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1 GREATER TORONTO AREA EDITION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015 Vol. 18 No. 31 Prezoning Hamilton LRT corridor B-LINE BENEFITS By Edward LaRusic Action plan for Caledon SUSTAINABLE RETROFITS By Leah Wong With provincial funding in place, the City of Hamilton is aggressively seeking to capture the economic uplift of a new LRT route through its downtown by prezoning the corridor. There is no other city building initiative you can image that would be as significant as this one, city manager Chris Murray told council at the August 10 general issues committee meeting. With provincial funding committed, the 10.8-km B-line LRT is planned to run along King Street between McMaster University to the west and the Queenston Circle to the east. Staff is focussing on leveraging opportunities for economic development benefits associated with the line. Planning and economic development general manager Jason Thorne told the committee that staff want to prezone the corridor with minimum and maximum zoning standards. Meanwhile, staff wants to prevent any development that is incompatible with the LRT from going forward. There s a risk that development could come forward in the interim that could build on sites or build to a design that is not orientated to or supportive of transit. We don t want to lose these development opportunities, so it is our intent to bring Caledon council is considering a plan to build resiliency and improve the local environment in one of its mature neighbourhoods. Staff has recommended the town work with Peel Region and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to develop a Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan for the Jaffrey s Creek sub-catchment area. This is TRCA s sixth SNAP, following programs in Mississauga s Burnhamthorpe community and Brampton s County Court. Each program is tailored to a specific neighbourhood, and focuses on improvements to stormwater management, green building, natural heritage and active transportation, for example. SNAP is a model for the transformation of older neighbourhoods. It s meant to act as sort of a demonstration site or living lab to test approaches to working together on neighbourhood retrofits, TRCA project manager Shannon Logan told NRU. Through the program the partners can determine what barriers a municipality might face in implementing new initiatives and learn about how better to work with residents forward an interim control by-law. CONTINUED PAGE 4 > in the future. CONTINUED PAGE 6 > INSIDE GTHA rankings Res and multires property tax rates p 2 > Seeking design help Vision for Aurora cultural precinct wanted p 3 > Coordinating services Advisory group reports on community hubs p 7 > Economics Matters demographics construction economics planning impacts real estate markets expert testimony forecasting economics@altusgroup.com altusgroup.com

2 2 UPCOMING DATES AUGUST 12 Georgina Council, 7:00 p.m residential and multi-residential property taxes RATE CHANGES Brampton Council, 1:00 p.m. AUGUST 14 Hamilton Council, 9:30 a.m. AUGUST 18 Whitchurch-Stouffville Council, 7:00 p.m. AUGUST 19 Vaughan Heritage Committee, 7:00 p.m. AUGUST 24 Halton Hills Council, 6:30 p.m. King Council/Committee of the Whole, 6:00 p.m. Milton Council, 7:00 p.m. AUGUST 25 Aurora Council, 7:00 p.m. East Gwillimbury Committee of the Whole Council, 10:00 a.m. East Gwillimbury Council, 3:00 p.m. Oakville Heritage Committee, 9:30 a.m. AUGUST 31 Newmarket Committee of the Whole, 1:30 p.m. Scugog Council, 10:00 a.m. SEPTEMBER 1 Hamilton Planning Committee, 9:30 a.m. Whitchurch-Stouffville Council, 7:00 p.m. SEPTEMBER 2 Halton Region Planning & Public Works Committee, 9:30 a.m. Halton Region Administration & Finance Committee, 1:30 p.m. GREATER TORONTO AREA EDITION There were minimal changes to residential and multiresidential property tax rates across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, with the majority of municipalities posting rate decreases. Barrie was the only municipality to increase its residential and multiresidential tax rates, albeit by only per cent. Brock and Hamilton also slightly increased their minor multiresidential rates. Durham Region, led by Oshawa, had the highest residential tax rates in the GTHA for the fourth year in a row, while Toronto continues to have the lowest residential rates. Similar to the 2014 rankings, Hamilton again has the highest multiresidential tax rate in the GTHA this year, while York Region municipalities had the lowest rates. Look for the 2015 municipal commercial and industrial tax rates in the August 19 GTA edition of NRU. nru 2015 GTHA property tax rates Municipality Residential Multi-residential Rank % Rank % Oshawa Brock Hamilton Clarington Barrie Whitby Ajax Pickering Scugog Georgina Uxbridge Brampton