KANATA CENTRUM 255 KANATA AVENUE OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT

Transcription

1 KANATA CENTRUM 255 KANATA AVENUE OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT JUNE 2015

2 PREPARED BY: FOTENN Consultants Inc. 223 Mcleod Street Ottawa, ON K2P OZ8 (613) PREPARED FOR: Kanata Entertainment Holdings 570 Kanata Avenue Kanata, ON K2T 1K5

3 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE INTRODUCTION FOTENN Consultants Inc. has been engaged by Kanata Entertainment Holdings Inc. to assess the appropriateness of a proposed two (2)-storey mixed-use building along Kanata Avenue in the Kanata Centrum Shopping Centre ( Centrum ). The lands ( Subject Site ), are located in the west Ottawa community of Kanata, west of Lord Byng Way and known municipally as 255 Kanata Avenue (Figure 1). FIGURE 1: SITE LOCATION The proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications will permit the development of the Subject Site with approximately 2,500 m 2 (27,000 ft 2 ) of retail and office uses. The retail uses will be contained on the ground floor while the office use will be located above on the second floor. The development will occupy space currently used for surface parking serving uses on the Centrum lands. 2.0 DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS 2.1 OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT The Official Plan Amendment seeks to amend the Kanata Town Centre Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan designates the Subject Site as Regional Shopping Centre-3 (RSC-3), which seeks to establish a high-density office employment area with the potential for high density residential uses and a limited amount of retail and services uses on the ground floor level of an office or residential structure. The RSC-3 designation further requires that the main entry for each use to be from Kanata Avenue.

4 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE It is FOTENN s opinion that the applicable policies do not reflect the character of the area today and requires design options that are not feasible or realistic. The proposed development generally meets the intent of the overall designation and is more reflective of an evolution of the current context with the future development of the site. As such, the following amendments to the Secondary Plan are requested: To permit Retail as the primary use and Office as the secondary use; To permit the primary entry from the Centrum instead of Kanata Avenue. 2.2 ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT The Zoning By-law Amendment seeks to amend the provisions of the City s Comprehensive Zoning By-law , which currently zones the site Mixed-Use Centre Subzone 10 (MC10), in line with the RSC-3 designation in the Secondary Plan. 3.0 SUBJECT SITE AND SURROUNDING CONTEXT The Subject Site is located within the northwest quadrant of the Centrum. More specifically, the lands are bounded by Kanata Avenue, an entrance into the Centrum, as well as parking and additional commercial building serving the shopping centre. The site is currently occupied by parking and some landscaping bordering the parking area. Surrounding land uses include: North: Immediately north of the site is Kanata Avenue, which is roughly a full storey elevated above the grade of the Subject Site. Further north is a large vegetated area as well as the Forest Hill Long Term Care Home. East: To the east is a parking area serving the Centrum and a Holiday Inn. Further east is the Queensway/Trans-Canada Highway. South: The Subject Site is bordered to the south by a more recently built single-storey Milestones restaurant and associated parking. Further south are additional retail buildings which include a CIBC Bank Branch, a Home Outfitters and Pet Smart store. West: Tot the west is additional parking and landscaped area similar to the Subject Site. 4.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT As depicted in the Concept Plan (see Appendix A) and the Site Plan, the Subject Site is proposed to be developed as a retail/office building with 1,848 m 2 (19,895 ft 2 ) of retail at grade and 659 m 2 (7,090 ft 2 ) of office above on the second floor. The retail portion will

