Report to/Rapport au :

 

Planning and Environment Committee

Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

10 August 2010 / le 10 août 2010

 

 Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/

Directrice municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability

Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités

 

Contact Person/Personne-ressource : John Smit, Manager/Gestionnaire, Development Review-Urban Services/Examen des projets d'aménagement-Services urbains, Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance

(613) 580-2424, 13866  John.Smit@ottawa.ca

 

Capital (17)

Ref N°: ACS2010-ICS-PGM-0154

 

 

SUBJECT:

Zoning – LansdownE Park (Lansdowne Partnership Plan)

 

 

OBJET :

ZONAGE – PARC LANSDOWNE (PLAN DE PARTENARIAT POUR LE PARC LANSDOWNE)

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That the Planning and Environment Committee recommend that Council approve:

 

1.                  An amendment to the Zoning By-law 2008-250 to establish a new L2, Major Leisure Facility Subzone to be known as “L2C Subzone – Lansdowne” and to change the zoning for Lansdowne Park shown as Area A on  Document 1, from  L2[338]F(1.5), Major Leisure Facility exception zone to L2C[338]SXXX-h, Major Leisure Facility Subzone exception zone with a Schedule and holding symbol, to accommodate the Lansdowne Partnership Plan as detailed in Document 2;

 

2.                  An amendment to the Zoning By-law 2008-250 to change the zoning of the Lansdowne Community Park shown as Area B on Document 1 from L2[338] F(1.5) to L2 F(1.5).

 

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement recommande l’approbation par le Conseil municipal :

 

1.                  d’une modification au règlement de zonage 2008-250 afin que soit établie une nouvelle zone appelée « L2, zone de grande installation de loisirs » afin de modifier le zonage de la portion du parc Lansdowne désignée sous le nom de Secteur A (Area A) dans le document 1, afin qu’il passe de L2[338] F(1.5), zone d’exception de grande installation de loisirs à la désignation L2C[338]-SXXX-h, sous-zone d’exception de grande installation de loisirs, avec symbole d’aménagement différé et échéancier, afin de permettre la mise en œuvre du Plan de partenariat pour le parc Lansdowne, selon les détails apparaissant au document 2;

 

2.                  d’une modification au règlement de 2008-250 afin que soit modifié le zonage du parc communautaire de Lansdowne désigné sous le nom de Secteur B (area B) dans le document 1, afin qu’il passe de L2[338] F(1.5) à L2 F(1.5).

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

Assumptions and Analysis:

 

On April 22, 2009, City Council directed staff to negotiate a partnership agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) for the redevelopment and revitalization of Lansdowne Park and return that agreement to City Council for its consideration. Council also set out specific elements to be included as part of the revitalization plan.  

 

On September 2, 2009, Council received a report from staff which included a proposed Lansdowne Partnership Plan (LPP) and identified how the plan complied with Council’s various directions of April 22, 2009.  Council in receiving the staff report and LPP,  directed staff to seek extensive community consultation and to prepare a supplementary report detailing the next steps required for the implementation of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan. 

 

On November 16, 2009, Council approved the LPP, subject to specific conditions.  As part of its November 16th decisions, Council directed staff to bring forward a final report on the LPP in June 2010.  This report would allow Council to determine how the LPP achieved the various conditions and defined outcomes that were imposed by Council on November 16, 2009 and allow Council to consider giving final approval to the LPP.  This report was brought forward and was approved by City Council on June 28, 2010.  As part of that approval, direction was provided to bring forward a report to the Planning and Environment Committee and Council regarding the zoning changes necessary to accommodate the proposed Lansdowne revitalization plan.  This report responds to that direction and recommends that Lansdowne Park be rezoned from the existing Major Leisure Facility zone (L2[338] F(1.5)) to a new Major Leisure Facility subzone (Lansdowne L2 Subzone).  The proposed zoning will allow the uses permitted by the current zoning, allow for additional commercial and residential uses, make changes to performance standards and establish a holding zone that sets out requirements to be addressed before development proceeds. The report also recommends that the exception provision now applying to the area known as the Lansdowne Community Park be deleted to reflect Council’s direction that this community park not be included as part of the Lansdowne revitalization, but be retained as a community park.  The current exception provisions are specific to Lansdowne Park proper and currently apply to the community park as both the community park and Lansdowne proper are subject to one zone designation.

 

The redevelopment and revitalization of Lansdowne Park comprises three elements - the renovation of the current Stadium and Civic Center complex, the transformation of much of the site’s current asphalt surface parking area along the Rideau Canal corridor into a dynamic urban park for staging and programming of various activities and events, including the Ottawa Farmers Market, and  a new urban mixed-use area at the northwest sector of the site and along Bank Street, providing a mix of commercial, cultural and residential uses reflective of an urban village and for animating and redefining the site’s relationship to Bank Street. The proposed rezoning is principally directed to allowing the urban mixed use component of the proposed revitalization as the stadium component and urban park component are permitted under the existing zoning.

 

The proposed revitalization and proposed rezoning to allow an  urban mixed use component for the revitalized Lansdowne satisfies relevant policies in the City’s Official Plan for lands designated Traditional Mainstreet and General Urban Area, as well as specific policy directions set out for Major Urban Facilities.  These relevant policies relate to intensification, maximizing use of existing infrastructure, compatibility and design.  The proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Park will allow the site to be positively integrated into the surrounding and larger community on a permanent basis, rather than just during limited–duration events, while respecting the site’s heritage assets.  The proposed rezoning is a key element for achieving the proposed revitalization plan for Lansdowne reflected through the Lansdowne Master Plan.

 

As mentioned, the Department is recommending that a holding zone apply to the property.  This holding zone would prohibit development until a number of requirements are addressed.  

 

The zoning change proposed for Lansdowne was provided to the Lansdowne Design Review and Advisory Panel for its review and comment as directed by Council on June 28, 2010. The panel provided one suggestion which has been included in the recommended zoning.

 

Legal/Risk Management Implications:

 

There are no Legal/Risk Management Impediments to implementing the recommendations in the report.

 

In the event that above recommendations and resulting by-law are adopted by Council but appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, a hearing early in 2011 will be sought. 

 

Because of the broad range of issues that may or may not be raised in appeals, it is not possible at this time to provide a narrow range for an estimate as to the costs involved.  Where the issues are limited in scope, a hearing of two-three days might occur at a cost of approximately $25,000.  Should a wider number of issues be raised then a hearing of two to three weeks may be required at a cost in the order of $200,000.  However, this possible scenario was previously identified as part of the Phase 2 and 3 Costs of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan Implementation Report approved by Council on June 28, 2010 so no new or additional funds are required.

 

Technical Implications:

 

Many key technical issues and considerations associated with the Lansdowne development related to matters such as transportation, adequacy of services, and stormwater management have been addressed through the work undertaken to develop the LPP and to respond to Council’s November 2009 directions. Other technical issues more specific to determining development details and conditions for development will be addressed through the Site Plan and Building Permit approvals.

 

Financial Implications:

 

There are no financial implications associated with this report.

 

Public Consultation/Input:

 

The required public meeting for this rezoning report was advertised in the local daily newspapers (Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun and Le Droit).  A copy of the report and information on the time and place of the required public meeting was sent to all property owners within 120 metres of the subject property as well as local concerned Community Groups.