Newmarket Aurora East Gwillimbury King Halton Hills Caledon Burlington Mississauga Whitchurch-Stouffville Oakville Vaughan Richmond Hill Markham Milton Toronto Ian A.R. Graham, Publisher iang@nrupublishing.com Lynn Morrow, Editor lynnm@nrupublishing.com Leah Wong Municipal Affairs Reporter leahw@nrupublishing.com Edward LaRusic Planning Reporter edwardl@nrupublishing.com Monica Silberberg Planning Researcher monicas@nrupublishing.com Jeff Payette Design/Layout jeffp@nrupublishing.com Irena Kohn Sales and Circulation irenak@nrupublishing.com SALES/SUBSCRIPTIONS circ@nrupublishing.com Annual subscription rate is $369 +HST (ON). Complimentary trial subscriptions are available. Advertising rates available upon request. NRU Greater Toronto Area Edition is not to be redistributed without the written consent of the publisher. NRU Greater Toronto Area Edition is published 50 times a year by by NRU Publishing Inc. NRU Publishing Inc. Editorial Office 26 Soho Street, Suite 330 Toronto, ON M5T 1Z7 Tel: Fax: Billings Department 34B McMurrich Street Toronto, ON M5R 2A2 Tel: Fax: ISSN CITY OF TORONTO GREA TER TORONTO VANCOUVER

3 3 Revitalizing downtown Aurora CULTURAL DESTINATION By Edward LaRusic Aurora council is expected to approve a plan for a new cultural precinct that the proponents say will help revitalize the downtown and create a new destination in York Region. Like many smaller municipalities, Aurora s downtown business area has been weakened by the proliferation of large retail centres on its borders. Councillor Michael Thompson told NRU that the creation of a cultural precinct could bring new vitality to the larger downtown and is long overdue, having been studied for more than 20 years. The thought was that we needed to get started on this so we can bring it before our [2016] council budget and start actually planning some of the improvements necessary. Thompson, along with councillor Tom Mrakas, expected council to approve their motion to hire a design firm to create a vision and conceptual plan for a new cultural precinct within the larger downtown at its meeting last night. Planning and development services director Marco Ramunno said the idea of a cultural precinct originates from the 2010 Aurora Promenade Urban Design Strategy. The strategy identified three blocks of the downtown for a new cultural precinct bounded by Mosley Street to the north, Church and Metcaffe streets to the south, Yonge Street to the west and Larmont Street to the east. It s really aligning the arts and heritage and cultural community in the area, Ramunno said. He noted that the three blocks are home to a number of public facilities including a public library, Town Park and the historic Aurora Armoury. Ramunno said that there are two town-owned properties in particular within the cultural precinct that have development potential: a former senior s centre and library at 52 and 56 Victoria Street respectively. Any plan, he said, would need to figure out the future of those buildings and create appropriate linkages to Yonge Street as well as new pedestrian connections to and from the various cultural facilities. Mrakas told NRU that the downtown isn t pedestrian friendly, and the lack of people has caused retail vacancies. Boundaries of potential cultural precinct in Aurora SOURCE: TOWN OF AURORA But he doesn t want a regular built-up downtown area, the same as anyone else. He wants to see something that can draw residents from across York Region. [Our direction is] almost giving a painter a blank canvas and saying paint that perfect picture for us, said Mrakas. We want to give [the consultant hired] everything we ve come up with over the last 20 years, and develop a plan that would be unique and special, and have that Aurora essence or style to it. If council agrees to establish a cultural district, Thompson will be asking staff to prepare a final report and plan for council consideration before the end of the year. nru N

4 4 B-LINE BENEFITS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The predominate zoning outside the downtown along the LRT corridor dates back to the 1950s and allows a variety of uses that include car dealerships, gas stations and single detached dwellings. Thorne said staff will craft the interim control by-law to prevent such developments from occurring until the new zoning by-law is in place. Staff will be looking at sites with an economic lens as a developer would, as well as examining issues such as parking, loading, transition and site access. Thorne said the goal of prezoning is to expedite development, alleviating the need for zoning by-law and official plan amendments and hopefully minor variances. I want to make sure that we re establishing zoning standards that are really based and grounded in a good understanding of what the market is and where the market lies. We don t want