Councillor Frank Di Giorgio asked that his opposition to the amendment to Recommendation 3 be noted in the record.

These applications were made on or after January 1, 2007 and is subject to the new provisions of the Planning Act and the City of Toronto Act, 2006.

These applications propose a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Maintenance and Storage Facility at 8304 Sheppard Avenue East. This facility is intended to serve the Sheppard East, Eglinton Crosstown and Scarborough Malvern Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines which are all part of the Transit City Plan.

This report provides preliminary information on the above-noted applications and seeks Planning and Growth Management Committee’s direction on the further processing of the applications and on the community consultation process.

These applications seeks to permit a maintenance and storage facility which is a key component of the Transit City Plan. Accordingly, staff is of the view that the application should be deemed a matter of City-wide interest and that all planning reports be routed through and the public meeting held before the Planning and Growth Management Committee. The applications should proceed through the normal planning process in terms of community consultation. Staff will attempt to combine the community consultation for these Planning Act applications with the second public open house to be held as part of the required Environmental Assessment process. The planning process can, for the most part, run in tandem with the Environmental Assessment process. A final report and public meeting are targeted for summer 2010 provided the required information is provided in a timely fashion and issues raised are addressed in a satisfactory manner. 

A vacancy on the Design Review Panel was created when a member of the Panel submitted a letter of resignation, citing additional work commitments, to City Planning staff in November 2009.  Another opening on the Panel was created when City Council adopted recommendations within a report titled “Design Review Panel: Pilot Project Evaluation and Related Recommendations” (City Council meeting #42, November 30, December 1, 2, 4 and 7, 2009).  One component of these related recommendations was the addition of a heritage conservation specialist to the Panel’s composition.  The purpose of this report is to recommend approval of the nominated members to fill these vacancies on the Panel and to outline the rotation process for the remaining Panel members.

The Planning and Growth Management Committee received the item for information.

This report provides the Committee with an update on the progress towards resolving outstanding issues that have been enunciated during the consultation process including deputations before the Committee. The resolution of the issues discussed in this report will form part of the recommended changes to the next draft of the new zoning by-law that will be before the Committee at its April 21, 2010 meeting.

Among the proposed changes is the inclusion into the new zoning by-law of the floor space index or gross floor area method of density control in areas of the City that currently employ such a method of regulation. It is proposed to limit flat-roof buildings in all RD zones to two storeys and 7.2 metres height. A height limit of 4 metres is proposed for accessory structures such as garages. A new provision allowing existing buildings within the affected Hazard Line setback area to be rebuilt in the same location is proposed. Also, with respect the Natural Hazard Line setback, a new approach is proposed in determining the top-of-bank that will help ensure better accuracy. A revised list of 86 manufacturing uses permitted within the employment-industrial zones has been circulated for comment to industrial associations and is available on the zoning by-law project’s page of the City’s website. Reaction to the list of manufacturing uses and recommended changes will be included in the April report. A more detailed explanation of the Transition Protocol is included in this report. The Transition Protocol explains which sites may be excluded from the new zoning by-law at this time as well the approach that will be taken with respect to existing applications.

The Planning and Growth Management Committee received the item for information.