 

RÉSUMÉ

 

Hypothèses et analyse

 

Le 22 avril 2009, le Conseil municipal a demandé au personnel de la Ville de négocier une entente de partenariat avec l’Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) pour la rénovation et la revitalisation du parc Lansdowne et de remettre par la suite l’entente obtenue au Conseil municipal afin qu’il puisse l’étudier. Dans sa demande, le Conseil avait donné des éléments précis qui devaient être inclus dans le plan de revitalisation souhaité.  

 

Le 2 septembre 2009, le Conseil municipal a reçu un rapport du personnel de la Ville comprenant une proposition de Plan de partenariat pour le parc Lansdowne (PPL). Ce rapport définissait également comment le plan répondait aux diverses directives énoncées par le Conseil le 22 avril 2009. Après avoir reçu le rapport du personnel et le PPL, le Conseil a demandé qu’un autre rapport soit préparé, lequel inclurait les détails des prochaines étapes nécessaires à la mise en œuvre du Plan de partenariat pour le parc Lansdowne.

 

Le 16 novembre 2009, le Conseil a approuvé le PPL, sous certaines conditions. Dans le cadre de ses décisions du 16 novembre, le Conseil a notamment demandé au personnel de la Ville de préparer un rapport final sur le PPL et de le lui remettre le 10 juin 2010. Ce rapport permettrait au Conseil de décider comment le PPL pourra satisfaire les diverses conditions et résultats anticipés que ce même conseil avait imposés le 16 novembre 2009 et lui permettrait aussi d’envisager une approbation définitive du PPL par la suite. Le rapport a été préparé et déposé comme prévu et le Conseil a donné son accord pour la mise en œuvre du projet le 28 juin 2010. Dans le cadre de cette approbation, des directives ont été formulées afin qu’un rapport soit préparé pour le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement concernant les modifications de zonage rendues nécessaires pour que se concrétise le projet de revitalisation au parc Lansdowne. Le rapport produit satisfaisait ces exigences et recommandait que le zonage du parc Lansdowne soit modifié et passe de zone de grande installation de loisir (L2[338] F(1.5)) à sous-zone de grande installation de loisir (sous-zone L2 de Lansdowne). Le nouveau zonage correspondra aux utilisations permises par le zonage actuel et les utilisations commerciales et résidentielles prévues, et permettra de modifier les normes de rendement et d’établir une désignation de zonage qui précisera les exigences à satisfaire avant que le projet aille de l’avant. Le rapport recommande également que les dispositions d’exception qui s’appliquent maintenant au secteur actuellement désigné sous le nom de Parc communautaire de Lansdowne soient supprimées afin de refléter la directive du Conseil voulant que ce parc communautaire ne fasse pas partie du projet de revitalisation au parc Lansdowne, mais demeure un parc communautaire. Les dispositions de l’exception actuelle sont propres au parc Lansdowne et s’appliquent actuellement au parc communautaire, puisque ce parc et le parc Lansdowne comme tel comportent une désignation de zonage unique pour les deux. 

 

La rénovation et la revitalisation du parc Lansdowne comporte trois volets – la rénovation du stade et du complexe municipal actuels, la transformation d’une large part de la surface asphaltée du stationnement le long du corridor du canal Rideau en parc urbain dynamique pour la tenue et la programmation de diverses activités et d’événements variés, dont le marché des producteurs agricoles d’Ottawa, et la création d’une composante à utilisation mixte dans la portion nord-ouest du site, le long de la rue Bank, qui aura à la fois une vocation commerciale, culturelle et résidentielle ayant un caractère de village urbain, et qui servira aussi de lieu d’animation et redéfinira la relation entre le site et la rue Bank. La modification de zonage proposée vise principalement à permettre la création de la composante à utilisation mixte du projet de revitalisation proposé, puisque le zonage existant permet déjà que le site comporte un stade et un centre municipal.  

 

Le projet de revitalisation et la modification de zonage proposés pour permettre la création d’une composante à utilisation mixte pour la version revitalisée du parc Lansdowne satisfait aux exigences des politiques pertinentes contenues dans le Plan officiel de la Ville pour les terrains désignés « rue principale traditionnelle » et « secteur urbain général », de même que les directives politiques précises relatives aux grandes installations urbaines. Ces politiques touchent l’intensification et maximisent l’utilisation de l’infrastructure existante, sa compatibilité et sa conception. Le projet de revitalisation proposé pour le parc Lansdowne permettra au site d’être intégré de manière positive aux quartiers environnants et à la communauté dans son ensemble, dans le respect des éléments patrimoniaux des lieux, et ce, de façon permanente, au lieu qu’il le soit uniquement lors d’événements ponctuels de durée limitée. La modification de zonage proposée est un élément essentiel à la concrétisation du plan de revitalisation proposé pour Lansdowne, et se reflète dans le plan directeur lié au projet.

 

Comme mentionné, le comité recommande qu’une désignation de zonage s’applique au site. Cette désignation empêcherait tout développement aussi longtemps que certaines conditions ne seront pas satisfaites.

 

La modification de zonage proposée pour le parc Lansdowne a été soumise au Groupe consultatif et de révision stratégique de la conception aux fins d’examen et de commentaires, comme demandé par le Conseil le 28 juin 2010. Le groupe a formulé une suggestion à la suite de cet examen, laquelle a été incluse au projet de modification de zonage.

 

Incidences juridiques/sur la gestion des risques

 

Aucun obstacle juridique n’est lié à la mise en œuvre des recommandations de ce rapport.  

 

Si les recommandations ci-dessus et les règlements qui en découlent sont adoptés par le Conseil, mais que la Commission des affaires municipales de l’Ontario porte cette décision en appel, on tentera d’obtenir une audience au début de l’année 2011. 

 

En raison du large éventail de questions qui pourraient être soulevées dans le cadre d’un appel, il est impossible actuellement de fournir un aperçu précis des coûts qui résulteraient d’une telle décision de la Commission. Si les questions soulevées ont une portée limitée, une audience de deux à trois jours pourrait suffire et coûterait environ 25 000 $. Si un grand nombre de points sont soulevés, de deux à trois semaines d’audience pourraient être nécessaires et les coûts grimperaient alors aux environs de 200 000 $. Il est toutefois important de souligner que cette éventualité avait déjà été prise en compte dans les coûts des phases 2 et 3 inclus dans le rapport sur le Plan de partenariat pour le parc Lansdowne approuvé par le Conseil municipal le 28 juin 2010. Des fonds supplémentaires ne seront donc pas nécessaires.   

 

Incidences techniques

 

Plusieurs questions et considérations techniques importantes associées au redéploiement du parc Lansdowne concernant notamment les transports, le bien-fondé des services et une stratégie de gestion des eaux pluviales ont été résolues dans le cadre des travaux entrepris lors de la préparation du PPL et pour satisfaire aux exigences énoncées par le Conseil en novembre 2009. D’autres questions d’ordre technique liées aux aspects et aux conditions détaillés du projet de revitalisation seront traitées dans le cadre de l’approbation du plan d’implantation et de celles des permis de construire.

 

Répercussions financières

 

Ce rapport n’en a aucune.

