Application No. 08 177820 STE 27 OZ
15 St. Mary Street and 65 and 67 St. Nicholas Street - Rezoning Application - Preliminary Report
Date: August 6, 2008
To: Toronto and East York Community Council
From: Acting Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District
Wards: Ward 27 – Toronto Centre-Rosedale
Reference Number: Application No. 08 177820 STE 27 OZ
Source: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-15072.pdf
SUMMARY
This application was made after January 1, 2007 and is subject to the new provisions of the Planning Act and the City of Toronto Act, 2006.
This application proposes a 44-storey (137-metre) residential building with 352 units at 15 St. Mary Street and 65 and 67 St. Nicholas Street. The proposal includes the demolition of two buildings on site which previously housed University of Toronto uses associated with the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology - Regis College. These buildings are not listed on the City’s Inventory of Heritage Properties. The proposal includes a 6-level underground parking garage.
This report provides preliminary information on the above-noted application and seeks Community Council's directions on further processing of the applications and on the community consultation process.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The City Planning Division recommends that:
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Staff be directed to schedule a community consultation meeting together with the Ward Councillor.
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Notice for the community consultation meeting be given to landowners and residents within 120 metres of the site.
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Notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act be given according to the regulations under the Planning Act.
Financial Impact
The recommendations in this report have no financial impact.
PRE-APPLICATION CONSULTATION
The applicant met with City staff in October of 2007 and January of 2008 to discuss their initial ideas for the site. City staff discussed some of the initial issues with the proposal, including built form and massing of the podium and tower, relationship to St. Nicholas Street and its heritage resources, separation distances to adjacent buildings, servicing access, parking arrangements, and height of the building.
The submitted application addresses some of these concerns, for example by reducing the scale of the podium towards the low-rise neighbouring buildings to the south on St. Nicholas Street and adjusting the parking arrangements.
ISSUE BACKGROUND
Proposal
The applicant, 15 St. Mary Street Inc., is proposing to demolish the two existing buildings that are on site. Until recently, these buildings were the home of the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology - Regis College, which has now relocated to a new site.
The proposed development is a 44-storey, 137-metre high, residential condominium tower containing 352 units. The building has a 4-storey podium along St. Mary Street frontage and a 2-storey podium along St. Nicholas Street frontage containing townhouse units. The tower portion is shaped in a “figure-eight”, with the wider portion being located on the southern end of the site. The tower is topped by two mechanical floors that are integrated into the design of the building and proposed to be illuminated. The typical floorplate size of the tower is approximately 673 square metres.
The residential entrance and lobby are proposed on the northwest corner of the building on St. Nicholas Street. Indoor and outdoor amenity areas are provided on Floors 3 and 4.
The outdoor amenity space is a terrace that wraps around the west, south and east faces of the building that is above the townhouse units on St. Nicholas Street.
The proposal provides for a total of 232 parking spaces, including 4 auto-share spaces, in a 6-level underground garage. Access to the parking garage from the laneway off St. Nicholas Street, There is a large bicycle storage area on Floor 2, accommodating a total of 264 bicycle parking spaces (211 resident spaces and 53 visitor spaces).
The servicing area is at the southern and eastern sides of the site, with the loading area in the southeast corner of the site. Service vehicles would also enter/exit the site using the laneway from St. Nicholas Street.
Overall, the proposal has a gross floor area of approximately 26,016 square metres and an overall density of approximately 16.9 times the area of the lot.
Site and Surrounding Area
The site is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of St. Mary Street and St. Nicholas street s.
Two buildings currently occupy the site. One is two storeys and one is three storeys. Until recently these buildings were the site of the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology – Regis College. The existing and planned context within the area within the area encompasses low scale, mid-rise and high-rise built form.
Within the immediate context, the following uses surround the site:
North: Directly across St. Mary Street, there is an 8-storey office building with commercial uses at grade. On the northwest corner of St. Mary and St. Nicholas streets there is the St. Mary Street Parkette, as well as a 20-storey residential apartment building which is set back from St. Mary Street.
