That, on the recommendation of the Director, Development Services, the following actions be taken with respect to the application by Farhi Holdings Corporation, relating to the property located at 435-451 Ridout Street North:
a) consistent with Policy 19.1.1. of the Official Plan for the City of London (1989), the subject lands, representing a portion of 435-451 Ridout Street North BE INTERPRETED to be located within the Downtown Area designation;
b) consistent with Policy 43_1 of The London Plan, the subject lands, representing a portion of 435-451 Ridout Street North, BE INTERPRETED to be located within the Downtown Place Type;
c) the proposed by-law appended to the staff report dated May 31, 2021 as Appendix "A" BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on June 15, 2021 to amend The London Plan by ADDING a new policy the Specific Policies for the Downtown Place Type and by ADDING the subject lands to Map 7 – Specific Policies Areas – of The London Plan;
it being noted that The London Plan amendments will come into full force and effect concurrently with Map 7 of the London Plan;
d) the proposed by-law appended to the staff report dated May 31, 2021 as Appendix "B" BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on June 15, 2021 to amend Zoning By-law No. Z.-1, (in conformity with the Official Plan (2016) as amended in part c) above), to change the zoning of a portion of the subject property FROM a Heritage/Regional Facility (HER/RF) Zone and a Downtown Area Special Provision (DA2(3)*D350) Zone TO a Holding Downtown Area Special Provision Bonus (h-3*h-55*h-_*DA2(3)*D350*B-_) Zone;
the Bonus Zone shall be implemented through one or more agreements to facilitate a high quality mixed-use office/residential apartment building, with a maximum height of 40-storeys (125 metres), and a maximum density of 500 units per hectare, in general conformity with the Site Plan and Elevations appended to the staff report dated May 31, 2021 as Schedule “1” to the amending by-law in return for the following facilities, services and matters:
1) Exceptional Building Design
i) retention in situ of the heritage buildings along the Ridout Street frontage;
ii) materials on the podium of the building that are in-keeping with the surrounding heritage buildings;
iii) a slender point tower design;
iv) the tower portion of the building located to the south of the podium to increase the spatial separation between the tower and the Eldon House property;
v) interesting architectural design features on the tower that will enhance the downtown skyline and break up the building mass;
vi) terraces overlooking Harris Park and providing opportunity for activating these terraces with the proposed adjacent office/commercial uses; and,
vii) connections between Ridout Street North and Queens Avenue to Harris Park that provide new entrance opportunities to further connect the Downtown with the Park.
2) Provision of four (4) levels of underground parking, of which a minimum of 100 parking spaces will be publicly accessible
3) Provision of Affordable Housing
The provision of affordable housing shall consist of:
• a minimum of twelve (12) residential units or five percent (5%) of the total residential unit count (rounded to the nearest unit), whichever is greater;
• the mix of affordable one- and two-bedroom units will be based on the same proportion of one- and two-bedroom units as within the final approved plan. Subject to availability and with the concurrence of the City, some or all of these units may be secured through existing vacancies in developments owned and/or managed by the proponent or associated corporate entity;
• rents not exceeding 80% of the Average Market Rent (AMR) for the London Census Metropolitan Area as determined by the CMHC at the time of building occupancy;
• the duration of affordability shall be set at 50 years from the point of initial occupancy; and,
• the proponent shall enter into a Tenant Placement Agreement (TPA) with the City of London to align the affordable units with priority populations;
4) Conservation, retention, and adaptive re-use of the existing heritage designated buildings at 435, 441, and 451 Ridout Street North
• the owner shall enter into a Heritage Easement Agreement with the City of London;
5) Construction of a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building
it being noted that the following site plan matters were raised during the public participation process:
i) design the parking and drop-off areas between the building and the adjacent streets (Ridout Street North and Queens Avenue) as a shared plaza space, using pavers or patterned concrete to:
I) tie into the design of the terraces
II) reduce the amount of asphalt
III) provide a welcoming entrance to the development
IV) provide for a stronger connection between the stairs leading to Harris Park and the City sidewalks along the streets;
ii) design the westerly stairway as a more naturalized landscape solution to soften the experience and avoid blank brick walls. This stairwell should provide for a grand entrance feature between the development and the Park;
iii) final location and design of all vehicular accesses on-site, including service access;
iv) final location, design, and landscaping of publicly accessible spaces, including terraces, staircases, and walkways;
v) the final building design is to incorporate bird-friendly design features;
vi) the applicant is to work with the City of London with regards to compensation restoration to create a wetland and other natural features (ie forest), either on-site or within Harris Park; and,
vii) the final building design is to include a fully enclosed mechanical penthouse, clad in materials complementary to the building, to screen rooftop mechanical equipment and contribute positively to the skyline.