 

Consultation publique/commentaires

 

La tenue des assemblées publiques nécessaires à ce rapport sur la modification du zonage a été annoncée dans les quotidiens locaux (Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun et Le Droit). Une copie du rapport et de l’information sur l’endroit et l’heure de l’assemblée publique exigée a été envoyée à tous les propriétaires dans un rayon de 120 mètres de la propriété concernée, et aux groupes communautaires.

 

BACKGROUND

 

On April 22, 2009, City Council directed staff to negotiate a partnership agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), for the redevelopment and revitalization of Lansdowne Park and return that agreement to Council for its consideration. In its direction to staff, Council established specific criteria to guide the agreement between the City and OSEG including elements to form part of a revitalization plan.

 

On September 2, 2009, Council received a report from staff, in which staff presented a proposed Lansdowne Partnership Plan (LPP) and documented the ways in which the plan complied with Council’s guiding criteria. At this meeting, Council directed staff to undertake an extensive community consultation. They also directed staff to prepare a supplementary report detailing the next steps required for the implementation of the LPP and return that report to Council for its consideration at Committee of the Whole on November 12, 2009.

 

On November 16, 2009, Council approved the LPP subject to a number of conditions being met with defined outcomes to be achieved.  Under the terms of the LPP, the City would enter into a formal partnership agreement with the private sector consortium, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), which has secured a conditional Canadian Football League (CFL) franchise and is pursuing a soccer franchise for Ottawa.  As part of the agreement, OSEG would revitalize the Stadium and Civic Center complex and would operate and manage the revitalized facility for 30 years. The City would grant OSEG the right to develop a portion of Lansdowne for mixed uses (retail, office, hotel, below-grade parking for approximately 1200 vehicles and some residential units) to generate the revenues required to support a partnership business plan, which would include having OSEG design, construct, operate, maintain and manage the Stadium and Civic Center complex.  This new mixed-use development would be situated along Lansdowne’s Bank Street frontage and in the northwest sector of the site.

 

As part of its November 16th decisions, Council directed staff to bring forward a final report on the LPP.  This report would allow Council to determine if and how the LPP responded to the various conditions and defined outcomes that were imposed by Council and allow Council to consider giving final approval to the LPP.  This report was tabled with Council on June 9, 2010 and was considered through Committee of the Whole on June 24 and 25, 2010, with Council giving its approval on June 28, 2010.

 

Among other things, the final LPP report addressed the need for the City to rezone Lansdowne to accommodate the development program for the proposed urban mixed use area that was set out in the LPP and reflected in the Lansdowne Master Plan.  Further noted in the report was that the required zoning change will be considered at a public meeting held by the Planning and Environment Committee on August 24, 2010 with Council considering approval of the required zoning changes on September 8, 2010.

 

Master Plan

 

The Lansdowne Master Plan, which was approved by Council on June 28, 2010, establishes an overall framework for the revitalization of Lansdowne, focused on three distinct but inter-related components:

 

  1. The renovation of the current Stadium and Civic Center complex.

 

  1. The transformation of much of the site’s current asphalt surface parking area along the Rideau Canal corridor into a dynamic urban park for staging and programming of various activities and events, including the Ottawa Farmers Market.

 

  1. A new urban mixed-use area at the northwest sector of the site and along Bank Street, providing a mix of commercial, cultural and residential uses reflective of an urban village and for animating and redefining the site’s relationship to Bank Street.

 

Approximately 1200 below grade parking spaces and some limited surface parking would be provided as part of the new urban mixed use area.  Most of this parking would be common parking for all of Lansdowne with some dedicated residential parking for the residential uses proposed.

 

The stadium complex and urban park elements are permitted under the current zoning, however, the uses to be accommodated within the urban mixed use area are not.  The new uses that would need to be permitted through a rezoning include a variety of commercial uses and residential uses.  Also, site specific modifications are required to various performance standards, to allow the urban mixed use area to have more urban edge conditions along Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue that integrates with the urban fabric of adjacent areas and to modify the site specific parking requirements set out under the current exception provisions applying to the site.

 

Official Plan Designations

 

Lansdowne is located within the General Urban Area designation set out on Schedule B of the Official Plan (OP), with Bank Street designated as a Traditional Mainstreet.  Lansdowne is also recognized as an existing Major Urban Facility under the policies of the OP as it accommodates major city-wide facilities including the Frank Clair Stadium and Civic Center complex and various pavilion buildings used for city-wide activities and events.

 

Current Zoning

 

The Lansdowne site is currently zoned L2[338] F(1.5), a Major Leisure Facility zone.

 

The Major Leisure Facility zone under the Zoning By-law applies to sites that accommodate major urban city-wide sports, recreation and cultural facilities addressed under the Major Urban Facilities policies of the Official Plan.  The zone permits a broad range and intensity of leisure, recreational, cultural and related uses and allows a moderate density and scale of development. Permitted uses include an amusement park, community focused uses such as a community center, day care, fairground, library, museum, place of assembly, sports arena and theatre to name some.

 

The F(1.5) denotes a floor space index permitting the total cumulative gross floor area of buildings to be equal to but not greater than 1.5 times the site area.  For Lansdowne, with an area of approximately 16.2 hectares, this would allow for a total gross floor area of approximately 162,575 square metres of building area.

 

The [338] denotes an exception provision that applies to Lansdowne.  Under the exception, in addition to the uses permitted under the standard L2 zone, light industrial uses limited to a household waste depot and a retail store limited to a farmers market are permitted.  Also, site specific parking provisions are set out under the exception that requires a cumulative total of 2200 parking spaces for all uses (which reflects the existing parking supply on-site) and provides that no parking is required when the site is used to accommodate the annual Central Canada Exhibition (CCE).  The current exception provisions apply to both the Lansdowne Park site that is the subject of the proposed revitalization and the Lansdowne Community Park that will remain as a community park separate from Lansdowne Park proper.

 

Proposed Zoning

 

To accommodate the proposed revitalization, it is proposed that a new L2 subzone that would be known as the “Lansdowne L2 Subzone” be established and applied to the site. Under the new Lansdowne Subzone, all the uses permitted by the current L2 parent zone would continue to be permitted.  This would include the current stadium complex, a theatre, park, community type facilities and other similar public, community, leisure and recreation type uses.  The new subzone would also allow for a range of additional uses that would be located as part of the urban mixed use area to be provided.  These include retail type uses, personal service uses, restaurants, office type uses, a hotel and residential uses.  Performance standards specific to Lansdowne to accommodate the development objectives reflected on the Lansdowne Master Plan would also be established.  These relate to setbacks, building heights and parking requirements. A holding provision is proposed that would provide for certain requirements to be satisfied prior to development occurring.  Also, it is proposed that the current exception provision for the L2 F(1.5) zone for the Lansdowne Community Park no longer apply to the community park area.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Recommendation 1

 

As noted previously, Council, in April 2009, directed staff to negotiate a partnership agreement with OSEG for the redevelopment and revitalization of Lansdowne Park. In so doing, Council provided specific direction for the future development and uses to be included and excluded.  The LPP, conditionally approved by Council in November 2009, responded to Council’s April 2009 directions.  In addition, the LPP was developed to also respond to key directions and policy objectives outlined in the City’s Official Plan.

