Report to/Rapport au:
Planning and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
February 1, 2007 / 1 février 2007
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager /
Directrice municipale adjointe,
Planning, Transit and the Environment / Urbanisme,
Transport en commun
Contact
Person/Personne Ressource : Grant Lindsay, Manager / Gestionnaire,
Development Approvals / Approbation des demandes d'aménagement
(613)
580-2424, 13242 Grant.Lindsay@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Planning and
Environment Committee recommend Council approve an amendment to the former City
of Nepean Zoning By-law to add "restaurant fast-food" and
"retail store" as permitted uses in the CC, Block 8 Exception Zone at
3090 Carling Avenue as shown in Document 1 and as detailed in Document 2.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité de recommande au Conseil d’approuver une modification au Règlement de
zonage de l’ancienne Ville de Nepean afin d’ajouter
« restaurant-minute » et « commerce de détail » comme
utilisations permises dans la zone CC, bloc 8 assortie d’une exception au 3090,
avenue Carling, tel qu’il est indiqué dans le document 1 et expliqué en détail
dans le document 2.
BACKGROUND
The 3090 Carling Avenue property is located on the south side of Carling Avenue between Bayshore Drive and Roseview Avenue. The six-hectare site is currently occupied by a multiple screen commercial cinema situated in the middle of the property and surrounded by parking. There is vegetation and fencing along the perimeter of the site adjacent to the residential areas.
Adjacent to the west is part of the "Bayshore" residential community, including an 11-storey apartment building and townhouses, situated in R6D and R7 zones respectively. Adjacent to the east and south is a low profile residential neighbourhood situated in R1A and R3 zones respectively. Across Carling Avenue to the north is a variety of commercial and office development, including restaurants, on lands which are zoned CN1 F(1.0) H(10.7) . To the north beyond the commercial development is a low profile residential area zoned R1G. Immediately to the east along the south side of Carling Avenue are a City-owned family shelter and, beyond that, a restaurant with a drive-through take out facility, which are situated in separate CN zones.
Purpose of
Zoning By-law Amendment
The purpose of the proposed rezoning is to facilitate a proposal for additional development at the front of the 3090 Carling Avenue site, which includes a retail store and potentially a fast-food restaurant.
The property is currently zoned “Commercial
Community”, i.e. CC, Block 8 Exception Zone.
The parent Commercial Community zone currently allows a variety of
commercial uses, however the Block 8 Exception Zone allows for only
cinema/theatre, restaurant, and restaurant take-out uses.
The applicant has requested a zoning by-law amendment to allow the addition of restaurant fast-food and retail store as permitted uses. The amendment request also involves expanding the definition of retail store to include “drive-through car pick-up" facilities, which would allow for developments such as a drive-through pharmacy pick-up.
DISCUSSION
The Official Plan designates the property as
Arterial Main Street, which applies to both sides of Carling Avenue from Bronson
Avenue to the Andrew Hayden Park along the Ottawa River. The Strategic Directions objective for
Mainstreet areas is that they should develop as a mix of uses including
employment and shopping. Mainstreets
are to be one of the primary locations for intensification.
When a related Zoning By-law amendment is
required to permit intensification, the proposed development is to be evaluated
in terms of scale, design and compatibility in accordance with the provisions
for Compatibility and Design in Section 2.5.1, which is discussed below. The recommended zoning is in keeping with
these policies of the Strategic Approach to allow for increased employment and
shopping uses, such as retail stores and all forms of restaurants.
The policies of Section 3.6.3 pertaining to the
Mainstreet designation indicates that Arterial Mainstreets are intended to
evolve as more pedestrian friendly and transit oriented areas, and accommodate
drive-through uses. The recommended
rezoning and related development proposal bringing retail, restaurant, and
perhaps patio uses up to the edge of Carling Avenue are in keeping with the
policies for Arterial Mainstreets.
The policies for compatibility of Section 2.5.1 set out Design Objectives and Principles pertaining to compatibility. The proposed development associated with the recommended rezoning is consistent with the intent of many aspects of the Design Objectives and Principles as discussed below, based on summaries of applicable elements of the objectives:
- Enhance
the sense of community by creating places with their own identity: the related development proposal will
help create an architectural presence along the edge of Carling Avenue,
which is currently dominated by an expansive open parking lot, while
helping to continue the evolving existing pattern of commercial
development facing the street.
- Defining
quality public spaces through development: the addition of the proposed
new commercial development will help define and potentially enliven the
streetscape while bringing activity associated with a significant private
leisure facility to the edge of the public environment of Carling
Avenue. The development
facilitated by the rezoning will help screen the large parking areas from
public view; and the pedestrian environment along the street will be
served by at-grade entrances and windows, and possibly patios.
