Planning Rationale in Support of an Application for Zoning By-law Amendment

Planning Rationale in Support of an Application for Zoning By-law Amendment 4845 Bank Street City of Ottawa Prepared by: Holzman Consultants Inc. Land Development Consultants March 16, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Site Overview & History 1 3.0 Development Concept 3 4.0 Planning Context 4 4.1 Provincial Policy Statement 4 4.2 Official Plan 7 4.3 City of Ottawa Zoning By-law 12 5.0 Technical Studies and Plans 15 6.0 Planning Analysis 16 6.1 Conformity with the Provincial Policy Statement 16 6.2 Conformity with the Official Plan 16 6.4 Proposed Zoning 18 7.0 Locational Attributes 19 8.0 Summary and Conclusions 19 9.0 Draft By-law Amendment 20 EXHIBITS A Aerial Photo 1 B Existing Conditions Plan 2 C Site Photo 2 D Urban Boundary Overlay 3 E City of Ottawa Official Plan Schedule A 7 F City of Ottawa Official Plan Schedule J 10 G City of Ottawa Official Plan Schedule H 11 I Zoning Map 12

1.0 Introduction Holzman Consultants Inc. ( HCI ) has been retained by Patricia Rougier (the Applicant ) to prepare a planning rationale in support of a zoning by-law amendment to allow additional rural commercial uses at 4845 Bank Street (the Subject Property ). No site works are being proposed at this time. The Planning Rationale provides a review of the relevant policies in the Provincial Policy Statement, the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law of the City of Ottawa in the context of the Application as well as the justification for the proposal. The summary and conclusions indicate that there is justification for the rezoning of the Subject Property as the intentions would be consistent with Provincial Policies, would conform to the Official Plan, and is an appropriate use of the lands. 2.0 Site Overview & History Exhibit A : Aerial Photo (2011), Subject Property outlined in red The Subject Property consists of a parcel of land located along the east side of Bank Street, south of the Findlay Creek subdivision and Blais Road and north of Rideau Road (just outside of the urban boundary). The Subject Property is rectangular in shape and has a lot area of approximately 1,777.10m2. 1

Exhibit B : Existing Conditions Plan, Fieldstone Engineering Inc., 2015 The Subject Property is legally described as CON 5 RF W PT LOT 22 RP; 4R-8862 PARTS 2 & 3 and is denoted as PIN 043260014. Exhibit C : Site Photo 2

The existing dwelling has 2 storeys and is currently accessed via a driveway from Bank Street (see Exhibit C : Site Photo). The dwelling is serviced by partial services that include municipal water and a private sewage disposal system. Exhibit D : Urban Boundary (coloured in purple), Subject Property outlined in red Immediately north of the Subject Property is a single family dwelling. To the east and south is vacant land. To the west across Bank Street is a single family dwelling. The urban boundary ends directly across the street, encompassing a large development reserve zone to the north-west which is the site of future residential development. A number of institutional and commercial uses are located in proximity to the Subject Property to the north and south along Bank Street, including a car dealership, automobile parts sales facility, Montessori School and RV dealership to the south as well as a hardware store and Hindu Temple to the north. There are additional rural commercial uses scattered along Bank Street. A quarry is located to the south-east, with the closest boundary approximately 330m away. 3.0 Development Concept The purpose of the zoning by-law amendment is to expand the permitted uses to include rural commercial uses. The site is currently zoned Rural Countryside (RU) which permits a small number of rural based residential and non-residential land uses. The proposed zone is the Rural Commercial Subzone 1. There are no site works currently proposed. 3