 

The Lansdowne Master Plan, approved on June 28, 2010, with the modifications directed by Council in its approval, refines the concept outlined in the LPP in a way that continues to be responsive to Council’s April 2009 directions and that further advances OP directions, as highlighted in the following discussion.

 

Official Plan

 

The Official Plan is a broad-based policy document guiding development and change within Ottawa. It is a legal document and all zoning amendments and development must conform with and, to the extent possible, advance the policy objectives expressed within it.

 

Because of the strategic importance of Lansdowne as a key City asset, it is critical the zoning and development program not only respect, be consistent with and advance the key policy directions of the OP, but that the revitalization plan be implemented in a way that embraces the underlying strategic directions of the OP.

 

The following discussion highlights how the Lansdowne revitalization embraces and responds to the underlying key directions of the OP and how the development responds to the more detailed policies of the plan related to the land use designations that apply to the site and the various other policy areas that need to be considered for the project.

 

Strategic Directions

 

The Strategic Directions detailed in Section 2 of the OP establish the underlying policy foundation for the Plan.  Those of particular relevance to the development of Lansdowne deal with intensification, maximizing use of existing infrastructure, compatibility and design.  The development program for the Lansdowne redevelopment which will in part be accommodated by the proposed zoning change, will advance many of the plan’s Strategic Directions related to the foregoing.

 

A central underlying thrust of the OP’s policy framework set out through the Plan’s Strategic Directions deals with intensification, mixed use and concentrating development within the urban area. The Lansdowne site, in its current form, is a predominately single-use site with significant municipal facilities for accommodating major events and activities (such as large sporting and entertainment events, various consumer and trade shows, and other similar limited-duration activities and events).  While these events and activities attract large crowds, they do so predominately during evenings and on weekends and only generate significant on and off-site activity for a limited time. When there are no such events, the site is virtually unused and because there are no uses to support any degree of activity outside the limited-duration events accommodated at the site, the site is in many ways isolated from the adjacent community and for much of the time throughout the year is a vast, unused surface parking area with empty buildings.

 

The development program for revitalizing Lansdowne is focused on transforming the site from an isolated, limited-use and event-specific venue into a dynamic, urban place that activates and animates the site throughout the year and that will be integrated with its urban context.  In addition to continuing its role as a major municipal facility and venue for sporting and entertainment events, the significant surface parking area will be reclaimed as a dramatic new public open space amenity for both the adjacent community and all of Ottawa and a new dynamic urban mixed-use area, integrating the site with the adjacent community, will be developed.

 

The mix of uses that will be part of the transformed Lansdowne and the repurposing of the site’s significant parking area into a unique urban park will make much more effective use of the site.  This supports the strategic directions of the OP for making efficient use of land through a mix of uses at an intensity suited to the site and in a way that will provide for its continuation as a significant public amenity.

 

The location of mixed use provides for Lansdowne to be part of its local and larger community, and reflects the Official Plan’s strategic directions for Mainstreets and the General Urban Area.  These directions are focused on reinforcing and strengthening the role of Mainstreets as focal points for shopping, offices and community interaction with mixed use development including residential uses and providing for more efficient use of vacant underdeveloped land through infill and intensification that will sensitively build on existing neighbourhood characteristics.

 

Along with the thrust of the OP on intensification, mixed use and more concentrated development in the urban area, the strategic directions also set out an equally strong focus on ensuring new development is achieved in a way that contributes to enhancing established communities and co-exists without causing undue adverse impacts.  A key principle of this thrust is that new development “fits well” within its physical context and “works well” among those functions that surround it.  To assist in making these determinations, the Strategic Directions in Section 2.5.1 of the OP set out a series of design objectives and principles as qualitative statements of how the City wants to influence the built environment as it matures and evolves.  The key objectives are:

 

·         To enhance the sense of community by creating and maintaining places with their own distinct identity;

·         To define quality public and private spaces through development;

·         To create places that are safe, accessible and easy to get to and move through;

·         To ensure that new development respects the character of existing areas;

·         To consider adaptability and diversity by creating places that can adapt and evolve easily over time;

·         To promote environmental sustainability in development.

The Lansdowne revitalization program is consistent with and advances these key objectives.  It is focused on building on the site’s historical role in the city as a significant public gathering place for many activities and events, and is being designed in a way that reflects and respects the site’s history of place with new elements being introduced through the new urban park, the new urban mixed use and the stadium renovation that will result in the site being distinct in identity.  The development program is very much focused on establishing a high quality public and private realm that is well connected and accessible and that not only respects the character of the adjacent community but provides for integration with adjacent areas including Bank Street and the Rideau Canal. The transformation of Lansdowne is focused on place making and positioning Lansdowne such that it will continue its tradition as an important civic site today and into the future.  Lansdowne has seen much transition over the years with the more recent transition resulting in the current dilapidated disconnected condition.  The transformation is focused on reversing this condition and ensuring that this condition does not return to Lansdowne in the future.

 

Other key directions set out in the Strategic Directions relevant to the Lansdowne transformation include linking parks and leisure areas, which includes major facilities such as Lansdowne, to the Greenspace network (canal green space corridor) and protecting and maintaining heritage buildings and, where these are owned by the City, to improve and manage these to advance the heritage objectives of the plan.  The revitalization of Lansdowne is very much focused on advancing all these directives.  For example, a revitalized Lansdowne will have a new urban park reintegrated with the Canal corridor and its recreational pathway system.  It will also have the two heritage buildings retained and repurposed in a way that reflects and tells the story of the history of Lansdowne.

 

Land Use Designations

 

As noted in the background discussion, Lansdowne Park is designated as Traditional Mainstreet along the Bank Street frontage.  Given the size of the site and its context within the adjacent community, the site is also considered to be subject to the General Urban Area designation for the balance of the site that is removed from the Bank Street frontage. This interpretation is consistent with policies in the OP dealing with Traditional Mainstreets that acknowledge that the boundaries for Mainstreet designations are flexible depending on site circumstances and lot configuration and that the Mainstreet designation generally applies to lands fronting the road designated as a Mainstreet.   Finally, the site also is considered a Major Urban Facility and is subject to the OP’s policies dealing with major urban facilities.  These include major sports, recreational and cultural facilities of a scale similar to Lansdowne Park which is specifically referenced in the OP as an existing Major Urban Facility.

 

For Mainstreets, the OP recognizes two types, arterial and traditional.  The former designation applies to those commercial corridors that were developed as highway commercial corridors and that are characterized by larger lots and uses that are more car focused.  The later applies to the inner urban commercial corridors that are characterized by smaller scale street oriented uses and that have very strong pedestrian orientations.  The Plan provides for all Mainstreets to be areas where intensification and mixed use is to be provided to achieve the plans overall intensification objectives.

 

For Traditional Mainstreets, which is the designation that applies to Lansdowne’s Bank Street frontage, direction is provided for intensification to be accommodated within predominately a four to six-storey built form, but does allow for higher heights to be permitted where appropriate from a context perspective (such as where a site is a gateway, is a corner location or where compatibility factors can be addressed).  Buildings are to have a minimum height of two storeys to ensure appropriate enclosure and intensity of development for the street.  The policies support and encourage compact mixed-use development and require development to be close to the street, with a strong pedestrian orientation to contribute to pedestrian activity and animation with ground floor uses that are street-related.