- Creating
safe, accessible places, which are easy to get to: the site is highly visible, with
frequent passers–by. Site access
to the related development proposal will be clear and directly from an
arterial roadway using existing entrances, thus protecting the existing
pedestrian route along Carling Avenue; the development will increase the
potential to provide the safety and security benefits of longer periods of
passive surveillance provided by increased periods of site use; and a mix
of uses will help create a complementary activity pattern along a transit
route.
- Respecting
the character of the existing area:
the proposed new commercial uses will complement and enhance the
mainstreet environment and adjacent neighbourhood, while the proposed
built form will be complimentary to the massing and style of nearby low
profile commercial buildings.
- Giving
consideration to diversity to achieve more compact urban form over
time: the development facilitated
by the rezoning will promote a more compact urban form, making more
efficient use of the land, while helping to give a build edge and
diversity to the character of the south side of this segment of Carling
Avenue as a Mainstreet. The development proposal will foster a mix of
commercial uses;
- Promoting
environmental sustainability in development: the related development will help reduce resource
consumption by promoting intensification in the form of employment and
neighbourhood serving commercial uses, such as a pharmacy, inside the
Greenbelt along a transit route.
The related development proposal provides for additional trees and
other increases in landscape areas along the street and on the site.
The policies of sub-section 4.4 Water and
Wastewater Servicing, require adequate services for new development. The property is adequately served by water
and sanitary and storm sewer facilities to support the level of redevelopment
fostered by the recommended rezoning.
Section 4.11 Compatibility, provides further
compatibility policy for the review of development applications and indicates
that properties along the edges of neighbourhoods or along major roads may be
acceptable locations for more intense development. The subject site satisfies those locational criteria for more
intense development. Other factors to
be considered include traffic impact, vehicular access, parking, building
height and mass, community patterns, loading areas, and supporting neighbourhood
services.
- Site
access will be directly from Carling Avenue, an arterial roadway using
existing entrances, which has adequate capacity for the potential
increased traffic stemming from the rezoning. There is no reduction of parking requirements in the
recommended rezoning.
- The
proposed low profile buildings are compatible with existing commercial and
residential buildings in the area, and the pattern of commercial and more
intense uses along Carling Avenue.
- Loading
and service areas to serve the related development will be screened from
the street and nearby residential areas.
- The
proposed rezoning will facilitate improvements to the level and diversity
of retail services available in the neighbourhood.
Summary
The recommended Zoning By-law amendment to
accommodate the proposed development is considered to be in keeping with the
intent of the Official Plan policies for Arterial Mainstreets, the
compatibility policies of Section 2.5.1, policies for water and sewer services
of sub‑section 4.4, and the compatibility factors of sub-section
4.11.
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. A summary and discussion of the responses to the public notification is included in Document 3.
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 Recommended Zoning
Document
3 Consultation Details
DISPOSITION
Corporate Services Department, City Clerk’s
Branch, Secretariat Services to notify the owner, S. Wisnowski, Rio Can
Real Estate Investments, 700 – 130 King Street West, Toronto, M5X 1E2;
applicant, M. Tremblay, 223 McLeod Street, Ottawa, K2P 0Z8; - Signs.ca,
866 Campbell Avenue, Ottawa, ON
K2A 2C5, 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 CC, Block 8 Exception Zone applicable to the subject property as shown on Document 1 shall be amended to add the following additional permitted uses:
-
restaurant
fast-food
- retail store, which may include drive-through pick-up facilities
CONSULTATION DETAILS DOCUMENT
3
NOTIFICATION AND CONSULTATION
PROCESS
Notification and public consultation
was undertaken in accordance with the Public Notification and Public
Consultation Policy approved by City Council for Zoning By-law amendments.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
The following is a summary of the comments received from the general public regarding the proposed rezoning and the staff responses:
1. Comment: There should not be any more restaurants, especially if they sell liquor, which will promote drinking and fighting amongst the many teenagers in the area going to the movies. There are enough restaurants on the other side of the street already.
Response: The added “fast-food restaurant” use, by definition, does not allow for the sale of alcohol. Both “restaurant” and “restaurant take-out” uses are already permitted under the existing zoning provisions.
- Comment: A fast food restaurant with a drive –through should not be permitted because they are destructive to the urban environment. A two or three level mixed residential and commercial development with the residential above along Carling Avenue is preferred.
Response: The Official Plan policies for Arterial Mainstreets specifically provide for drive through facilities, however none are currently proposed in the related site plan submission. Mixed-use developments along Mainstreets are compatible with City policies, but not required, and this form of development is not currently proposed.
COUNCILLOR’S COMMENTS
Councillor Alex Cullen is aware of the application.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION COMMENTS
The Woodroffe North Community Association responded indicating they had no comments on the re-zoning application.