f) pursuant to Section 34(17) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, as determined by the Municipal Council, no further notice BE GIVEN in respect of the proposed by-law as the changes in building height and setback to the residential component of the building are minor in nature and the illustrations circulated in the Notice of Application and Notice of Public Meeting accurately depict the development as proposed;
it being pointed out that the Planning and Environment Committee reviewed and received the following communications with respect to this matter:
· a communication dated May 20, 2021, from C. Naismith, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 20, 2021, from D. McKillop, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 20, 2021, from R. Lacy, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 20, 2021, from K. Baker, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 20, 2021, from C. Ryan, by e-mail;
· communications dated May 20, 2021, from E. Rath, by e-mail;
· the staff presentation;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from C. Littlejohn, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from K. Kydd, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from U. Troughton, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from B. McQuaid, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from G. Hodder, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from M. Conklin, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from M. Young, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from M.A. Colihan, 191 Sherwood Avenue;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from B. Reilly and R. Shroyer, 574 Victoria Street;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from S. Skaith, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from S. Andrejicka, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 26, 2021, from M. Temme, 66 Palmer Street;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from M.L. Collins, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 26, 2021, from H. Guizzetti, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 26, 2021, from M. Rooks, by e-mail;
· a communication from M. Whalley, 39-250 North Centre Road;
· communications dated May 26, 2021, from A.M. Valastro, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from B. Spratley, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 25, 2021, from S. Shroyer, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 25, 2021, from C. Woolner, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 25, 2021, from K. Elgie, Chair, Board of Directors, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario;
· a communication dated May 25, 2021, from K. Peckham, Wide Eye Television Inc.;
· a communication dated May 25, 2021, from J. Grainger, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J. Devereux, 926 Colborne Street;
· a communication dated May 21, 2021, from P. and J. Wombwell, 174 Guildford Crescent;
· a communication dated May 21, 2021, from M. Romhanyi, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from S. Saunders, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J.C. Garnett, University Librarian Emeritus, Western University;
· a communication dated May 26, 2021, from S. Bentley, 34 Mayfair Drive;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from L. Brown, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from B. and S. Morrison, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from A. Martin, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from D. Rogers, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from S. Agranove, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J. Manness, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from N. Bol, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from A. Warren, Director of Operations, The Wedding Ring;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J. Farquhar, 383 St. George Street;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J. Hunten, 253 Huron Street;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J. and D. Surry, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from B. and H. Luckman, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from G. Nicodemo, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from K. and G. Patton, 20-50 Northumberland Road;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from S. Lunau, 1096 Kingston Avenue;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from J. Spencer, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 25, 2021, from K. McKeating, President, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario - London Region;
· a communication dated May 28, 2021, from A. Little, by e-mail;
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from D. Oates, by e-mail; and,
· a communication dated May 27, 2021, from C. Mellamphy, by e-mail;
it being pointed out that at the public participation meeting associated with these matters, the individuals indicated on the attached public participation meeting record made oral submissions regarding these matters;
it being further noted that the Municipal Council approves these applications for the following reasons:
• the recommended amendment is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020, which encourages land use patterns within settlement areas that provide for a range of uses and opportunities for intensification and redevelopment, as well as • enhancing the vitality and viability of downtowns and mainstreets;
• the recommended amendment conforms to the in-force policies of The London Plan, including but not limited to the Downtown Place Type and Key Directions;
• the recommended amendment conforms to the in-force policies of the 1989 Official Plan, including but not limited to the Downtown Area designation;
• the recommended amendment conforms to Our Move Forward: London’s Downtown Plan, by providing for a landmark development on an underutilized site;
• the recommended amendment secures units for affordable housing through the bonus zone; and,
• the recommended amendment facilitates the development of an underutilized site at an important location in the Built Area Boundary and Primary Transit Area. (2021-D09)