 

The General Urban Area land-use designation policies provide for a wide range of uses.  These include the full range of residential uses from single family dwellings to highrise apartments and non-residential uses, including Major Urban Facilities.  More intense uses/development is directed to locations where potential impacts on and conflicts with established residential areas can be mitigated.  Within established communities, direction is provided for development to integrate well with the existing community character to enhance and build upon desirable established patterns and built form.

 

Development under the policies applying to lands designated General Urban Area and Traditional Mainstreet are to be assessed in the context of Section 2.5.1 and 4.11 to ensure appropriate fit and a compatible relationship with the site’s current or planned context.

 

The development program for the Lansdowne revitalization advances the policy objectives for lands designated General Urban Area and Traditional Mainstreet.  Along Bank Street, more intense mixed use development in the form of multiple storey buildings is proposed.  These buildings are to accommodate smaller scale ground floor retail type uses that are oriented to the street, with upper floors accommodating larger retail, residential and office and potential hotel uses.

 

Lansdowne, due to its location at the south end of the Glebe’s Bank Street corridor (at the foot of the Bank Street Bridge over the Rideau Canal) is a gateway site, a focal point and node for the Bank Street commercial corridor.  Given the opportunities provided in the OP to accommodate higher profile development where such conditions exist, development is proposed to be in the medium to high profile range along the site’s Bank Street frontage.  This will provide that area of Bank Street with definition and enclosure, which currently exhibits an arterial main street character as a result of the wide roadway in front of Lansdowne.  The higher profile development along Bank Street will also allow the stadium complex to be an integrated element of the Lansdowne development rather than the overpowering element that it currently is.

 

As part of the development program for the Bank Street frontage, a wide pedestrian promenade is proposed.  This promenade would have the potential to be programmed in conjunction with different events and activities that would take place on site and would have the capacity to accommodate the high volume of people arriving and leaving the site for major events.  A grand promenade along Bank Street, animated with active ground floor uses would provide for a comfortable pedestrian experience separate from the wide roadway along the site’s frontage — consistent with the objectives of the OP for Traditional Mainstreets to be pedestrian-focused streets.

 

The uses proposed along Bank Street are proposed to be located within four building forms all of which would accommodate ground floor retail type uses that may also extend to second floor locations with upper floors accommodating office uses and/or residential uses. There may also be an art gallery near the Bank Street Bridge.

 

The proposed design approach for the Bank Street frontage, with a wide, programmable pedestrian space would not only accommodate large pedestrian crowds when events are being held at the site, but would also compensate for the fact it is not possible to provide a two sided retail street environment typical of a Traditional Mainstreet.  A retirement residence occupying most of the lands across from Lansdowne precludes the ability to provide retail uses for the western frontage of Bank Street between Wilton Crescent and Holmwood Avenue.  Therefore, it is important that the treatment on the east side of Bank Street adjacent to Lansdowne be designed as its own space capable of sustaining activity and providing a focus and gateway to Lansdowne. This is successfully achieved through the design approach proposed.

 

Along Holmwood Avenue, between Bank and O’Connor Streets, the development program proposes low profile, street-edge residential units in the form of townhouses and stacked townhouses. These units will be part of larger, mixed-use buildings with commercial spaces behind the residential units that would be oriented into Lansdowne.  These commercial spaces would occupy two floors that in combination with the residential development fronting Holmwood Avenue would form a podium on which would be located four to six upper floors.  These upper floors would accommodate residential apartment units set back from Holmwood Avenue and from the commercial facades facing into the site.  In total, approximately 220 residential units will be located along the Holmwood Avenue edge of the site.

 

The residential development will provide residential intensification at the edge of the existing community, consistent with the policy objectives of the OP for lands designated General Urban Area and in a form that will provide for a sensitive integration with the residential fabric along Holmwood Avenue.  The street experience will be that of a low-profile, two-sided residential street that reflects the blocking pattern within the Glebe.  This will serve to sensitively extend the residential fabric of the Glebe into Lansdowne and provide access from Holmwood Avenue into the site that does not exist today.  This reflects a significant improvement over the current condition along Holmwood Avenue, which is characterized as a one-sided residential street with a green strip of land and fencing separating the community from the surface parking and loading and marshalling areas across the street.

 

The residential intensification and design approach for the residential edge to be provided along Holmwood Avenue is fully in accordance with the policy objectives of the OP for residential intensification and infill that builds on and strengthens existing residential communities.  Furthermore, the residential development will introduce an element of the Lansdowne revitalization that supports 18-hour-a-day activity throughout the year.  The site will be part of the community and the community will be part of what establishes Lansdowne as a unique and dynamic urban place.

 

The new commercial aspect of the mixed-use area reflected in the Lansdowne Master Plan will be located along Bank Street (where there will also be upper-floor residential units) and concentrated between the Holmwood Avenue residential edge along the northern boundary of Lansdowne and the northern edge of the Civic Center complex and the Aberdeen Pavilion. This new commercial area is to be located within low–profile, two-storey pavilion style-buildings reminiscent of the pavilion-style buildings historically located at Lansdowne, many of which were previously concentrated in this area and within the multi-storey buildings proposed for the northern edge of Lansdowne between Bank and O’Connor Streets.

 

The pavilion buildings will be developed and located to create internal courtyards and plazas and pedestrian priority streets that can also accommodate vehicular circulation.  The objective is to establish an urban village where buildings and their uses will provide for a very unique and dynamic shopping and pedestrian experience, as well as a synergistic relationship with the urban park and stadium components of the revitalized Lansdowne.

 

This proposed urban village area, like the Holmwood Avenue edge, is subject to the policies for lands designated General Urban Area. The scale of the new commercial area proposed and the focus of the development for the core of the urban village is consistent with the policy directions of the OP for lands designated General Urban Area.  As noted at the outset, the General Urban Area permits a broad range of uses and activities and various densities and profiles.  The determination of the nature of uses, intensity of development and development profile is dependent on multiple factors specific to the site in question.  In the context of Lansdowne, the new urban village capitalizes on the synergies of the other components and the activities and events that will be accommodated at Lansdowne and will contribute to making the site a very unique and distinctive urban place in Ottawa.  The new commercial area will reflect a scale of development and form that will make it part of the urban fabric of the Glebe and will provide a very dynamic connection through the site from the Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue edges and the adjacent community to the new urban park area and the canal.

 

While not a land use designation in the OP, specific policy directions are set out for Major Urban Facilities.  Lansdowne is an existing Major Urban Facility that is recognized by the OP and is therefore subject to those policies dealing with existing Major Urban Facilities.  The policies dealing with new facilities are not applicable.

 

Under the Major Urban Facilities policies, direction is provided on considerations to be had where an amendment to the Zoning By-law is considered to permit ancillary uses to locate on the same lot as a Major Urban Facility.  The key consideration is that the ancillary uses are secondary to and supportive of the primary use and that the addition of ancillary uses does not result in a scale of development that is incompatible with adjacent residential uses. For the Lansdowne site, these ancillary uses are those that would be located within the urban mixed-use area and along Bank Street. The nature, scale and intensity of uses that will be permitted under the rezoning for the urban mixed-use area and along Bank Street not only meet the policy directions of the OP for Traditional Mainstreets and General Urban Areas, but are also consistent with the policy dealing with ancillary uses for Major Urban Facilities.