to take a broad brush to the corridor. We want to make sure it s reflective of true market conditions. Staff is currently working on new commercial and mixeduse zoning to implement the 2010 Hamilton official plan, but the work is not expected to finish until late 2016 or early In the meantime, staff will be fast tracking a zoning by-law for the B-line corridor, with work to begin this year. McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics researcher and PhD candidate Chris Higgins appeared before the committee in support of the LRT on behalf of the institute. He noted that Metrolinx expects an annual increase in taxable assessment of $61.83-million along the B-line. However, work on his PhD thesis suggests that high-density, mixed-use development around the B-line stations could result in a much larger economic windfall. If we really put our foot on the accelerator here and try to maximize what we can get from LRT and maximize the investment in LRT, maybe we should shoot for something higher. An uplift of 15 to 20 per cent in station areas would create an uplift of $261-million captured to the city [annually]. Planned $1.2-billion investment in Hamilton transit SOURCE: METROLINX While generally supportive of the LRT, several councillors raised concerns about affordability and traffic congestion that could result from increased density along the corridor. Ward 15 councillor Judi Patridge said the economic uplift is a red flag for her. She is concerned this means the gentrification of the corridor along the B-line which would push existing residents out of the neighbourhood. CONTINUED PAGE 5 > We have an exciting opportunity for a senior leader to manage, inspire and grow our Burlington office as an: Operational Director You will oversee our business operations within the Hamilton Halton marketplace, as part of MTE's senior management team.you will lead a team of 35 talented professionals in the civil, structural and environmental engineering disciplines. Further details on this position can be found on the Careers page of our website at MTE Consultants Engineers Scientists Surveyors

5 5 B-LINE BENEFITS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 What about the affordability factor? Our residents are already struggling under the tax base. Murray reminded council that staff has been directed to consider affordability in planning for future growth. We have a chance to look at some of the best housing policies that have been developed in this country... and really come up with what will be very thoughtful, well incentivized development along this corridor that speaks to all the needs of this community. Leading the charge on traffic concerns was ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead. He worried that new development paired with the loss of two lanes of traffic would cripple the movement of people and goods into the downtown. Critical of past traffic modelling efforts for projects such as the Red Hill Valley Parkway and Upper James Street, he said they ignored public input and diminished the potential for increased congestion. How do I go out to my community and convince them that the [traffic] modelling is correct when we ve gotten it so wrong in the past? Murray disagreed that the city has done a poor job of modelling traffic in the past. But assured the councillor that staff would hold public workshops help people understand how traffic modelling is done. Communication and engagement now that this project is very real is going to be critical... with past modelling efforts, I think they were quite instrumental in ensuring we made some critical infrastructure investments, and for the most part I believe we were fairly bang on in terms of what [staff was] predicting. In addition to land use and density, Throne said staff will be undertaking a downtown servicing strategy to ensure that any improvements needed to accommodate development occur when the LRT is being constructed. As well, streetscape guidelines and a public realm plan will be prepared to ensure that new development creates an active streetscape and is pedestrian friendly. An EA and 30 per cent of the design has been completed, although staff say there could be changes to the EA as the project moves forward. Metrolinx plans an extension to the B-line east to Eastgate Square at Centennial Parkway South, but this is currently unfunded. Funding for the B-line is part of a $1.2-billion provincial Hamilton transit investment package In May, the province announced $1.2-billion to create two rapid transit lines in Hamilton: the B-line, A-line, GO station expansion, new pedestrian path and maintenance and storage facility for trains and buses. The 2.3-km LRT known as the A-line is planned to run on James Street North between the waterfront and King Street. It will provide important connections to the new