5 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE be divided into three (3) separate units. Parking will be provided from the existing parking areas of the Centrum and a new loading area will be provided at the southeast corner of the building. The development will be modern in design with a variety of materials being employed and heavy fenestration. The opportunities for future entrances off Kanata Avenue, along with smaller retail occupancies has been factored into the design through building elevation variations and secondary entrances. The building itself will measure a maximum of 63.4 metres in width and 35.4 metres in depth with an overall height of 11.0 metres (30 feet). 5.0 REVIEW OF POLICY AND REGULATORY DOCUMENTS 5.1 CITY OF OTTAWA OFFICIAL PLAN CITY OF OTTAWA OFFICIAL PLAN (2003, CONSOLIDATED) The City of Ottawa Official Plan designates the Subject Site, Mixed-Use Centre and Town Centre (Figure 2) in Schedule B: Urban Policy Plan of the Official Plan. No additional policy information is provided for Town Centre area, however lands within the Mixed-Use Centre designation are strategically located on the rapid-transit network, adjacent to major roads, and act as focal points of activity both locally and regionally. They are integral to the City s strategy of accommodating growth and are intended to support intensification to achieve compact and mixed-use development. Intensification in Mixed- Use Centres will support the public transit system, create an essential community focus, allow for minimum travel, and minimize disruption in existing stable neighbourhoods. Transit-supportive land uses are permitted in the Mixed Use Centre designation, including: offices, schools, hotels, hospitals, large institutional buildings, community recreation and leisure centres, daycare centres, retail uses, entertainment uses, services, high- and medium-density residential uses and mixed-use development involving any of the above.

6 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE FIGURE 2: OFFICIAL PLAN DESIGNATIONS EMPLOYMENT AREA MIXED USE CENTRE SUBJECT SITE GENERAL URBAN AREA MAJOR OPEN SPACE CITY OF OTTAWA OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 150 (DECEMBER 2013) In 2013, the City of Ottawa reviewed its Official Plan which resulted in numerous changes to policy references and to land use designations. OPA 150 was recently approved by both Ottawa City Council and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The OPA is currently under appeal. Though not in full force and effect, all new applications must have regard for the revised policies of OPA 150. This section summarizes the applicable revised policies. Section Mixed-Use Centres and Town Centres. This section has been amended to include policies regarding Town Centres and discusses the role of Mixed-Use Centres and Town Centres both independently and in tandem. The general direction of Section is maintained with further emphasis on the central role these areas play within their respective neighbourhoods and the city at large. OPA 150 emphasizes that in the long term, the centres will become complete, liveable

7 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE communities that attract people for the jobs, leisure, and business opportunities they provide anchored by rapid transit. Compared with Mixed-Use Centres, the Town Centres are more diverse and have a larger role as centres for the communities around them, offering close-to-home opportunities for shopping, leisure and other activities. Ultimately, both Town Centres and Mixed-Use Centres will become more transitsupportive destinations through intensification and development of vacant land. The policies of the revised Section support a broad variety of land uses at transitsupportive densities, such as offices, hotels, retail uses, entertainment uses, and services such as restaurants. The policies also encourage these uses in mixed-use development. The proposed development is for a mixed-use retail and office development located on lands formerly occupied by surface parking. The proposed development further encourages the use of transit with the variety of uses available at the Kanata Town Centre. The proposal maintains the policies of OPA 150 and is supported by Section FORMER CITY OF KANATA TOWN CENTRE SITE SPECIFIC POLICIES Prior to amalgamation, the former City of Kanata established site specific policies for the Kanata Town Centre. Policies sought to establish the Town Centre as an active, vibrant core area containing a diverse mix of urban uses arranged in a form and a scale, which is both human and appropriate to its function. Schedule B-1 designate the Subject Site as Regional Shopping Centre-3 (RSC-3) which aims to provide a Major Urban Facility as well as a broad range of services and other central-place activities, high density employment and some high density residential development. The RSC-3 designation establishes the following site specific policies: This designation is intended to be a high density office employment area with the potential for high density residential uses and a limited amount of retail and service uses on the ground-floor level of an office or residential structure. The retail and service uses shall be oriented to, and the main entry for each use shall be from, Kanata Avenue, the common pedestrian-vehicular way which extends in a southerly direction from the proposed intersection of Main Street and Kanata Avenue, Earl Grey Drive or Lord Byng Way, or by means of a lobby which has its entry from one of these streets. This area is intended as a transitional area from the Central Business District and the Main Street area on the north side of Castlefrank Road to the RSC-2 area to the south. It is intended that this designation shall contribute to achieving the level of employment development that is contemplated for the Kanata Town Centre in this Official Plan. In order to relate the retail and service uses to the primary office and residential uses intended for the RSC-3 lands, and achieve a transition from the

