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4. ZONING - 1866 ALCIDE AVENUE/5809
BUCKLAND ROAD ZONAGE - 1866, AVENUE ALCIDE/5809, CHEMIN BUCKLAND |
Committee recommendation
(This application
is subject to Bill 51)
That Council
approve an amendment to the former City of Cumberland Rural Zoning By-law to
change the zoning of 1866 Alcide Avenue/5809 Buckland Road from
"GC-X6" General Commercial - Exception 6 to "R2-(XX)"
Residential 2 - Exception (XX) as shown in Document 1 and detailed in Document
2.
Recommandation du Comité
(Cette demande est assujettie au
projet de loi 51)
Que le Conseil approuve une
modification au Règlement de zonage rural de l’ancienne Ville de Cumberland
visant à faire passer la désignation de zonage du 1866, avenue Alcide / 5809,
chemin Buckland, de GC-X6 (Zone commerciale générale – Exception 6) à R2 (XX)
(Zone résidentielle 2 – Exception (XX)), comme l’illustre le document 1 et le
précise le document 2.
Documentation
1.
Deputy
City Manager's report Planning,
Transit and the Environment dated
16 April 2007 (ACS2007-PTE-APR-0109).
2. Extract
of Draft Minutes 7, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting of April
26, 2007.
Report to/Rapport au :
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
Comité d'agriculture et des questions rurales
and Council / et au Conseil
16 April 2007 / le 16 avril 2007
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager /
Directrice municipale adjointe,
Planning, Transit and the Environment / Urbanisme,
Transport en commun et Environnement
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Karen Currie,
Manager / Gestionnaire, Development Approvals / Approbation des demandes
d'aménagement
(613) 580-2424, 28310 Karen.Currie@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
ZONING - 1866 Alcide Avenue/5809
Buckland Road (FILE NO. D02-02-07-0005) |
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OBJET : |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the recommend Council approve an amendment to the former City of Cumberland Rural Zoning By-law to change the zoning of 1866 Alcide Avenue/5809 Buckland Road from "GC-X6" General Commercial - Exception 6 to "R2-(XX)" Residential 2 - Exception (XX) as shown in Document 1 and detailed in Document 2.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que
le Comité de l'agriculture et des questions rurales recommande au Conseil
d’approuver une modification au Règlement de zonage rural de l’ancienne Ville
de Cumberland visant à faire passer la désignation de zonage du 1866, avenue
Alcide / 5809, chemin Buckland, de GC-X6 (Zone commerciale générale – Exception
6) à R2 (XX) (Zone résidentielle 2 – Exception (XX)), comme l’illustre le
document 1 et le précise le document 2.
BACKGROUND
The subject lands consist of two lots, known municipally as 1866 Alcide Avenue and 5809 Buckland Road. The lands are situated at the south-east corner of Alcide Avenue and Buckland Road, in the older part of the Village of Vars.
The
site contains an L-shaped one-storey building consisting of three commercial
units along Alcide Avenue and one residential unit along Buckland Road. At this
time, only one of the commercial units is occupied. There is a post office
kiosk on the east side of the property. Paved surface parking spaces exist in
front and east of the building. The surrounding area is predominantly
residential, although a commercial use exists to the north along with two
institutional uses.
The
property has an area of 2460 square metres and is currently zoned
"GC-X6" General Commercial - Exception six. Through this application,
it is intended that the parcels be rezoned residential. The applicants seek to
amend the Zoning By-law to permit the conversion of the building into three
residential units and one commercial unit.
Currently two out of the three
commercial units are vacant (and they have been for more than a year), while
the third unit is leased to a medical practitioner. A small strip of land on
the eastern part of the site is used by Canada Post, which has constructed a
postal kiosk beside the parking lot. In recent years, the building has been
partially occupied by a few, short-term commercial operations such as a take
out restaurant and an amusement hall.
DISCUSSION
The Official Plan designation for
the subject land is "Villages". In the Villages, the City will
encourage the development of residential uses in a variety of forms and modest
employment opportunities and in the form of commercial development. Villages
are designated with the intent of permitting a variety of land uses to ensure
that they remain distinctly rural in character and scale. A wide range of
housing forms to meet the needs of the Village's population will be permitted.
The form and scale of development will be limited by the available servicing
methods and subject to policies on water and wastewater servicing.