West Harbour GO Station and the waterfront. A new track and GO station in the Stoney Creek neighbourhood at Centennial Parkway, which is expected to be completed in 2019, will connect to the West Harbour GO Station. A pedestrian path connecting the Hamilton GO Station to King Street, where the A- and B-lines intersect is planned. Also, a new maintenance and storage facility for the LRT trains and buses will be built at 330 Wentworth Street. The city has hired transportation consultant Steer Davies Gleave to assist the city and Metrolinx with a conceptual design for the A-line as well as any EA work that is required. investment in Hamilton transit, which includes an additional, smaller LRT line, a new GO station, and other improvements. (See sidebar.) Metrolinx will be the project manager for all these projects. It is anticipated that the lines will be built through a publicprivate partnership, with the procurement process expected to being in 2017 and construction in The B-line LRT is estimated to be completed in While a memorandum of agreement between the city and Metrolinx is still in the works, the expectation is that Metrolinx will operate and maintain the line for 30 years. At the committee meeting, members agreed with staff recommendations to create an LRT office to coordinate with Metrolinx and stakeholders and an LRT council subcommittee to provide input and guidance on significant issues and decisions. nru

6 6 SUSTAINABLE RETROFITS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A key feature of the SNAP program that appealed to [the town] is its ability to serve as a means for effectively coordinating the implementation of multiple municipal and agency plans, priorities and recommendations into on-theground action, Caledon climate change coordinator Shannon Leigh Carto said in an to NRU. TRCA uses its experiences in other SNAP neighbourhoods to inform new programs. The Jaffrey s Creek area has been recommended as the next SNAP for a number of reasons. First, the area comprises mostly single-detached homes, which at 16 to 30 years old are prime candidates for indoor and outdoor water and energy conservation retrofits. There are a number of environmental issues in the area. Some residential properties have had flooding issues, which could be related to drainage problems, and the creek s flow and storage capacity has been impacted by in-stream erosion. Additionally Peel Region and the town have designated the neighbourhood as an urban tree planting priority area. Carto said this area also has opportunities for crossdepartmental cost-sharing to offset expenses related to urban renewal and community initiatives, plans and projects. The SNAP will take a comprehensive approach to looking at Jaffrey s Creek and the broader area around it, said Logan. We re looking at things like resolving some of the erosion or drainage issues and also tying into broader improvements in stormwater management, water balance, as well as, energy and water efficiency within the homes and businesses. The TRCA has learned through its other SNAP programs that the neighbourhoods selected need to have specific project priorities that align with existing municipal and watershed plans. There has to be a specific local priority identified that really acts as a driver, said Logan. She added that it also has to align with a capital project in Caledon s case the 2015 Drainage Study for Jaffrey s Creek and 2016 Stormwater Master Plan. To be successful the program also needs to be locally driven, with residents or groups that will act as champions for initiatives, and area gathering spaces where the partners can hold information sessions. Communities that are proposed for a SNAP also need to be receptive to a taking a new approach to long-standing issues. Logan said this might include a project where public and private sector landowners collaborate to achieve a retrofit solution. For example, if one partner is working alone on a particular issue at a particular site this SNAP model really offers another option to step back at a neighbourhood scale and bring landowners together to come up with different solutions that might not have happened otherwise, said Logan. The staff report recommends that staff work with the TRCA to submit a grant application to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund to pay for a portion of the $300,000 project. If the town receives $154,000 from FCM the remaining funding will come from the TRCA ($96,000) and the town ($50,000). If funding is committed the first phase of the SNAP will start in the winter, including the development of the plan and an implementation strategy. Caledon council was considering staff recommendations at its meeting yesterday, which was still underway at NRU s deadline. nru Stafford and the Goldman Group of Companies have over 80 years of combined