4.0 Planning Context 4.1 Provincial Policy Statement According to the Provincial Policy Statement ( PPS ), the vision for Ontario s land use planning system is to carefully manage land to ensure appropriate development to satisfy current and future needs. Land planning must promote efficient use of land and resources which are appropriate for and efficiently use infrastructure and public service facilities. The managing and directing of land use to achieve efficient development should accommodate an appropriate range and mix of residential, employment, open space and multi-modal transportation to meet long term needs. The PPS ultimately aims to encourage communities that are economically strong and environmentally sound and that foster social well-being. Section 1.1.1 of the PPS indicates that; Healthy, liveable and safe communities are sustained by: a. promoting efficient development and land use patterns which sustain the financial well-being of the Province and municipalities over the long term; b. accommodating an appropriate range and mix of residential (including second units, affordable housing and housing for older persons), employment (including industrial and commercial), institutional (including places of worship, cemeteries and long-term care homes), recreation, park and open space, and other uses to meet long-term needs; c. avoiding development and land use patterns which may cause environmental or public health and safety concerns; d. avoiding development and land use patterns that would prevent the efficient expansion of settlement areas in those areas which are adjacent or close to settlement areas; e. promoting cost-effective development patterns and standards to minimize land consumption and servicing costs; f. improving accessibility for persons with disabilities and older persons by identifying, preventing and removing land use barriers which restrict their full participation in society; g. ensuring that necessary infrastructure, electricity generation facilities and transmission and distribution systems, and public service facilities are or will be available to meet current and projected needs; and h. promoting development and land use patterns that conserve biodiversity and consider the impacts of a changing climate. Section 1.1.4 refers to rural areas within municipalities. Section 1.1.4.1 states: Healthy, integrated and viable rural areas should be supported by: a. building upon rural character, and leveraging rural amenities and assets; b. promoting regeneration, including the redevelopment of brownfield sites; c. accommodating an appropriate range and mix of housing in rural settlement areas; d. encouraging the conservation and redevelopment of existing rural housing stock on rural lands; e. using rural infrastructure and public service facilities efficiently; 4

f. promoting diversification of the economic base and employment opportunities through goods and services, including value-added products and the sustainable management or use of resources; g. providing opportunities for sustainable and diversified tourism, including leveraging historical, cultural, and natural assets; h. conserving biodiversity and considering the ecological benefits provided by nature; and i. providing opportunities for economic activities in prime agricultural areas, in accordance with policy 2.3. Section 1.1.4.4 states that growth and development may be directed to rural lands in accordance with policy 1.1.5. Rural lands are described as lands which are located outside settlement areas and which are outside prime agricultural areas. As the subject property is located outside of the urban boundary and is not within a village boundary, it is considered to be rural lands as per the definition in the PPS. As per Section 1.5.2, permitted uses for rural lands in municipalities are: a) the management or use of resources; b) resource-based recreational uses (including recreational dwellings); c) limited residential development; d) home occupations and home industries; e) cemeteries; and f) other rural land uses. Furthermore, recreational, tourism and other economic opportunities should be promoted (Section 1.5.3) and development that is compatible with the rural landscape and can be sustained by rural service levels should be promoted (Section 1.1.5.4). As per Section 1.1.5.7, opportunities to support a diversified rural economy should be promoted by protecting agricultural and other resource-related uses and directing nonrelated development to areas where it will minimize constraints on these uses. In terms of infrastructure, Section 1.1.5.5 states that development shall be appropriate to the infrastructure which is planned or available, and avoid the need for the unjustified and/or uneconomical expansion of this infrastructure. Section 1.3 provides guidance with respect to employment and economic development. Section 1.3.1 states: Planning authorities shall promote economic development and competitiveness by: a. providing for an appropriate mix and range of employment (including industrial, commercial and institutional uses) to meet long-term needs; b. providing opportunities for a diversified economic base, including maintaining a range and choice of suitable sites for employment uses which support a wide range of economic activities and ancillary uses, and take into account the needs of existing and future businesses; c. planning for, protecting and preserving employment areas for current and future uses; and 5

d. ensuring the necessary infrastructure is provided to support current and projected needs. Section 1.6.6 outlines the provincial policies for sewage and water for areas where municipal services have not been provided. As per Section 1.6.6.1 (b), sewage and water services should be provided in a manner that: 1. can be sustained by the water resources upon which such services rely; 2. is feasible, financially viable and complies with all regulatory requirements; and 3. protects human health and the natural environment. According to Section 1.6.6.5, Partial services shall only be permitted in the following circumstances: a) where they are necessary to address failed individual on-site sewage services and individual on-site water services in existing development; or b) within settlement areas, to allow for infilling and minor rounding out of existing development on partial services provided that site conditions are suitable for the longterm provision of such services with no negative impacts. 6