 

As previously noted, the urban mixed use-area will provide for synergistic relationships between uses and activities accommodated through the programming for the urban park and those within the Stadium and Civic Center complex. In so doing, Lansdowne will become a unique and dynamic urban place that reflects and builds on its historic traditions and re-establishes itself as a significant gathering, cultural, entertainment and sporting venue for the adjacent community and the city as a whole.

 

The new urban mixed-use is ancillary and secondary to the primary activities the site will accommodate through the programming of the urban park and the Stadium and Civic Center complex, but will support and compliment these activities and events at Lansdowne and also provide for ensuring the site is activated and lively throughout the year to support the site being re-established as a meeting place and place for many civic and capital events and activities.  The urban village will also allow for the site to become an integral part of its local and larger community to advance policy objectives set out for lands designated Traditional Mainstreet and General Urban Area, consistent with the OP’s Strategic Directions.

 

Development Review

 

Section 4 of the OP sets out various policy directions related to development review.  Those of particular relevance to the Lansdowne revitalization project include directions dealing with heritage buildings and areas, archaeological resources, scenic entry routes and compatibility.  Most of these directions would be considered in detail through the formal heritage approval and site plan approval processes that Council also directed be initiated for consideration and approval before November 24, 2010.  However, elements of these directions have also been considered to assess the development program in the context of the rezoning required to allow for the mixed use development component of the revitalization.

 

 

The key policy directions set out in Section 4.6.1 dealing with heritage are focused on the heritage approval processes required where development is proposed that has the potential to directly or indirectly affect designated heritage resources.  To assess such proposals, a Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment must accompany formal applications to seek approvals for any proposed interventions to heritage resources.

 

The Lansdowne project involves the proposed relocation of the Horticulture Building.  A Heritage Impact Assessment has been prepared to serve as the basis for seeking the required formal heritage approvals.

 

The proposal to relocate the Horticulture Building has been informed through heritage assessments undertaken in developing the Lansdowne Master Plan.  Relocation will allow this building to have a more public use given its relationship to the urban park area and may be used in part in association with the Ottawa Farmers Market. Furthermore, its new location, alongside the Aberdeen Pavilion, will provide a unique historical backdrop for the urban park and compliment the re-integration of the urban park with the Rideau Canal, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The relocated Horticulture Building, along with the Aberdeen Pavilion and Abbotsford House, will bookend the new urban mixed-use area that will comprise pavilion-style buildings reminiscent of Lansdowne’s rich history.  Finally, to ensure the new development will not compete visually with the historic pavilions, the heights of the new pavilion buildings for the urban mixed-use area in immediate proximity to the Aberdeen Pavilion and relocated Horticulture Building will be limited.

 

 

Lansdowne Park is identified on the City of Ottawa map, “Areas of Archaeological Potential,” as a site where there may be archaeological resources.  A stage-one archaeological assessment has been completed, which has identified a need to undertake a stage-two assessment. The stage-two assessment will be completed as part of the heritage and site plan approval processes consistent with the timing of when such assessments are required through the normal development review and approval process.

 

 

The OP designates the Queen Elizabeth Driveway (QED) a scenic entry route. As a result, the policies set out in Section 4.6.4 apply and must be considered and regarded with respect to any development proposal for lands along the QED.

 

These considerations focus on ensuring development contributes to creating an aesthetically pleasing environment for these routes, protecting views of natural and cultural heritage features, mature trees and roadside vegetation, and providing for the co-ordination of landscaping, paths, berming, et cetera, within the right-of-way for the route with that provided on adjacent lands.  The lands adjacent to the QED are the subject of the Urban Park Proposal, which is very much focused on significantly improving the relationship between Lansdowne and the scenic character and qualities of the QED.  In fact, the Lansdowne revitalization will provide for the site to be a key public site along the QED that, along with sites like the Arboretum and Dows Lake, will contribute significantly to the scenic quality of the QED.

 

 

The compatibility criteria set out in Section 4.11 are key criteria referenced in all the land-use policies of the OP to be used in assessing compatibility of development proposals.  These more objective criteria, along with the more subjective criteria set out in Section 2.5.1 (that are more focused on urban design considerations), together serve as the key determining factors to assess the appropriateness of development.  The criteria set out in Section 4.11 are focused more on assessing traditional planning matters, such as building height, mass or bulk, scale relationships and building lot relationships, matters such as distance from the street, and the distance between buildings.  In addition to built form matters, the criteria also include operational considerations, such as traffic, parking, and access.

 

The criteria set out in Section 4.11 are to be used in conjunction with any specific direction set out related to the site’s land use designation, directions set out in any secondary plans, community design plans, or site-specific policies and directions set out in Section 2.5.1.  The measures of compatibility relative to the criteria set out in Section 4.11 depend on use and planning context —meaning not all will be of equal importance or relevance. The criteria address the following:

 

 

Many of the above are considerations more focused on site plan review; however, some of the criteria, such as building heights and traffic issues, are applicable where a rezoning is required to allow for development.

 

As noted in the Background section, the proposed rezoning for Lansdowne will allow for the urban mixed-use component and will establish specific standards related to intensity of uses within the mixed-use area, heights for new buildings, setbacks, parking and loading.  The stadium and Civic Center complex, the urban park and the Ottawa Famers Market are currently permitted. The criteria set out in Section 4.11 of relevance in assessing the rezoning are focused on traffic, particularly as this relates to the new mixed-use and parking, loading, building height and massing, pattern of the surrounding community and supporting neighbourhood services.

 

Traffic

A comprehensive and detailed transportation study was undertaken for the Lansdowne project and was extensively addressed in the Report  considered and approved by Council on June 28, 2010 to respond to a key condition that Council required be addressed prior to considering giving its final approval to the Lansdowne project. In summary, the study concluded that the transportation requirements for all the aspects of the Lansdowne revitalization can be met.

 

The traffic study conclusions were based on the development program reflected in the Lansdowne Master Plan.  As part of the proposed rezoning, the intensity of new development will be limited to reflect the intensity of development to what is proposed in the plan.

 

Parking and Loading

The recommended zoning will establish site-specific parking requirements to meet the parking needs for the revitalized Lansdowne.  Specific, dedicated parking is set out for the residential uses, with the remainder of the parking being shared amongst all the uses.  This parking will meet the day-to-day requirements for the site.  For major events, Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plans will be implemented, which will require the provision of off-site parking.  The Transportation study and TDM plan, included in the report approved by Council on June 28 addressed this in detail.

 

Limiting on-site parking to ensure it will satisfy day-to-day requirements and placing an emphasis on transit and alternative options, including off-site parking, is consistent with the Strategic Directions of the Official Plan. These directions are designed to support and encourage increased use of alternative travel, to maximize the use of existing parking facilities, and to provide for shared parking so as to minimize the amount of parking provided for development that in turn allows for more efficient use of the land through more mixed-use and compact development.  Ensuring adequate parking to meet day-to- day needs ensures potential impacts related to day-to-day activity will be minimized.

 

Like parking, site-specific loading provisions to be determined through the Site Plan approval process are also recommended through the rezoning. This ensures practical loading requirements are determined through the more detailed design site plan development when greater definition of specific users is determined while at the same time achieving key design objectives that ensure a quality urban environment.

