URBAN DESIGN BRIEF 1435 Beaverbrook Road On behalf of Wonderland Commercial Centre Inc. Knutson Development Consultants Inc. Development Engineering (London) Ltd. K & L Construction and Arthur Lierman Landscape Architects
June 2016 Revised July 2016 INTRODUCTION The following brief details the proposed development concept as it has been vetted at length through RONA. That is important as there are legal limits to what can be accomplished based on restrictive Covenants that RONA has in place. But not for the negotiated relief from the current restrictions, the corner of this high profile site would remain vacant and underutilized. The Current Urban Design Brief is for 3 new buildings, 2 of which have street frontage. The third is a future building likely housing a single use restaurant. No details are being provided for that building as it is 1) future and 2) away from the street sightlines. This building is outside of the new sightline restrictions of RONA. RONA has insisted on the opening at the corner being further opened from what has been discussed with Urban Design staff. The earlier drafts showed a smaller forecourt and rectangular buildings. That proposed buildings have a portion of the south and west walls on the bias. We believe that the proposed development concept achieves the requirements of RONA, reflects the many staff and development team meetings and will fulfill the transit and pedestrian objectives of the 1989 and new London Plan. This brief is being submitted electronically and the first tenant change is reflected in Appendix E which was received late on July 7. We have not had an opportunity to make the graphics changes, however, those will be transmitted separately and be available at the Peer Review meeting. Section 1: Design Goals and Objectives Background As noted above, RONA had significant impact on the plans now being presented. At the time of the development of the RENO DEPOT (RONA and about to be LOWES), the original restrictive Covenant provided for preservation of a viewing cone that effectively precluded any development of the lands east of WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 2 July 2016
the main access drive onto Beaverbrook. Those same restrictions also provided for a sharing of all parking and services. In 2014, the Farm Boy grocery retailer was added to the southwest section of the site, with this being the final development parcel associated with the Beaverbrook and Wonderland street frontages. With this development, RONA will also achieve ownership of the parking in front of (east of) the store. Wonderland Commercial Centre Inc. (WCC) currently owns that parking lot. The current application provides for buildings that are parallel to each of Wonderland and Beaverbrook, separated by a generous pedestrian forecourt. The forecourt provides an attractive entry to the site as well as a landscaped based for the existing pylon sign that currently exists. Within the 800M radius it is estimated that there are an existing population of 18,000, one of the most densely populated areas in London. Figure 1, Neighbourhood Spatial Analysis shows the number of high-rise apartment buildings adjacent. 2 new high-rise buildings are under construction and at least one more is planned. Specific Design Goals: Gateway function along Wonderland Road Urban Thoroughfare Enhanced building façade Eliminate current vacant aspect of site Achieve an attractive building fronts Achieve a pedestrian oriented focus City Documents Official Plan The Site is designated as Auto-Oriented Commercial Area in the 1989 OP and Transit Village in the new London Plan. Chapter 11 Urban Design Policies: WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 3 July 2016
While the London Plan places even stronger reliance on Urban Design to achieve its objectives, we are relying upon the Urban Design principles in the 1989 OP as follows: Section 11.1 sets out 22 different design principles to be considered. It is acknowledged that not all those will apply to all sites and as a result those that have particular relevance are the ones that are addressed here. Relocation and Replacement of incompatible Land Uses: The site is a remnant commercially zoned parcel. The zoning was enacted in 1999 as a component part of the Reno Depot development suite of applications. The subject site was by virtue of a Restrictive Covenant eliminated from development. This would have prevented a critical quadrant of the intersection of Wonderland Road and Beaverbrook Road from developing to fulfill its planned commercial function. Streetscape: Wonderland Road is formerly and arterial now an Urban Thoroughfare with an average daily traffic volume of 41,000 vehicles per day and Beaverbrook with 8,000 vehicles per day. The streetscape is intended to provide an impression of different building facades all complimentary with each other. Pedestrian traffic areas: A site focus is the landscaped forecourt with active patio areas located there. Both buildings are located on the property line with the exception of Building 2 (oriented to Beaverbrook), which is setback relative to a 3.0M hydro easement, which does not permit buildings to be located in. While Building 1 (oriented to Wonderland) does not have a sidewalk, it is connected to the pedestrian forecourt via rear sidewalk. Each building is double fronted with glazing and architectural detail along the street and parking lot frontages. There are 6 transit stops within a 5-minute walk (400M) of the forecourt. Landscaping: In negotiations with RONA regarding the lifting of the covenant that currently precludes development at the corner, all landscaping had to be of low profile. The landscape plan in APPENDIX F provides an attractive year round landscaping to enhance the hardscape. Landscaping higher than 2 metres is outside of the viewing cone. The site is proposed to be serviced by waste management Moloks shown on the site plan within landscaped islands. Concrete pads have been avoided to allow more significant landscaping as screening. WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 4 July 2016