4.2 Official Plan The City of Ottawa Official Plan ( OP ) was adopted in 2003 and provides a vision for future growth of the city and a policy framework to guide future development. The OP recently underwent a 5-year review and Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 150 has been approved by Council and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. It is the policies of OPA 150 that will be analyzed with respect to the subject lands. Exhibit E : Schedule A - Rural Policy Plan The Subject Property is designated General Rural Area as per Schedule A Rural Policy Plan of the Official Plan (Exhibit E above). The provisions for the General Rural Area designation are captured in Section 3.7.2. Section 3.7.2 General Rural Area The General Rural Area contains a variety of land uses, including commercial uses. The intent of the designation is to accommodate a variety of land uses that are appropriate for a rural location and to limit the amount of residential development such that development will not preclude or restrict continued agricultural and or other rural nonresidential uses. The purpose is to provide a location for agriculture and for those nonagricultural uses that, due to their land requirements or the nature of their operation, would not be more appropriately located within urban or Village locations (Policy 1a). 7

According to Policy 2, new development is not permitted within 120 metres of the boundary of a natural heritage feature; unless an Environment Impact Statement demonstrates that there will be no negative impacts as defined in Section 4.7.8 on the natural features within the area or their ecological functions. As per Policy 5, non-residential uses that would not be better located within a Village and which are in keeping with the rural character or those uses that meet the needs of the travelling public, such as a restaurant, gas station, motel, retail of up to 1,000 square metres gross leaseable area, or similar use are permitted within the General Rural Area by way of a Zoning By-law Amendment. In accordance with Policy 6, when considering an application to amend the Zoning By-law to permit a new use identified in Policy 5 of this subsection, the following matters must be considered: a. The use would not be better located in a village or the urban area; b. If the use is to be located on a local road, it must be demonstrated that the volume and pattern of traffic flow anticipated from the development will not interfere with the proper functioning of the local road network; c. The privacy of adjacent landowners or the amelioration of potential adverse impacts from lighting, noise, odour, dust or traffic can be achieved by separating the land uses, buffering or other measures as part of the development; d. The potential for reducing possible impacts on neighbouring agricultural uses or nearby rural residential uses or village communities, where relevant; e. The development is in keeping with the surrounding rural character and landscape; f. All those requirements of Sections 2 and 4 related to transportation, servicing, design and compatibility and environmental protection; g. Noxious uses will only be considered where suitable screening and buffering can be provided and generally these uses will not be considered in locations within groundwater recharge areas or immediately adjacent to residential areas, Scenic-Entry Routes, or waterfront areas; h. The impact that the development will have on the protection of tree cover and local wildlife movement, as result of proposed site clearing and grading, fencing, security lighting, and other similar site plan matters. The OP specifies in Policy 11 that development proposals within 1 kilometre of a Village and/or urban boundary will be reviewed with respect to lot size, type of use and other characteristics, to ensure that they do not adversely limit potential expansion of the boundary at that location or create a long-term demand for the extension of municipal services. Section 3.2.4 Rural Natural Features Rural Natural Features are defined as natural areas in the rural area that contain significant woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife habitat that were identified by the Natural Environment Systems Strategy in the 1990s. Development on or adjacent to Rural Natural Features must be assessed in terms of its impact on the area s natural features and functions, particularly impacts arising from the extent of disturbance and the location of buildings. Policy 7 states that development and site alteration will not be 8

