Redevelopment of Ajax Plaza Area Public Open House Meeting February 19, 2015 Questions and Answers

Transcription

1 Redevelopment of Ajax Plaza Area Public Open House Meeting February 19, 2015 Questions and Answers Redevelopment of Ajax Plaza Area Why is the redevelopment of the Ajax Plaza important to the revitalization of Downtown Ajax? The redevelopment of the Ajax Plaza is another important step in achieving the Town s vision of a true downtown for Ajax - a mixed use, pedestrian oriented, transit supportive district. Along with current projects such as the retrofit of the Ajax Steam Plant and Medallion s Vision at Pat Bayly Square, the redevelopment of the Ajax Plaza is necessary to restore economic growth and establish a welcoming and vibrant environment in the downtown area making the area a community destination once again. The Ajax Plaza has been in existence since the early 50 s. Why develop it now? The revitalization of Ajax Plaza has long been a priority of Ajax Councils. The Ajax Plaza was originally built to serve a community of up to 25,000 people. At the time, the Plaza was the commercial heart of the community. However, with increasing competition from other retail centres, the closure of the Harwood/401 interchange, and a growing population of over 120,000, the Plaza no longer functions as the Town s primary commercial location. As a result, the condition of the site has deteriorated considerably, making redevelopment necessary. Why did the Town select Windcorp Developments Limited to lead the redevelopment of Ajax Plaza with Grand Harwood Place? The Windcorp team has a track record of working on large urban development projects in the Greater Toronto Area and elsewhere, and has demonstrated a solid understanding and support for the Town s Downtown vision. Does the Grand Harwood Place site plan match the Town s vision for the Ajax Plaza? The Grand Harwood Place site plan is unique in that it truly does bring to life the Town s vision for the Ajax Plaza. Specifically, it meets design and technical aspects, introduces change in a way that responds positively to its surroundings while setting the stage for future improvements. The finalization and approval of the site plan by Ajax Council will be an important milestone for the redevelopment of the Ajax Plaza. We will finally have a comprehensive plan to guide the redevelopment. The next critical step will be for Windcorp to secure 85% in sales to see the development through.

2 Grand Harwood Place Development What are the general timelines for Grand Harwood Place project? February 19, 2015 Public Open House Meeting. March 10, 2015 Committee of Adjustment Meeting. April 7, 2015 Community Affairs and Planning Committee Meeting to seek Council s endorsement of the Grand Harwood Place Project. July 15, 2015 Windcorp must meet Economic Feasibility Condition. Expected Completion Date 24 to 30 months after commencement of construction. How is the development of Ajax Plaza going to be phased? It is a Town desire to seek redevelopment of the entire plaza, but since there are 30 individual land owners, a complete redevelopment approach is neither practical nor economical. Initial development will be focused at the centre of the Plaza. The Town-owned parking lot will be developed first as Phase 1A, which will include a 10- storey, mixed-use building consisting of 2, 6-storey residential condominium towers on a 4- stoery podium. A total of 337 residential condominium units are proposed and between 5,400 m 2 and 6,500 m 2 of retail/office floor space. The proposal also includes 2 1/2 levels of underground parking, 2,370 m 2 of private outdoor amenity space and a number of sustainability initiatives. The construction timeframe will be determined once 85% sales has been achieved. Future phases will be determined only when this phase has been significantly completed. When will the work along Station Street be completed? The work along the south side of Station Street will be completed in April/May of These works will coincide with the start of the construction of the sales pavilion. When will the sales pavilion be built? Sales pavilion construction is expected to begin in May of The sales pavilion will take approximately 4 months to construct. What is the temporary and permanent parking solution during and after Phase 1A is built? While a development of this nature will cause some disruption, plans are in place to ensure that impacts are minimized. This includes temporary parking that will allow customers access to businesses. Prior to the start of construction, building a temporary parking plan will be put in place by the developer along the existing drive aisles (future Streets A, B, C, and D ) adjacent to the Ajax Plaza storefronts. Upon completion of the development a permanent

3 parking plan will be implemented, which will provide on-street parallel parking along both sides of these future streets. This permanent parking layout will be public parking. What safety and security measures will be taken to ensure safety of customers and employees? Similar to redevelopment projects in other downtown areas, security fencing, safety hoarding, signage and safe access will be provided to ensure the safety and accessibility of customers and employees of nearby businesses while construction is underway. Will transit service be affected? As of June 2013, transit service to the Ajax GO Station was taken over by Durham Transit. GO bus service will only be provided along Highway 2. A future bus stop will be directly accessible from Harwood Avenue. Surrounding surface routes will be unaffected. How will this development impact traffic? Harwood Avenue can accommodate the additional traffic anticipated by this development. Improvements have already been made along Station Street to enhance the functionality to the plaza. This will help alleviate traffic congestion at the corner and provide greater safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at this key intersection. I may want to sell my property, who do I contact? Windcorp has retained the 3rd party services of DTZ Barnicke to conduct appraisals which will be relied upon for the purposes of arriving at fair market value. In addition, Windcorp has retained Cushman Wakefield Ltd. to assist with the negotiations. If you are interested in selling your property, please contact the Ajax Business team at or priority@ajax.ca What if I do not want to sell my property? Whether you decide to stay or sell is a business decision. However, three buildings at the south end of the Plaza will need to be removed to allow for roads and servicing. An amicable sale is always preferable but the Town maintains its right of expropriation as necessary. Can I relocate my business? There may be an opportunity for your business to relocate into the new building. Retail and office space will available in the first Grand Harwood Place building at market rents. Please contact the Ajax Business Development team to discuss your options at or priority@ajax.ca.