development and construction experience having completed over 300 projects in Toronto and its environs. We are Urban Redevelopment specialists and are actively working on a plethora of high profile sites in various development stages. MANAGER, PLANNING AND LAND DEVELOPMENT An opening exists for an experienced planning and land use specialist focusing on a series of sites requiring Rezoning/ OPA/Site Plan etc. and will be reporting directly to Senior Management and Owners. The candidate must have a minimum of 3 to 4 years of direct work related experience in residential and mixed use developments in Ontario along with a University degree in Urban Planning. A fair compensation package will be made available. Please submit your resume to info@stafforddevelopments.com

7 7 GTA IN BRIEF Creating community hubs August 10, Premier Kathleen Wynne s Community Hub Framework Advisory Group chaired by Karen Pitre released a report to guide the creation of community hubs a public space that offers coordinated services such as education, healthcare and social services. The report, Community Hubs in Ontario: A Strategic Framework and Action Plan, is based on input from more than 350 organizations, stakeholders who met with the advisory group and an online survey that garnered over 400 responses. The report lays out an action plan with eight recommendations: creating a provincial lead for community hubs, fostering integrated service delivery, developing a provincial strategy for public properties, removing barriers and creating incentives, supporting integrated and long-term local planning, ensuring financial sustainability, increasing local capacity, and evaluating and monitoring outcomes. HALTON Restoration of the Smith Houses approved At its July 28 meeting, Oakville heritage advisory committee approved an application for the restoration of the Smith Houses located at 531 and 533 Kerr Street. The two buildings are designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act and were relocated within the same property in 2013 to face Shepherd Road. They are now in need of repair. First generation immigrants from Scotland built the houses in the early 20 th century. Severance allowed for heritage property At its July 28 meeting, Oakville heritage advisory committee approved a heritage by-law amendment to permit the severance of a portion of the site of the historic Broxstowe House at 474 Lakeshore Road East, 88 and 86 Park Avenue. The application proposes to create a new building lot fronting onto Lakeshore Road East. The retained portion of the site, which includes the designated heritage attributes, would become a flag lot with driveway access to Lakeshore Road East. The Broxstowe House was built in the 1920s and is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Historically it was used as a home for evacuated British children during World War II. YORK Landmark sign for Greenbelt route July 24, the 500 th Greenbelt cycling route sign was posted in the Township of King on Kettleby Road, just west of Keele Street. The route passes by the Old Feed Mill and the Main Street shops in Schomberg. There are currently 27 municipalities with signs along the 475-kilometre cycling route from Niagara to Northumberland. Supported by the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, the scenic route will contain 1,050 signs when complete. Addition to heritage building At its July 21 meeting, Whitchurch-Stouffville council approved a residential site plan application seeking construction of a one-storey addition and covered porch at 82 O Brien Avenue, within the town s heritage area. nru 500th Greenbelt route sign posted in King Township by mayor Steve Pellegrini and York Region transportation specialist Yvonne Kaczor SOURCE: YORK REGION

8 8 GTA OMB NEWS Townhouses approved in Richmond Hill In a July 21 decision, board member Maureen Carter-Whitney approved a settlement between the Town of Richmond Hill and Kevin Najafi and Ali Yousefi concerning a zoning by-law amendment to permit an 18-unit condominium townhouse at 329 and 343 Carrville Road. The two single-detached homes on the site are proposed to be demolished. The board heard evidence from planner Peter Favot (Peter Favot Architect Ltd.) and traffic engineer Jeff Mark (Mark Engineering) in support of the settlement. Favot said that the proposal conforms to the intensification objectives in the Growth Plan and York Region s official plan and provides a transitional form of housing in relation to adjacent areas. Mark s traffic impact study concluded that the proposed development would not have a significant impact on traffic flow in the area. While the study did not assess parking, Mark said that there appeared to be more than sufficient parking planned for the townhouses. The board agreed with the evidence presented by Favot and Mark and approved the