permitted for [ ] any development permitted under the policies of the Plan within 120 metres of the boundary of a natural heritage feature unless an Environmental Impact Statement demonstrates that there will be no negative impacts as defined in Section 4.7.8 on the natural features within the area or their ecological functions. Section 2.5.1 Designing Ottawa Section 2.5.1 seeks to ensure that new development incorporates a high quality of community design and is compatible with surrounding land uses. This section outlines a number of design objectives to be considered during the development review process. These objectives are as follows: 1. To enhance the sense of community by creating and maintaining places with their own distinct identity. 2. To define quality public and private spaces through development. 3. To create places that are safe, accessible and are easy to get to, and move through. 4. To ensure that new development respects the character of existing areas. 5. To consider adaptability and diversity by creating places that can adapt and evolve easily over time and that are characterized by variety and choice. 6. To understand and respect natural processes and features in development design. 7. To maximize energy-efficiency and promote sustainable design to reduce the resource consumption, energy use, and carbon footprint of the built environment. Development proponents must demonstrate that a proposal addresses the 7 design objectives; however, as the proposal constitutes a zoning by-law amendment with no site works, compatibility of use will be the primary factor for evaluation. Pursuant to Policy 2, the subject site is not considered a design priority area. Section 4.11 Urban Design and Compatible Development In addition to the design objectives of Section 2.5.1, a development proponent must also implement the policies of Section 4.11 into their proposal which make reference to objective criteria that can be used to evaluate compatibility of development applications including height, bulk or mass, scale relationship, and building/lot relationships, and the distance between buildings. There are no proposed site works; therefore, the compatibility of the proposed additional uses will be analyzed. The following introductory remarks are relevant to this application: At the scale of neighbourhoods or individual properties, issues such as noise, spillover of light, accommodation of parking and access, shadowing, and micro-climatic conditions are prominent considerations when assessing the relationships between new and existing development. Often, to arrive at compatibility of scale and use will demand a careful design response, one that appropriately addresses the impact generated by infill or intensification. Consequently, the issue of context is a dominant theme of this Plan where it speaks to compatibility and design. 9

Section 4.6.4 Scenic Entry Routes Exhibit F : Schedule J - Cycling, Multi-Use Pathways and Scenic Entry Routes According to Schedule J of the Official Plan (see Exhibit F above), the portion of Bank Street that the Subject Property is located on is designated as a Scenic Entry Route. These routes form a network that links major tourist, recreation, heritage and natural environment destinations in and beyond Ottawa. As a primary road that visitors would use to enter the City from the south, the vision is to create an aesthetically pleasing route that reflects favourably on Ottawa. According to Policy 2, the City intends to create guidelines for Scenic Entry Routes that would promote a number of criteria as follows: a) The creation of a safe and attractive environment for travellers including, where appropriate, such amenities as lay-bys, scenic lookouts, information, and directional signs to important urban and rural cultural, heritage, environmental and tourism destinations; b) Attention to such matters as building orientation, outside storage, access and egress, landscaping, fencing, lighting and signage to create an aesthetically pleasing streetscape; c) The protection of views to natural and cultural heritage features, mature trees, and roadside vegetation along and beyond the right-of-way; d) Coordination of landscaping, berming, pathways and other features within the rightsof-way with the creation of such features on adjacent land, including the potential to locate these features on adjacent property. 10

According to Policy 3, until the guidelines are prepared, development applications will be assessed according to the above criteria. Section 4.3 Walking, Cycling, Transit, Roads and Parking Lots Exhibit G : Schedule H Road Network for Select Villages According to Section 4.3, the City, when reviewing development applications, will assess the adequacy of the transportation network to meet the needs of the proposed development. The Transportation Network is illustrated in Exhibit G above, where Bank Street is designated as an existing arterial road. The Rural Road Network schedule also proposes a nearby future Arterial Road, but the alignment is yet to be defined. Pursuant to Policy 5, under most circumstances, a study or brief will not be required for minor infill development in areas where the road network is fully established. Although the future arterial road has not been established, Bank Street has been fully established and various commercial and residential uses have developed along the frontage over the years; therefore, a study or brief has not been required. Section 2.3.2 Water and Wastewater Services and Section 4.4.2 Private Water and Wastewater Servicing The Subject Property, which is located in a rural area, is not located within the full Public Service Area. Generally, the OP states that properties located outside of the Public Service Area are to be serviced by private water and wastewater systems; however, the site is presently serviced with partial municipal water and private wastewater servicing. 11

