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Recommendation: That, on the
recommendation of the Managing Director, Planning and City Planner, the
following actions be taken with respect to the application of Greenhills
Shopping Centres Ltd. (Greenhills) relating to the property located at 51 and
99 Exeter Road:
a) the
proposed by-law, appended to the staff report dated October 7, 2014, BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on October 14, 2014, to amend the
Zoning By-law No. Z.-1, in conformity with the Official Plan, to change the
zoning of the subject property FROM an Urban Reserve (UR6) Zone, TO
a Holding Associated Shopping Area Special Provision (h-17•h-18•h-(*)•h-(**)•h-(***)•h-(****)•h-(*****)•ASA8(_)) Zone,
an Open Space (OS1) Zone, and an Environmental Review (ER) Zone;
b) the Site
Plan Approval Authority BE REQUESTED to implement the following design
issues through the site plan process:
i)
preparation
of a sustainability/green development report shall be required to identify
how the applicant has endeavoured to incorporate any, or all, of the sustainable
design principles identified in Section 20.5.3.2.ii) of the Southwest Area
Secondary Plan (SWAP);
ii)
the
organizing structure for development shall be based on a modified grid system
of internal driveways or local streets to provide for a pedestrian oriented
character and to easily accommodate future redevelopment and reformatting of
commercial areas to more intense mixed-use communities;
iii)
internal
driveways or local street connections should be established perpendicular to
Wonderland Road South and Exeter Road for the full width of the development
blocks, including through future mixed-use phases, to reinforce the
organizing grid structure;
iv)
internal
driveways should be designed with sufficient rights-of-way to accommodate the
future upgrading and conveyance of such areas to the City of London as public
streets and should be designed as local streets to include wide sidewalks,
landscaping, street trees, on-street parking in dedicated aisles and
accessible and enhanced crossings at intersections where possible;
v)
commercial
development shall occur in a “main street” format where retail and commercial
uses are oriented toward the street, whether in standalone buildings or on
the ground floor of mixed-use buildings to enhance and animate the pedestrian
experience;
vi)
ensure
that continuous walkways are constructed between buildings as well as direct
walkways connecting buildings to the sidewalk to provide for continuous
pedestrian connections across the site;
vii)
building
heights and forms should relate to the width and hierarchy of the streets
and/or internal driveways they front, where possible, in order to provide for
a sense of enclosure;
viii)
the
amount of parking area abutting the street, particularly Wonderland Road
South and Exeter Road, should be minimized and the amount of built form at
the street maximized in order to implement the “main street” intent of the
Southwest Area Secondary Plan Urban Design policies to create an attractive
pedestrian oriented environment;
ix)
where
commercial uses abut a public street:
·
the
principal public entrance shall provide direct access to the public sidewalk;
·
the
primary entrances, windows and signage shall face the street;
·
buildings
facing the street shall incorporate awnings, canopies, arcades or front
porches to provide weather protection; and,
·
buildings
should maintain a consistent setback along the street;
x)
consider
wrapping the sides of any large format commercial buildings with smaller
store fronts in order to prevent large blank walls. Alternatively, windows,
architectural details and articulation shall be provided on building
elevations where they are exposed to the public realm;
xi)
ensure
building footprints and development blocks are sized appropriately to allow
comfortable pedestrian circulation around buildings;
xii)
pedestrian
cut through connections should be considered at intersections and other
prominent locations in order to provide convenient access to the streets and
front entrances of stores from rear parking lots;
xiii)
landscaped
islands, bump-outs and enhanced hardscape treatments should be integrated
throughout the site. Pedestrian areas such as bicycle parking areas,
internal street right-of-ways and open spaces should be of a high quality
design with a focus on coordinated pedestrian amenities including street
furniture and public art to enhance and reinforce the pedestrian experience;
xiv)
tree
planting should be maximized throughout the development in accordance with
20.5.3.6 iii) of SWAP; and,
xv)
provide
integrated pedestrian connections across the site, including between any
preliminary phases of development and future phases of development as well as
adjacent properties and public streets to ensure a high level of
connectivity;
c) the
request to amend Zoning By-law No. Z.-1 to change the zoning of the subject
property FROM a Urban Reserve (UR6) Zone, TO an Associated
Shopping Area Special Provision (ASA8(_)) Zone and an Open Space (OS1) Zone, BE
REFUSED for the following reasons:
i) the
requested amendment would allow for commercial development beyond the maximum
commercial gross floor area (GFA) of 100,000m2 for the Wonderland
Road Community Enterprise Corridor Designation outlined in Section 20.5.6.1
v) of the Southwest Area Secondary Plan;
ii) the
requested amendment does not include sufficient holding provisions to ensure
the orderly development of the subject lands;
iii) the
requested amendment contemplates the application of an Associated Shopping
Area Special Provision (ASA8(_)) Zone within 50 metres of the Pincombe Drain
which is identified as a Significant Stream Corridor on Schedule B1 of the
Official Plan. The policies of the Official Plan preclude the application of
the proposed ASA8(_) Zone in such areas in the absence of the submission of
detailed EIS;
iv) the
requested amendment includes special regulations which would allow for
4-storey residential housing forms whereas the Wonderland Road Community
Enterprise Corridor Designation policies outlined in Section 20.5.6.1 vii)
state that building heights for residential development shall not be less
than 6 storeys;
d) pursuant
to Section 34(17) of the Planning Act, as determined by the Municipal
Council, no further notice BE GIVEN in respect of the proposed by-law
as the prescribed notification requirements have previously been met, a
statutory public participation meeting was held on July 22, 2014, and no
changes to the by-law have been proposed; and,
e) IT
BEING NOTED THAT a comprehensive planning evaluation with respect to the
recommended amendments outlined in clauses (a) to (c) above is provided in
the July 22, 2014 Staff Report to the Planning and Environment Committee;
it being noted that the Planning and
Environment Committee communications from J. Paul and D.W. Stewart, Stantec
Consulting Ltd., and heard a brief verbal presentation from T. Pierce, Smart
Centres, on behalf of Greenhills, with respect to this matter. (2014-D14)
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