settlement. Solicitors involved in this decision were Robert Jarvis representing Kevin Najafi and Ali Yousefi and Alexis Alyea representing the Town of Richmond Hill. (See OMB Case No. PL ) Oakville overturns COA decision In a July 15 decision, board member Helen Jackson allowed an appeal by the Town of Oakville against the committee of adjustment s approval of minor variances for Shorewood Properties Inc. Shorewood sought variances to allow a restaurant and a financial institution to occupy the entire building at 2035 Cornwall Road whereas the by-law only permits those uses to occupy 20 per cent of the total net floor area. CONTINUED PAGE 9 > Landmark Development Opportunity PORT CREDIT, ONTARIO, CANADA Imperial Oil is inviting developers to qualify to bid on the purchase of its lands at 70 MISSISSAUGA ROAD SOUTH The property consists of about 72.0 acres of land with about 1,800 feet of Lake Ontario frontage. The transaction would also include 15.7 acres of water lots. Lakeshore Road West Headlands Water Lot 70 Mississauga Road South, Mississauga Mississauga Road South Credit River Water Lot Lake Ontario Imperial Oil is seeking a purchaser that has the capacity and experience with complex remediation and redevelopment projects to successfully revitalize this property. All inquires regarding this property should be directed to N. Barry Lyon Consultants Limited, retained by Imperial Oil as process advisor. N. Barry Lyon Consultants Limited Mark Conway Scott Walker ext 201 ext 206 mark@nblc.com scott@nblc.com For additional information regarding this process, visit

9 9 GTA OMB NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Town planners Lesley Gill Woods and Joe Netherly testified that the proposal is not a minor deviation from the zoning by-law and would have the effect of changing the site designation from business and industrial to service commercial. They argued that it does not meet the intent and purpose of the official plan and zoning by-law. Planner Jim Levac (Weston Consulting Group Inc.) testified on behalf of Shorewood that the building is small and cannot accommodate many of the uses contemplated by the zoning by-law such as manufacturing or light industry. He said that the proposal is a desirable and appropriate development of the lands as the building was originally built for a bank. The board agreed with the evidence presented by the town planners and concluded that the proposal fails to meet all of the four tests for a minor variance set out in the Planning Act. The board allowed the appeal by the town and did not authorize the variances. Solicitors involved in this decision were Nadia Chandra representing the Town of Oakville and Jennifer Meader (WeirFoulds LLP) representing Shorewood Properties Inc. (See OMB Case No. PL ) Garage variances settled In a July 15 decision, board member Jason Chee-Hing allowed an appeal by John Bradley against the City of Mississauga committee of adjustment s refusal to grant minor variances for his property at 2076 Almira Court. Bradley sought three variances to permit an addition to the existing two-car garage, increase driveway width and add a walkway to the proposed driveway. The board was informed at the outset of the hearing that the parties had reached a settlement and the requested variances had been revised and were subject to conditions. City planner David Ferro provided evidence in support of the settlement and said that the scale of the variances had been reduced from the original application. Ferro testified that the proposed three-car garage is in character with the other homes in the neighbourhood and the requested variances meet the four tests in the Planning Act. Neighbour Peter Giurlanda spoke at the hearing in opposition to the appeal saying that the proposed garage addition would detract from his view and result in the loss of open space between the side yards. The board found that the impact of this garage addition to Giurlanda is not adverse nor is it unacceptable. Agreeing with the evidence by Ferro, the board approved the settlement adding another condition that requires Bradley to prepare a landscape plan which would include planting a row of trees between his and Giurlanda s property. Solicitors involved in this decision were Gerald Swinkin (Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP) representing John Bradley and Raj Kehar representing the City of Mississauga. (See OMB Case No. PL ) nru THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY Join more than 1,450 member companies across the GTA Be represented at all levels of government GTA PEOPLE Fareed Amin has been appointed Walton Global Investments public policy senior vice president for Ontario. Amin served in the public sector for more than 26 years, most recently as the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs deputy minister.