Section 3.7.4 Mineral Aggregate Resources The Subject Property is located approximately 330m north of the edge of an existing quarry. As per Policy 9: New development will not be approved within 500 metres of a Bedrock Resource Area or within 300 metres of a Sand and Gravel Resource Area, unless it can be demonstrated that such development will not conflict with future mineral aggregate extraction. Examples of conflicting land uses are new sensitive land uses that conflict with mineral aggregate extraction. These include but are not necessarily limited to: a) the creation of new lots; b) rezoning to permit dwellings or lodging places (motels, camp grounds, nursing homes, etc.); and c) farming or small-scale business uses where animals, equipment or employees are affected by pit or quarry activities. Policy 10: New development may be approved within 500 metres of an existing licensed bedrock quarry or within 300 metres of an existing sand and gravel pit it can be demonstrated that the existing mineral aggregate operation, and potential future expansion of the operation in depth or extent, will not be affected by the development. 4.3 City of Ottawa Comprehensive Zoning By-law Exhibit I : GeoOttawa (2015), Zoning Overlay, Subject Property outlined in blue The Subject Property is presently zoned Rural Countryside (RU) under the City of Ottawa s Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2008-250 (see Exhibit I above). The RU zone permits the following uses: agricultural use animal care establishment animal hospital 12

artist studio bed and breakfast cemetery detached dwelling equestrian establishment environmental preserve and educational area forestry operation group home home-based business home-based day care kennel retirement home, converted secondary dwelling unit The purpose of the subject application is to rezone the property to allow additional rural commercial uses that would be appropriate for the Subject Property in accordance with its General Rural Area Official Plan designation. It is our view that the Rural Commercial (RC1) zone would be appropriate for the Subject Property given its location and lot size. The stated purpose of the Rural Countryside Zone is to; (1) permit the development of highway and recreational commercial uses which serve the rural community and visiting public in areas mainly designated as General Rural Area, Village and Carp Road Corridor Rural Employment Area in the Official Plan; (2) accommodate a range of commercial uses including services for the traveling public as well as agriculture-related, vehicle-oriented and construction products and services; (3) permit research facilities in areas designated Greenbelt Employment and Institutional Area in the Official Plan, and (4) regulate development in a manner that has a minimal impact on the surrounding rural area or villages. The following uses are permitted in the RC1 zone: amusement centre amusement park animal care establishment animal hospital artist studio automobile rental establishment automobile dealership automobile service station bar campground 13

car wash detached dwelling dwelling unit, limited to one in total and must be accessory to a permitted use; gas bar heavy equipment and vehicle sales, rental and servicing hotel kennel (Subject to Part 3 Specific Use Provisions) parking lot restaurant retail store, limited to the sale of agricultural, construction, gardening or landscaping-related products, equipment or supplies; and to the sale of goods, products, equipment, supplies or services manufactured, processed, assembled, packaged or delivered by a permitted use, or the sale of previously prepared materials used in the manufacturing, processing, assembly, packaging or delivery of finished parts, finished products or services warehouse (Subject to By-law 2013-58) light industrial printing plant service and repair shop research and development centre office The following conditional permitted uses are permitted provided that they are located in the same building or on the same lot as a permitted use : bank machine convenience store drive-through facility personal service business Table 218A outlines the performance standards for the RC1 zone as follows: I ZONING MECHANISMS PROVISIONS II RC1 (a) Minimum lot area (m 2 ) 1350 (b) Minimum lot width (m) 20 14

(c) Minimum front yard setback (m) 7.5 (d) Minimum interior side yard setback (m) (i) abutting a residential use or zone 4.5 (ii) all other cases 3 (e) Minimum rear yard setback (m) 7.5 (f) Minimum corner side yard setback (m) 7.5 (g) Maximum principal building height 11 (h) Maximum lot coverage (%) 30 (i) Landscaping of yards -required front and corner side yards to be landscaped, except for driveways crossing the front or corner side yard leading to a parking area (j) Outdoor storage -outdoor storage permitted in interior side and rear yard only; must be screened and concealed from view from abutting streets and from abutting non-commercial or nonindustrial zones The minimum parking space rates are found in Table 101 of the zoning by-law and will be applied to the site depending on the eventual use proposed. Similarly, the loading space requirements will be calculated in accordance with Table 113A and bicycle parking space requirements will be calculated in accordance with Table 111A. 5.0 Technical Studies and Plans In addition to this Planning Rationale, the following technical studies and plans have been provided for this application for zoning by-law amendment: Existing Conditions Plan, Fieldstone Engineering Inc., March 2015, Site Suitability Report, Fieldstone Engineering Inc., March 2015. 15