8 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE CBD lands to the RSC-2 lands, the implementing zoning by-law shall establish a maximum unit size for all retail and service uses in the RSC-3 designation, except for retail and services uses which are related to an operated by the primary occupants of the office building in which they are located. Free standing buildings containing retail and services uses such as those located in the RSC-1 area are not permitted in this area. FIGURE 3: KANATA TOWN CENTRE SECONDARY PLAN Despite the desire for development to front onto Castlefrank (now Kanata Avenue), this does not serve a functional purpose due to the significant grade change between the site and Kanata Avenue. Furthermore, at this time, there is no activity along Kanata Avenue, with no sidewalk along the southern side of Kanata Avenue and no on street parking. Additionally, there is over 20 metres of separation between the lot line and the edge of the asphalt on Kanata Avenue, thus creating a very harsh and unrealistic environment for retail uses. As such, the proposed development is mainly oriented toward the Centrum, focusing on building a denser and more urban environment within the shopping centre. The building design has incorporated flexibility into the Kanata Avenue frontage to allow for smaller retail occupancies and entrances from the north in the future.

9 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE CITY OF OTTAWA COMPREHENSIVE ZONING BY-LAW ( ) The Subject Site is zoned Mixed-Use Centre Subzone 10 (MC10) in the City of Ottawa Comprehensive Zoning By-law ( ) (Figure 4). Subzone 10 identifies specific provisions for development within this zone. FIGURE 4: ZONING MAP The MC zoning permits a wide range of uses including retail and office uses, however subzone 10 requires that any retail uses located within an office building, must be located on the ground floor closest to the level of the finished grade of Castlefrank Road (now Kanata Avenue). The purpose of the MC zone is to: 1) Ensure that the areas designated Mixed-Use Centres in the Official Plan accommodate a combination of transit-supportive uses such as offices, secondary and post secondary schools, hotels, hospitals, large institutional buildings, community recreation and leisure centres, day care centres, retail uses, entertainment uses, services uses such as restaurants and personal service businesses, and high- and medium-density residential uses; 2) Allow the permitted uses in a compact and pedestrian-oriented built form in mixed-use buildings or side by side in separate buildings; and 3) Impose development standards that ensure medium to high profile development while minimizing its impact on surrounding residential areas.

10 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE The uses permitted in within the MC zone include but not limited to: Animal care establishment Apartment dwelling, low-rise Apartment dwelling, mid-high rise Bank Bar Cinema Drive-through facility Instructional facility Office Retail store Service and repair shop Small batch brewery Training centre As noted previously, Subzone MC10 limits the following uses to the ground floor closest to the level of the finished grade of Castlefrank Road (Kanata Avenue) of a building containing a broadcasting studio, an office, a production studio, a research and development centre, a residential use or a technology industry, and that each individual use does not exceed 200 m2 in gross leasable floor area (GFA): Animal care establishment Bar Convenience store Instructional facility Personal service business Post office Restaurant, fast food or full service Retail food store Retail store Service and repair shop Small batch brewery Table 1: Zoning Conformity for Proposed Development Provision Requirement (based on MC10 zone) Proposed Compliance ( or ) Minimum Lot Width (m) Minimum Lot Area (m²) No minimum N/A No minimum N/A

11 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE Provision Requirement (based on MC10 zone) Proposed Compliance ( or ) Maximum Building Height within 3 m of Kanata Avenue (m) Minimum Front Yard Setback (m) Minimum Rear Yard Setback (m) Minimum Corner Side Yard Setback (m) Minimum Interior Side Yard Setback (m) No minimum N/A No minimum N/A No minimum N/A No minimum N/A Minimum Building Separation on a Lot Between Main Buildings (m) Maximum GFA of Retail Use (m 2 ) ,843 Minimum Width of Landscape Area No minimum, except that where a yard is provided and not used for required driveways, aisles, parking, loading spaces or outdoor commercial patio, the whole yard must be landscaped.