 

Building Height, Massing and Pattern of Surrounding Community

The recommended zoning sets out maximum building heights for different areas on site.  These heights reflect the heights depicted for buildings by the plans included in Council’s June 28, 2010 directions for the Lansdowne Master Plan and are considered appropriate in the context of the various policy directions previously discussed.

 

Along Bank Street, buildings up to a maximum height of 16 floors will be permitted.  This will allow for the stadium to be physically integrated into the site so as to minimize its visual and physical dominance and will provide for establishing Lansdowne as a focal element along Bank Street between the Glebe Traditional Mainstreet area and the Old Ottawa South Traditional Mainstreet area.  Allowing increased heights will also allow for better definition to be established for the section of Bank Street between the Canal and Holmwood Avenue, where it exhibits characteristics of an arterial main street and will allow for a critical mass to be achieved to support an active street environment for Bank Street adjacent to Lansdowne.

 

Along Holmwood Avenue, the street edge of buildings will be limited to four storeys, which is compatible with the existing heights along Holmwood Avenue, to establish a strong human scale residential streetscape.  Behind the Holmwood Avenue street edge, upper floors of buildings will be limited to a height of four to six stories.  The higher elements will be stepped back so as to not impact the low profile street environment.  Such an approach to massing is consistent with directions set out in the OP for achieving good integration between higher profile buildings to achieve intensification objectives on the edge of established areas that exhibit a low profile character.

 

Internal to the urban mixed-use area, buildings would be limited to two stories to support the establishment of a low-scale urban village of pavilion buildings that will not overpower the two heritage structures to be established as the centerpiece of Lansdowne and a focal element of both the urban mixed-use area and the urban park.

 

Finally, as previously discussed, a key objective for the Lansdowne revitalization is to integrate the site with the pattern of the surrounding area.  This is being established through the pattern of spaces being defined by the proposed buildings and through the uses proposed.  The urban village component of Lansdowne, while a distinct element of Lansdowne that will provide for a strong synergistic relationship with the other uses and activities that will be accommodated to establish Lansdowne as a unique and dynamic urban place, also very much reflects the pattern of development within the community and extends elements of the existing community into Lansdowne so that all elements are integrated in an urban context.  The urban park will help create pedestrian and cycling linkages to the Canal that will help better integrate this site into the surrounding area.

 

Neighbourhood Services

The criteria dealing with neighbourhood services speaks to the new commercial type uses proposed within the new urban mixed-use area.  Ensuring these uses would support and compliment existing commercial type uses and that there would be synergistic relationships and support for Lansdowne being a unique urban place were key elements of the conditions Council put in place in November 16, 2009.  To respond to this, a retail strategy was developed that was set out in the report approved by Council on June 28, 2010.  The strategy is very much focused on having the new commercial uses augment the commercial offerings within the community in a way that supports and compliments existing commercial offerings. Furthermore, the commercial offerings would provide a unique shopping experience for Lansdowne, supporting and complimenting other uses, activities and events on site.

 

Holding Zone

 

The recommended zoning detailed in Document 2 provides for the establishment of a holding zone that would prohibit development until the following requirements are addressed:  

 

·         Approval of a Stage 1 Site Plan that is consistent with the development proposal reflecting the Lansdowne Master Plan and incorporating the modifications approved by Council for the overall development of Lansdowne. 

 

·         All required heritage approvals having been obtained.

 

The required Stage 1 Site Plan that integrates of the plans for the stadium renovation and urban mixed use areas with the urban park plan and responds to Council directives related to integration matters is being processed and will be brought forward for approval by Committee of the Whole in November 2010 as provided in Document 27 of the Lansdowne Report approved by Council on June 28, 2010.

 

The required heritage approvals under the Ontario Heritage Act for the relocation and adaptive re-use of the Horticulture Building will also be brought forward through the normal approval processes for consideration and approval in November 2010.  Also, the process to obtain approvals from the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT) related to the OHT Heritage Easement Agreement is being formally initiated so as to have this approval also in place by November 2010.  Requiring that these approvals be in place prior to development occurring under the proposed zoning will ensure that various development details related to matters such as the Council approved retail strategy, servicing and stormwater management, the approved transportation strategy, and architectural design for new development will be appropriately addressed.

 

As an aside, central to the revitalization program is the partnership between the City and OSEG.  This partnership will be formalized through a Project Agreement Framework, the material business terms of which were approved by Council on June 28, 2010.  Leaving aside the holding zone, as a practical matter OSEG will also not be permitted to commence construction before fulfilling its contractual obligations to the City.

 

Heritage Overlay

 

As part of the recommended zoning, it is recommended that the current heritage overlay applying to the Aberdeen Pavilion and Horticulture Building be eliminated.  Both buildings are designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) requiring that any modifications be subject to approvals by Council under the OHA.  Further, the Aberdeen Pavilion is also subject to a heritage easement agreement with the Ontario Heritage Trust and a funding agreement with Parks Canada.  Both these legal documents provide for complete protection of the Aberdeen Pavilion.  Finally, as part of the Lansdowne revitalization, it is proposed to relocate the Horticulture Building, which will be subject to the formal heritage approval process for a decision by Council under the OHA.  Given the current designations and protections and the formal processes required to effect changes to the two designated heritage buildings, the retention of the current heritage overlay is considered redundant and is recommended to be removed. 

 

Design Review Panel Review

 

The zoning change proposed for Lansdowne was provided to the Lansdowne Design Review and Advisory Panel for its review and comment as directed by Council on June 28, 2010. The Chair of the panel provided one suggestion that the additional uses to be added as permitted uses to allow for the urban mixed use component only be permitted where the site also accommodates a use or uses permitted under the standard L2 zone.  This is to ensure that the urban mixed use area could not be developed without the site also accommodating leisure type uses.  This suggestion has been included in the recommended zoning. Also, the panel was interested in ensuring that the mixed use area will be able to accommodate an appropriate intensity of residential development.  In this regard, the panel is satisfied that the zoning will allow for a level of residential development for the mixed use area that can sustain ongoing activity.  

 

Recommendation 2

 

Recommendation 2 is a housekeeping recommendation to reflect Council’s direction given on June 28, 2010 to not include the area known as the Lansdowne Community Park as part of the Lansdowne revitalization but to have this community park retained as a community park.  The current exception provision is specific to Lansdowne Park proper and with the direction that the community park area be separate from Lansdowne proper, it is necessary to eliminate the current exception provision from the zoning applying to the community park.

 

Summary

 
The recommended zoning will provide for the revitalization of Lansdowne that reflects Council’s June 28, 2010 directions for the master plan. The Lansdowne revitalization embraces and responds to the underlying key directions of the Official Plan and responds to the more detailed policies of the plan related to the land use designations that apply to the site and the various other policy areas that need to be considered for the Lansdowne project.  The development program will advance many of the key policies of the City related to city building and place making and re-establish Lansdowne as a key municipal asset that reflects and builds on its history as a significant meeting and gathering place for many activities and events.  With the rezoning, uses will be accommodated that will support Lansdowne being animated and activated throughout the year to compliment the stadium and urban park elements.  This will establish Lansdowne as a dynamic and unique urban place - the agora of the city - that will be integrated with its urban context as a defining element for the local neighbourhood and the larger city.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Sustainability is a key element of the Lansdowne revitalization.  The rezoning to allow for a mix of uses at Lansdowne to make effective use of this significant municipal asset advances the City’s sustainability objectives related to land use planning, making efficient use of land and infrastructure and generally advances the principles of smart growth.  Other details related to sustainability will be addressed through the site plan and building permit approval processes.  This includes site remediation as required to address the site contamination confirmed through the Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment that have been completed for Lansdowne.