6.0 Planning Analysis 6.1 Conformity with the Provincial Policy Statement The Subject Property is located in a rural area just outside of the urban boundary along an established arterial road. Commercial development on the Subject Property corresponds with the vision of the PPS regarding healthy, liveable and safe communities as it will contribute to a greater mix of commercial uses in proximity to a growing residential neighbourhood (Findlay Creek). Although the property is located across Bank Street from the edge of the urban boundary, commercial development on the property will not prevent the expansion of the settlement area. In fact, commercial development on the site will contribute to the economic fabric of an up and coming community that will continue to grow as additional development reserve land is converted to residential uses. The community is already well served with an established transportation network and the existing servicing has been demonstrated to be sufficient to support additional commercial uses; therefore, the subject application contributes to a cost-effective development pattern that does not require any need for additional servicing costs. As the Subject Property is located in a rural area, a rezoning of the lands to a rural commercial zone is consistent with the policies of the PPS regarding rural lands. The Subject Property is considered to be rural lands as it is located outside of the urban boundary, is not within a village boundary and is outside of prime agricultural areas. The additional permitted uses will be consistent with the rural character of the area while diversifying the economic base and employment opportunities. There is no need for any expansion of infrastructure to support the additional permitted uses. The Subject Property is uniquely serviced by partial municipal water and private wastewater servicing. As noted in the Site Suitability Study, the existing servicing is feasible, financially viable and compliant with all regulatory requirements. 6.2 Conformity with the Official Plan General Rural Area Designation The proposed rezoning to a rural commercial zone is consistent with the policies of the OP regarding the General Rural Area. All of the uses proposed are appropriate for a rural location and the rural commercial zone proposed is a common zone for properties along Bank Street with this designation. The Subject Property is not located in proximity to an Agricultural Resource Area; therefore, future commercial development on the site will not restrict agricultural uses. The uses contained in the proposed zone are logical with respect to the specifics of the Subject Property and are not better suited for an urban or village location. These uses are intended to be in keeping with the rural character of the area and will provide the opportunity to meet the needs of the travelling public along Bank Street, a significant scenic entry route providing access into the City, 16

as well as the potential provision of agriculture-related, vehicle-oriented and construction products and services that are better suited for a rural area. None of the proposed uses are considered to be noxious. Mitigation of any potential adverse impacts to the residential dwelling to the north should be conducted at the time of actual development. In accordance with Policy 2, any future proposed site works (as there are currently no site works proposed) should determine the distance to the rural natural feature area to the east. If the development is within 120m of the feature, an Environmental Impact Statement will be required to determine no negative impacts to the feature as a result of the development. As no new development is proposed, an Environmental Impact Statement has not been required. Further to Policy 11, the provision of additional permitted commercial uses at the Subject Property on a relatively small lot along an arterial road characterized by a variety of rural commercial uses will not adversely limit potential expansion of the urban boundary or create a demand for the extension of municipal services. In fact, the commercial uses will complement a future expansion of the boundary and the Site Suitability Report demonstrates that there is no need for any extension of municipal services. Rural Natural Features As noted on Schedule A, the Subject Property is located west of a Rural Natural Feature Area. If any new future development is to take place within 120m of the boundary of the natural heritage feature, an assessment of the impacts of the development on the feature in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement must be conducted. As mentioned, because no new development is proposed, an Environmental Impact Statement has not been required. Design and Compatibility In terms of design and compatibility, the permission of additional rural commercial uses will help to regenerate this portion of Bank Street as improvements are made to the site through future commercial development. In accordance with the design objectives of Section 2.5.1, future commercial development of the type permitted by the rural commercial zone will enhance the community by creating a space with a renewed identity, while respecting the existing low density, rural character along the southern, rural end of Bank Street. As the Subject Property is located along a Scenic Entry Route, expanding the permitted uses will contribute to the likelihood that a business will occupy the site now and into the future with the likelihood of a positive investment of capital into the site and structure. It is important that appropriate additional uses be permitted so that buildings do not sit vacant along such an important route into the City. Future redevelopment of the site will also create an opportunity for attractive signage, landscaping and design. 17