Building Positioning: Save and except as restricted by the easement in favour of London Hydro, buildings 1 and 2 are located at the street-line of the property. Enhances Accessibility Standards: Buildings 1 and 2 have sidewalks on both facades, with building 2 and its orientation to Beaverbrook Road having a sidewalk on the street-side as well as the parking lot side. All buildings will be accessible with strategically located handicapped parking facilities proximal to both buildings 1 and 2 and are also provided for building 3 (future). Parking and Loading: Parking areas are screened from view from the street by the buildings. Internally within the parking areas, landscaping is used to visually soften the parking areas. Outdoor Space: A significant feature of the proposed development is the significant forecourt with its seating associated with the pylon sign landscaping. A patio associated with each of buildings 1 and 2 is also proposed to be located adjacent to the forecourt. Waste Management: Effective waste management of commercial buildings has often resulted in large screened garbage vaults. The garbage and recycling facilities for the subject site is through Moloks that are proposed to be heavily landscaped to minimize their visual impact on the site generally. Gateways: Wonderland Road as stated has a current AADT traffic volume of 41,000 vehicles per day. It is one of the major north south high volume streets in the city. With its location adjacent to the Canadian Pacific Railway overpass, southbound traffic has much less exposure to the site than the at grade northbound traffic. The intersection at Beaverbrook is signalized. SPATIAL ANALYSIS: The following 2 figures represent the site in context of the neighbourhood at radii of 400 and 800M with descriptions of the various components within this radius. The site is a component part of a commercial development and land use conflicts are not indicated. The area of sensitivity is at the intersection, which is addressed through the landscaped forecourt. Building facades adjacent to WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 5 July 2016
Wonderland Road have limited capacity for pedestrian use due to grade changes. The immediate 400M-neighbourhood area consists of the balance of the site, other older commercial developments on the westerly opposite corners of Wonderland and Beaverbrook. An institutional use is opposite Beaverbrook to the south. Within the 400 M radius are 6 high-rise apartment buildings with 2 under construction and at least 1 more in the future. The neighbourhood beyond the 400M radius contains additional existing and new commercial development further south and nine additional high-rise apartment buildings. The CPR railway to the north appears to provide a separation from that area and the immediate vicinity although there are sidewalks along Wonderland Road. WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 6 July 2016
FIGURE 1 NEIGHBOURHOOD CHARACTER STATEMENT General WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 7 July 2016
Wonderland Road is a quickly moving thoroughfare traversing from the rural areas north of London through to connections with rural areas to the south and both Provincial Highways 402 and 401. The development patterns along Wonderland Road have been established for some time with the subject site and lands further south being the only recent new commercial developments in the past decade or more. A significant commercial development is under construction on the site south of the Costco development. The architectural elements of the proposed are a dark base, generous glazing, and a centre section of stone with complimentary brick. Residential Area The areas north of the CPR tracks and west of the site have developed for low density residential uses with the higher intensity uses located along Wonderland Road. Built Form The most significant feature as would be seen passing through the area would be the multiple high-rise apartment buildings. Commercial buildings along the Wonderland corridor are typically low profile with recent buildings having a stronger street presence than older developments where buildings have been located away from the street. Character and Image The current corridor could be described most easily as being a variety of commercial uses from automotive to large format retail to more modern multitenant buildings with stronger street presence. Site Design Subject to the limitations from the Restrictive Covenant, the proposed development will achieve a good street presence and most notably be focused on the pedestrian forecourt Massing and Articulation: WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 8 July 2016
The buildings themselves are brought to the street with a variety of architectural treatments. Appendix B provides those details Compatibility: The proposed buildings are internally compatible with the existing development as well as externally bringing a modern architectural treatment and interest as well as a significant enhancement of the pedestrian experience of the site. The new buildings and internal pedestrian circulation will provide enhanced internal pedestrian movement and safety with providing a wider range of goods and services being available. Natural Environment: No significant linkages are known to exist between the site and surrounding natural areas that are all somewhat distant from this property. Section 2 Following are the relevant drawings to assist in understanding the proposal. Each is an appendix to the report. Appendix A - SITE PLAN Overall site plan including RONA, Farm Boy and site WCC proposed development site plan Appendix B Building Elevations Building 1 Building 2 Building 3 not included as a future building Appendix C Sketch-up rendering of corner pedestrian forecourt Appendix D Street photos Appendix E Qdoba elevation drawing (to be incorporated into the rendering) Appendix F Landscape Master plan WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 9 July 2016
APPENDIX A SITE PLAN WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 10 July 2016
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APPENDIX B ELEVATIONS Building 1 East And Building 2 South WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 13 July 2016
BUILDING 1 (Wonderland) WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 14 July 2016
Building 2 (Beaverbrook) WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 15 July 2016
APPENDIX C COLOUR RENDERING WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 16 July 2016
APPENDIX D Street Photos WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 17 July 2016
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APPENDIX E Qdoba elevations Building 1 Received July 8, 2016 WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 31 July 2016
APPENDIX F Landscape Plan WCC- 1435 Beaverbrook 32 July 2016
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PRELIMINARY DO NOT USE FOR CONSTRUCTION
FR3 PRELIMINARY DO NOT USE FOR CONSTRUCTION