12 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE Provision Requirement (based on MC10 zone) Proposed Compliance ( or ) Front Yard Setback for Surface Parking (m) 3 (from Kanata Ave) 3 Minimum Parking Space Rates Within 600 m of a Rapid Transit Station (Section 101) Maximum Parking Space Rate Within 600 m of a Rapid Transit Station (Section 103) 3.4/100 m 2 (1445 spaces) 4.0/100 m 2 (1700) Existing Non-conforming Loading Space (Section 113) 2 1 Driveway Width (Section 107) Aisle Width (Section 107) Bicycle Parking (Section 111) 6.7 m for double lane traffic For 90 degree parking spaces 6.7 m 1 per 250 m 2 of GFA (12) 6.7 m 6.7-9m 12 spaces When the zoning for the Centrum shopping centre was established, a very specific vision existed for the site with larger visions for the surrounding area as well. With this in mind, the specific zoning for the Subject Site seeks to establish a vision that has not come to fruition. The intent appears to place the emphasis along Kanata Avenue, however at this point in time Kanata Avenue is not an appropriate commercial/retail thoroughfare, particularly due to the topographical challenges facing this particular site and lack of development on the north side of the roadway. For these reasons, fully orienting the newly proposed uses to Kanata Avenue is not a viable option. The existing zoning further restricts the floor area of retail uses on the Subject Site. The intent of this restriction was to specify a range of uses different from that of the

13 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE remaining Centrum. Though the proposal exceeds the area of retail uses, the intent for a mix of uses at Centrum is maintained. Though modest in size, the proposed office use adds to the variety of uses in the area and adds an additional transit supportive use in the area. The reduced office space also reflects the changing context in Kanata where more recent office development has been located along March Road. As such, the proposal reflects the present context while adding to the variety of uses available at the Centrum and around the Terry Fox Rapid Transit Station. The proposed development, providing intensification of this area of the Centrum, allows for a logical stepping stone to further intensification of the Centrum in the future. The proposed development meets the vast majority of the applicable zoning provisions The required amendment seek to permit the development of a mixed-use development consistent with the existing Centrum development and in keeping with the general intent of the Mixed-Use Centre designation in the Zoning By-law to develop transit supportive uses within easy walking distance to a rapid transit station. 6.0 CONCLUSIONS The proposed development complies with the applicable policy and regulatory framework, as described below: The Subject Site is designated Mixed-Use Centre and Town Centre in the City of Ottawa Official Plan (2003, Consolidated). The mixed-use retail/office use proposed for the Subject Site is consistent with the policies of the Official Plan. Official Plan Amendment 150 maintains the Mixed-Use Centre and Town Centre designation with refined wording additional policies specific to Town Centres. The proposal continues to support the policies of OPA 150 with the addition of transitsupportive uses. The Subject Site is designated Regional Shopping Centre 3 in the Former City of Kanata Kanata Town Centre Site Specific Policies. The site specific policies established specific development provisions for the site including orienting the main uses toward Castlefrank Avenue (now Kanata Avenue) and seek to establish primarily office uses within the portion of the Centrum. The proposed development does not meet the site specific policies as the vision established in the Site Specific Polices has not developed due to a variety of factors. The Proposal office space and is oriented toward the existing commercial/retail area and toward the Rapid Transit Station. The intensification of the northern portion of the Centrum will assist in triggering further intensification in the vicinity of Kanata Avenue. The Subject Site is zoned Mixed-Use Centre Subzone 10 (MC10) in the City of Ottawa Comprehensive Zoning By-law ( ). The MC zoning seeks to accommodate a range of transit-supportive uses in close proximity to Rapid Transit Stations. Subzone 10 implements site specific provisions to help implement the Site Specific Policies. As noted, the proposal reflects the changing context

14 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE around the Centrum, and is in line with the development of the Centrum and Kanata at large. Although the Amendment seeks to change some provisions such as permitting a retail gross floor area greater than 200 m 2 and entrances oriented away from Kanata Avenue, the proposal continues to meet the intent of the Bylaw by introducing additional transit supportive uses with both retail and office space within close walking distance to a Rapid Transit Station. Based on the above analysis, the proposed development represents, in our professional opinion, good planning and is in the public interest. Carl Furney, MCIP RPP AICP Senior Planner FOTENN Consultants Inc. Michael Szilagyi, MCIP RPP Planner FOTENN Consultants Inc.

15 255 KANATA AVENUE PLANNING RATIONALE JUNE 2015 APPENDIX A: PROPOSED CONCEPT PLAN

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