 

CONSULTATION

 

There has been extensive public engagement and opportunities for the public to provide comments as the Lansdowne Partnership Plan was being developed including two full days of opportunities for public representations before Committee of the Whole prior to Council considering giving its final approval to the LPP in June 2010.  Throughout this process, the matters that are now being addressed through this report related to the nature of the new uses and development as well as parking provisions was made known to the public. Further, while no early notification was undertaken, all property owners within 120 m of Lansdowne as well as local community groups have been provided direct notice of the Planning and Environment Committee meeting and have received a copy of the staff report.  In addition, because of the city-wide significance of the Lansdowne revitalization, in addition to providing an indication in the main Lansdowne report considered by Council on June 28 of the date for consideration of the zoning change for Lansdowne, ads were placed in the daily papers advising of the Planning and Environment Committee where the zoning would be considered.

 

Public comments provided through the e-consultations undertaken for the larger Lansdowne revitalization project in the fall of 2009 and for the urban park design competition and for the urban mixed use and stadium designs were all compiled by Nanos Research and reported to Council.  The rezoning is one of the steps towards implementation of the Lansdowne project.

 

COMMENTS BY WARD COUNCILLOR

 

Councillor Doucet has been made aware of this report and the proposed zoning change for Lansdowne to allow for implementation of the LPP.

 

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no Legal/Risk Management Impediments to implementing the recommendations in the report.

 

In the event that above recommendations and resulting by-law are adopted by Council but appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, a hearing early in 2011 will be sought. 

 

Because of the broad range of issues that may or may not be raised in appeals, it is not possible at this time to provide a narrow range for an estimate as to the costs involved.  Where the issues are limited in scope, a hearing of two-three days might occur at a cost of approximately $25,000.  Should a wider number of issues be raised then a hearing of two to three weeks may be required at a cost in the order of $200,000.  However, this possible scenario was previously identified as part of the Phase 2 and 3 Costs of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan Implementation Report approved by Council on June 28, 2010 so no new or additional funds are required.

 

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

 

The proposed rezoning to expand the uses permitted and allow a mixed use development program for Lansdowne aligns with the City Strategic Plan.  The development program respects the existing urban fabric, neighbourhood form, and the limits of existing hard services, so that the revitalized Lansdowne is integrated seamlessly with both the local community and larger city fabric.

 

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Many key technical issues and considerations associated with the Lansdowne development related to matters such as transportation, adequacy of services, and stormwater management have been addressed through the work undertaken to develop the LPP and to respond to Council’s November 2009 directions. Other technical issues more specific to determining development details and conditions for development will be addressed through the Site Plan and Building Permit approvals and are matters that will need to be addressed prior to the lifting of the holding provision to allow development to occur.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no direct financial implications associated with this report.

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1    Location Map

Document 2    Details of Recommended Zoning

Document 3    Height Schedule

 

DISPOSITION

 

Planning and Growth Management Department to prepare the implementing by-law, forward to Legal Services and undertake the statutory notification.

 

Legal Services to forward the implementing by-law to City Council.


Location Map                                                                                                  Document 1

 

 


Details of Recommended Zoning                                                      DOCUMENT 2

 

1.      Rezone the subject property shown on Document 1 as follows:

a.       Area A is rezoned from L2[338]F(1.5) to L2C[338]SXXX-h; and,

b.      Area B is rezoned from L2[338]F(1.5) to L2 F(1.5)

 

2.      Delete the heritage overlay on the subject property and as shown on the zoning map of By-law No. 2008-250 for the Horticulture Building and Aberdeen Pavilion

 

3.      Amend Part 17, Schedules, by adding Document 3as Schedule XXX

 

4.      Amend Exception [338] of Section 239 by deleting the existing text in its entirety and replacing it with text similar in effect to the following:

 

a.       In Column II the text – LC2[338]SXXX-h;

b.      In Column V the following provisions:

The holding symbol may not be removed until:

a)      Stage 1 Site Plan Approval consistent with the development proposal that reflects the Master Plan and required modifications approved by Council on June 28, 2010 for the overall development of Lansdowne has been obtained; and,

 

b)      All required heritage approvals having been obtained.

 

  1. Amend Section 176 by adding a new subzone, L2C – Lansdowne, as subsection 176(3) with  text similar in effect to the following:

 

L2C Subzone – Lansdowne

 

In the L2C Subzone, the following additional uses are permitted provided that one or more of the uses permitted under the standard L2 zone are provided on the site:

Non-residential uses

amusement center

animal care establishment
animal hospital
artist studio
bank

bank machine

bar
catering establishment
cinema
convenience store
home-based business, see Part 5, Section 127
home-based day care, see Part 5, Section 129
hotel
instructional facility
medical facility
municipal service centre

night club
office
parking garage
personal service business
post office

production studio

research and development center
restaurant
retail food store
retail store
service and repair shop
small batch brewery, see Part 3, Section 89
training centre

Residential Uses

apartment dwelling, low rise
apartment dwelling, mid-high rise
dwelling units
residential care facility
retirement home

Non-residential uses listed in the L2C subzone (excluding offices) that are located outside of buildings designated under the Ontario Heritage Act (the Aberdeen Pavilion and Horticulture Building) are limited to a total cumulative GLFA of 33,450 square metres with office uses being limited to a total cumulative GLFA of 9,300 square metres.

Residential uses are only permitted in buildings fronting directly onto Holmwood Avenue and/or Bank Street.

For buildings fronting onto Bank Street, the ground floor, excluding lobby areas for upper floor uses must accommodate one or more permitted non-residential uses

For the purposes of the L2C subzone, a building is considered to front onto a public street when any wall of that building faces a public street and no part of that wall is separated from that public street by another building

 

Table 175 does not apply and minimum setbacks and maximum building heights applicable are as set out below:

Minimum Setback

·       From a lot line abutting Bank Street – 3.0 metres.

·       From a lot line abutting Holmwood Avenue – 3.0 m.  This minimum set back does not apply to a building designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

·       From the Queen Elizabeth Driveway – 7.5 m.  This setback does not apply to pavilion buildings accommodating permitted non-residential uses that are ancillary to and/or associated with the urban park.

Maximum Building heights are as shown on Schedule XXX (Document 3 

Parking and Loading

·         A minimum cumulative total of 1230 parking spaces are required for all uses

·         A minimum of 1200 parking spaces must be located below grade

·         Residential parking must be provided at a minimum rate of .5 spaces per unit

·         Despite clause 100(1)(a) and Section 104, 100% of the parking for non-residential uses may be shared  amongst all the non-residential uses on the lot

The provisions of Section 113 dealing with required loading does not apply and loading requirements will be established through Site Plan Approval. 


MAXIMUM PERMITTED BUILDING HEIGHTS                                          DOCUMENT 3