Summary
On August 2, 2017 an application was submitted for a 12-storey (45.03 metres including a 5-metre mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building containing 173 residential units, at 2706-2730 Dundas Street West.
On December 18, 2017, on the earliest possible appeal date, the applicant appealed the Zoning By-law Amendment application without any revisions to the proposal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (the LPAT) citing Council’s failure to make a decision on the application within the timeframe prescribed by the Planning Act.
Following the appeal, the applicant on April 10, 2018 submitted a revised application for a 9-storey (37 metres including 5-metre mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building containing 151 residential units.
This report recommends that the City Solicitor together with the City Planning staff and other appropriate staff be directed to oppose the application in its current form at the LPAT.
The proposed building height is too tall and does not fit within the existing and planned context and does not comply with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014), does not conform to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017) and does not comply with the Official Plan or Mid-rise Guidelines.
Proposal The Zoning By-law Amendment application proposes a 9-storey (37-metre, including a mechanical penthouse), mixed-use building with 151 units and a total gross floor area of 13,871 square metres.
The site abuts a 3.66 metre wide public lane. The application proposes to provide a 1.17 metre conveyance to widen the public lane.
The building footprint covers most of the site with an overall density of 6.8 times the area of the lot (See Attachment 10: Application Data Sheet).
There is a 5-storey streetwall with no setback from the Dundas Street West property line with the exception of the ground floor which is setback 1.19 metres. There is a stepback of 3.0 metres at the top of the 5th floor and another 1.5 metre stepback at the 7th floor. The 8th
floor projects out 1.5 metres. The 9th floor then steps back 6.0 metres. The mechanical penthouse has a stepback of 4.6 metres from the front edge of the 9th floor.
The ground floor at the back of the building is set back between 2.67 and 4.26 metres from the widened public lane to accommodate a rear pedestrian walkway and landscaped yards for 7-townhouse units fronting onto the public lane. The rear of the building is set back 2.9 metres from the proposed widened laneway with projecting balconies. The 7th floor is recessed an additional 0.6 metres.
The proposed building consists of 13,377 square metres of residential gross floor area. A total of 151 residential units are proposed which include 4 studio units (3%), 83 one-bedroom units (55%), 48 two-bedroom units (32%), 16 three-bedroom/townhouse units (10%). There is 522 sq. metres of retail ground floor space.
A total of 538 square metres of residential amenity space is proposed including 238 square metres of indoor and 300 square metres of outdoor space. The indoor amenity space will be provided on the main and second floors and the outdoor amenity space is split between the second floor and the roof level.
A total of 90 parking spaces (87 residential and 3 retail) is proposed in a three level underground parking garage. Entry to the underground garage is provided through a public lane at the north end of the property from Watkinson Avenue. The proposal includes 181 bicycle parking spaces (163 resident and 18 visitors), and one Type G loading space.
Site and Surrounding Area The subject site is located at the northeast corner of Dundas Street West and Watkinson Avenue, within the West Bend neighbourhood.
The 2,025.4 square metre site is rectangular in shape and has a frontage of approximately 66.5 metres on Dundas Street West and 30.5 metres on Watkinson Avenue. The subject site does not contain any trees. An existing public lane abuts the subject site to the north. The lane is substandard in width at 3.66 metres. The laneway travels east from Watkinson Avenue beyond the eastern property line of the subject site before turning north (at the rear of 2698 Dundas Street West) and connecting with Old Weston Road.
The subject site is a consolidation of five properties and is currently occupied by the following buildings:
– 2706 Dundas St. W.: 1-2 storey semi-detached dwelling; – 2708 Dundas St. W.: 1-2 storey semi-detached dwelling; – 2710 Dundas St. W.: 2-storey commercial building with an eating establishment; – 2720 Dundas St. W.: 2-storey vacant building (former artist studio); and – 2730 Dundas St. W.: 2-storey auto repair shop.
The subject site also includes a surface parking area and rear garages associated with 2706-2710 Dundas Street West, accessed via the public lane, and a paved area at the corner of Dundas Street West and Watkinson Avenue associated with the auto repair shop at 2730 Dundas Street West.
Land uses surrounding the site are:
North: of the public lane are 2-storey dwellings at 9-15 Hook Avenue (located on lands designated as Employment Areas in the Official Plan). Also to the north are 1-2 storey industrial buildings at 1 Hook Avenue and 11-12 Old Weston Road. The CNR/CPR railway corridor is located beyond Hook Avenue/Old Weston Road to the north.
South: on Dundas Street West is the 3-storey Lucy McCormick Senior School (2717 Dundas Street West) and its associated school yard area. Also to the south is the 1-storey High Park Junior YMCA (2665 Dundas Street West), a community and child care centre.
East: is a private lane and two 3-storey semi-detached dwellings at 2698-2700 Dundas Street West. Beyond these dwellings toward Old Weston Road is a 2-storey mixed-use building with a retail unit on the ground floor, a 1-storey auto repair shop and a 1-storey eating establishment with surface parking area at the intersection.
West: of Watkinson Avenue is a 2 ½ storey mixed-use office and retail building at 2738 Dundas Street West. Dundas-Watkinson Parkette, a small local park, is located to the west of this building at 2742 Dundas Street West. Further west is a newly constructed 7-storey mixed-use building known as “The Duke”.