Transportation Pursuant to Section 4.3, the transportation network is adequate to meet the demands of the additional permitted uses. As noted previously, the existing building is located on an arterial road which is part of an already established road network. A future east-west arterial road is proposed for the area which will further support any future proposed development. The site is located along a fairly straight and level stretch of Bank Street, which has a good sight distance. Access to and from Bank Street can be safely made. For vehicles accessing the site from the north, a left turn must be made. This is common for the rural commercial uses along the east side of Bank Street which have not necessitated any roadway modifications. Vehicular parking, bicycle parking and loading space requirements should be calculated as part of any redevelopment depending on the actual use proposed. Water and Wastewater Servicing Although the OP does not encourage partial servicing for new development, the split services are an existing situation. The existing servicing is able to accommodate an expanded set of rural commercial uses for the existing dwelling. Mineral Aggregate Resources The Official Plan does not permit new development within 500 metres of a Bedrock Resource Area or within 300m of a Sand and Gravel Resource Area unless it can be demonstrated that the existing pit and potential expansion of the pit will not be impacted by the proposed development. Given that no new development or site works are being proposed, there will be no new impacts to the mineral resources area to the south of the Subject Property. The additional uses proposed through this application for zoning bylaw amendment are of a similar nature to the currently permitted and operating commercial uses to the north and south along Bank Street, many of which are located in even closer proximity to the quarry. These uses are generally not noise or vibration sensitive. 6.3 Proposed Zoning The proposed development requires an amendment to the zoning by-law from the Rural Countryside zone to the Rural Commercial Subzone 1 in order to expand the uses to include appropriate rural commercial uses. The proposed zoning is consistent with the zoning of commercial areas along the rural portion of southern Bank Street. The existing lot and building currently comply with all of the performance standards of the RC1 Subzone. 18

7.0 Locational Attributes The Subject Property is ideally located on an arterial road in close proximity to the urban boundary and the growing Findlay Creek community. As such, it is presently underutilized as a single family residential dwelling on an arterial road. The proposed set of rural commercial uses is more appropriate for the Subject Property given its location. The expanded set of uses will make it more likely that the site will be redeveloped, contributing to the revitalization of this portion of Bank Street, which is designated as a Scenic Entry Route in the Official Plan. As the Subject Property is home to an existing structure already serviced by an entrance from Bank Street and existing partial municipal water and wastewater servicing, the addition of the commercial land uses constitutes an efficient use of the land, consistent with the rural commercial vision for the area and helping to expand and diversify the existing rural economic base. Furthermore, the additional permitted uses will help to ensure that the site does not site empty or underutilized now and into the future, as a more varied set of uses will now be permitted. 8.0 Summary and Conclusions The proposed zoning bylaw amendment for the Subject Property is consistent with the PPS in that it reinforces the efficient use of land and broader range of rural commercial uses to diversify the rural economy. The proposed zoning by-law amendment is consistent with the Official Plan in that it meets the General Rural Area designation, urban design, compatibility, transportation and water and wastewater servicing policies. In order to enhance rural Bank Street s revitalization, additional permitted rural commercial uses that are consistent with the General Rural Area designation should be promoted. Through the expansion of rural commercial uses, the Subject Property will allow for convenient access to uses needed by the travelling public and/or uses that are not better suited to an urban or village location. The site has a number of positive attributes, including a location on an arterial road and existing partial municipal water and private wastewater servicing that can accommodate the additional proposed rural commercial uses. As such, the proposed development does not necessitate any expansions to municipal infrastructure. It is therefore our professional land use planning opinion that the application for zoning bylaw amendment will assist in permitting a desirable outcome for the Subject Property more in keeping with the Provincial and the City s Official Plan and land use planning policies. 19

9.0 Draft By-law Amendment Proposed changes to the Comprehensive Zoning By-law for 4845 Bank Street: 1. Rezone lands to Rural Commercial Subzone 1 (RC1). Prepared by; William Holzman, RPP, OPPI March 16, 2015 President Holzman Consultants Inc. 20