4 Ajax Downtown Road Network Improvements Environmental Assessment Study Why is the Town undertaking an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Ajax Downtown? The Town s Official Plan and Transportation Master Plan Update have identified the need for new east-west roads within the downtown to: Improve vehicle and pedestrian connectivity Facilitate the goals for the downtown including intensification, pedestrian orientation, transit support and growth The EA provides a process to evaluate various alternatives to accomplish these goals by using set criteria and input from stakeholders to select the best alternative(s). If Grand Harwood Place is already designed, why is the EA still happening? Aren t the road locations already known? The Town is working closely with the developer of Grand Harwood Place to create a plan that accomplishes the above. However, the EA will review the larger study area and create a long term plan for the Ajax Plaza. If for some reason Grand Harwood Place is not constructed, will new roads still be constructed? Yes, the Official Plan and Transportation Master Plan (TMP) have already identified the needs for new roads. These roads are required to fulfill the long term goals of the Town. Will the Town expropriate my land? The property owners that are directly impacted by the municipal roads to be constructed will be offered a fair market value for their land either by the developer for GHP or by the Town. An amicable sale is always preferable but the Town will maintain its right of expropriation as necessary. Where exactly will the roads be located? Will there be new traffic signals at the new intersections? Various design options will be developed using engineering design standards. These options will be evaluated during the next phase Phase 3 of the EA and there will be a second Public Information Centre to obtain input on these designs before the final design decisions are made. When will the roads be constructed? Construction of any roads included in the first phase of the GHP development is expected to start in The remaining roads will likely not be constructed for at least five years.

5 Won t the proposed development make traffic worse in the Study Area? The traffic analysis has identified that for the most part intersections in the area are functioning satisfactorily. However, there are some locations, particularly the gateway locations (Harwood and Station for example) that have particular movements that have higher delay. Various traffic improvements, including providing improved traffic signal phasing and timing, reducing the number and location of driveways and providing new roadways are designed to improve overall operations and provide more opportunities to circulate around and through the area. The Town s TMP, identifies strategies to accommodate additional traffic generated by the new Grand Harwood Place development. These strategies include Transportation Demand Management (TDM) efforts that are designed to reduce the reliance on single occupant vehicles, as well as encouraging greater active transportation. The land uses proposed in the downtown will include mixed-use development that provides the opportunity to have a greater number of employees live and work in the downtown without the need to drive from home to work. While there will be a net increase in trips generated in the downtown, over time a greater share of these trips will be by non-automobile modes. How will pedestrians and cyclists be accommodated in the Study Area? A complete streets approach to design of new and improved streets is proposed in the Town s TMP. This approach includes designing road rights-of-way to accommodate the needs of all road users. Harwood Ave, Station St and Hunt St have been identified to include bicycle lanes, and future cycling facilities will be accommodated onsite to tie into the broader Ajax cycling and pedestrian networks. The proposed development will include frontages which are accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. Transit service improvements and links to the GO station and other areas of the Town are also proposed as part of a balanced approach to serving the future travel needs to and from downtown Ajax. How can I be involved in the design? Be sure to sign in and leave your contact information so that we can add you to our contact list. Fill out a comment sheet to ensure that your issues are considered in the design. Attend the next PIC meeting, likely in the spring of Check out our website for future updates at

6 Zoning By-law Amendment Application Z3/13 What is the purpose of the rezoning application to permit retail uses on the lands generally bound by Commercial Ave, Mills Rd, Station St. and Hunt St.? The purpose of permitting retail uses on the subject lands is to provide existing Retail Stores located within the Ajax Plaza an opportunity to relocate while redevelopment of the Ajax Plaza occurs. The additional retail opportunities will also serve the growing downtown Ajax population. I own lands located within the Commercial Ave, Mills Rd, Station St, and Hunt St block, can I have multiple Retail Stores on my property with a combined gross leasable floor area of 4,645 m² (50,000 ft²) or more? If the by-law is adopted, you would be permitted to have multiple Retail Stores on one property provided that none of the individual Retail Stores exceed a maximum gross leasable floor area of 4,645 m² (50,000 ft²). Why limit individual Retail Stores to a maximum gross leasable floor area of 4,645 m²? The goal of the downtown is to create a vibrant, intensive and pedestrian friendly environment. By limiting the maximum size of individual Retail Stores the goal is to create more store fronts that interact with the street, avoiding large retail warehouses with large uninterrupted walls and expansive parking lots.