Village Plan
The Village Plan of the Village of Vars
designates the subject property as Village – Mixed Use. Village – Mixed Use
generally promotes residential uses, retail commercial uses, restaurants,
offices and personal establishments. These should be of a size and scale
compatible with other buildings along the street. Churches, parks, post offices
and similar community uses may also be permitted.
The
current zoning of the subject lands is "GC-X6" General Commercial -
Exception six, which permits uses such as antique shops, bakeries, banks,
clinic, day nursery, dry cleaning establishment, funeral homes, libraries,
offices, post offices, take out restaurants, retail stores, schools, single
dwellings and studios.
Details of Proposed Zoning
The applicant is proposing to rezone
the subject lands, in order to enable the conversion of some of the retail
outlets into row dwellings. The applicant wishes to retain one commercial
business temporarily until the end of the lease.
Considering the village residential
setting in which the subject site is located and the relatively modest exposure
enjoyed by the site, it is more appropriate to zone the property residential.
The proposal will result in less traffic than the permitted commercial uses.
The residential units will generate a lower parking demand. It has been proven,
to the satisfaction of the Septic Approvals Office, that the septic system in
place is adequate for the type of use that is proposed.
Staff acknowledge that converting
the commercial uses into residential uses will encourage more viable tenancies
for the owner and this will assist in the continued maintenance of the
building. The conversion of this building helps to diversify housing options in
Vars by adding to the limited stock of rental units. While the proposal is
generally consistent with the R2 Zone provisions, some exception provisions are
required to reflect the existing lot area and setbacks.
Based on the above-noted
considerations, the Department recommends approval of the Zoning By-law
amendment as it is consistent with uses envisioned under the Official Plan.
CONSULTATION
Notice of this application was carried out in
accordance with the City's Public Notification and Consultation Policy. The Ward Councillor is aware of this application and
the staff recommendation. The City did
receive two letters of opposition to this application. The areas of concern are the insufficient number of parking spaces,
adequacy of the existing septic system, the conflict between commercial and
residential uses within the building, and the building not being inspected
according to the Building Code. Other objections are that the community needs
more commercial facilities and businesses to support the residential
development. One comment puts forward the suggestion that the affordable
housing that is proposed is going to attract persons with low income who,
instead, should live in bigger centers close to jobs and public transportation.
Staff have examined each of these issues as part of the review of this application. The proposed residential use will generate lower demand for parking than commercial uses. The septic Approvals Office has confirmed the adequacy of the existing septic system. The change of occupancy within the building will generate the need for an Ontario Building Code review along with all of the associated inspections. With respect to the need for commercial facilities, the fact that the premises have been unoccupied for a relatively long period is indicative of the low demand for commercial space. Affordable housing is required throughout all areas of the City.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
APPLICATION PROCESS
TIMELINE STATUS
This application was processed by the "On Time
Decision Date" established for the processing of Zoning By-law amendment
applications.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location
Map
Document 2 Details
of amendment
DISPOSITION
Corporate Services Department, City Clerk’s
Branch, Secretariat Services to notify the owner, Ineke and Tom Valks, 659 Merkley Drive Ottawa, ON K4A 1S9, applicant, Ineke and Tom Valks, 659 Merkley Drive Ottawa, ON
K4A 1S9, OttawaScene.com, 174 Colonnade Road, Unit #33, Ottawa, ON K2E 7J5,
Ghislain Lamarche, Program Manager, Assessment, Financial Services Branch (Mail
Code: 26-76) of City Council’s
decision.
Planning, Transit and the Environment
Department to prepare the implementing by-law, forward to Legal Services Branch
and undertake the statutory notification.
Corporate Services Department, Legal Services
Branch to forward the implementing by-law to City Council.
LOCATION MAP DOCUMENT
1
DETAILS OF
RECOMMENDED ZONING DOCUMENT
2
The subject
lands at 1866 Alcide Avenue and 5809 Buckland Road shown on Document 1 are to
be rezoned from “GC-X6” Zone to “R2-(XX)” Zone and be used in accordance with
the following provisions:
(a) Zone requirements:
i) Row dwelling
Lot Area (Minimum) 2459.60
m2
Yard requirements (Maximum)
Front Yard 4.0 m
Side Yard
(a)
External
side yard 5.0 m