Sheppard Avenue West corridor in the Sheppard Lansing area. The application does not conform to the City of Toronto Official Plan, including the Sheppard Lansing Secondary Plan, and does not represent good planning. This report reviews and recommends refusal of the application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-laws.

For the reasons outlined in this report, it is recommended that the application be refused and in the event that the matter is appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal ("OLT"), that the City Solicitor and appropriate staff oppose the appeal.