South: To the south on the east side of St. Nicholas Street are low-rise semi-detached houses, the majority of which are listed on the City of Toronto’s Inventory of Heritage Properties. On the west side of St. Nicholas Street are low-rise townhouses similar in scale to those on the east side of the street, but are not listed as heritage properties.
East: There is an existing laneway immediately to the east of the site, and a 9-storey office building that fronts onto Yonge Street. In addition, there are the rear portion of low-rise commercial buildings that front onto Yonge Street, and some contain residential uses on the upper floors.
West: To the west of the site, on the southwest corner of St. Mary and St. Nicholas Streets, there is a 24-storey residential building set back from the street and oriented to face St. Mary Street.
Provincial Policy Statement and Provincial Plans
The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and development. The PPS sets the policy foundation for regulating the development and use of land.
The key objectives include:
- building strong communities;
- wise use and management of resources;
- and, protecting public health and safety.
City Council’s planning decisions are required to be consistent with the PPS.
The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe provides a framework for managing growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe including: directions for where and how to grow; the provision of infrastructure to support growth; and protecting natural systems and cultivating a culture of conservation. City Council’s planning decisions are required to conform, or not conflict, with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Staff will review the proposed development for consistency with the PPS and for conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
Official Plan
This site is designated as Mixed Use Area on Map 18 – Land Use Plan in the Official Plan. This designation permits a range of residential, commercial and institutional uses. The Plan includes criteria that direct the form and quality of development in this land use designation.
Development criteria in Mixed Use Areas include but are not limited to the following:
- Locate and mass new buildings to provide a transition between areas of different development intensity and scale, as necessary to achieve the objectives of this Plan, through means such as providing appropriate setbacks and/or stepping down of heights, particularly towards lower scale Neighbourhoods;
- Locate and mass new buildings so as to adequately limit shadow impacts on adjacent Neighbourhoods, particularly during the spring and fall equinoxes;
- Locate and mass new buildings to frame the edges of streets and parks with good proportion and maintain sunlight and comfortable wind conditions for pedestrians on adjacent streets, parks and open spaces;
- Provide an attractive, comfortable and safe pedestrian environment; Provide good site access and circulation and adequate supply of parking for residents and visitors;
- Locate and screen service areas, ramps and garbage storage to minimize the impact on adjacent streets and residences;
- and Provide indoor and outdoor recreation space for building residents in every significant multi-unit residential development.
Immediately to the south of the site, the area is designated as “Apartment Neighbourhood”. This designation is distinguished from low-rise “Neighbourhoods” because a greater scale of buildings is permitted and different scale-related criteria are needed to guide development.
Apartment Neighbourhoods are stable areas of the City where significant growth is generally not anticipated. The Plan indicates that there may be opportunities for additional townhouses or apartments on underutilized sites and it sets out criteria to evaluate those situations.
On the northwest corner of St. Mary Street and St. Nicholas Streets, there is an area designed as “Other Open Space Area” on Map 18 – Land Use Plan and “City Parkland” on Map 8A – City Parkland. The Official Plan contains policies relating to the Parks and Open Space Areas designation.
Other important policies include those in the “Downtown”, “Public Realm”, and “Built Form” sections of the Plan. This includes the built form policies for tall buildings.
To assist with the implementation of these policies, the City has prepared guidelines titled Design Criteria for Review of Tall Building Proposals.
The guidelines provide key urban design site specific criteria that should be considered in the evaluation of tall building applications. The City will review the proposed development for compliance with the guidelines. It is also expected that the applicant’s team will demonstrate how the proposal addresses the guidelines’ criteria.
The Toronto Official Plan is available on the City’s website at: http://www.toronto.ca/planning/official_plan/introduction.htm
The City’s Design Criteria for Review of Tall Building Proposals is also available on the City’s website at: http://www.toronto.ca/planning/urbdesign/index.htm
Zoning
The site is zoned CR T3.0 C2.0 R3.0 which permits a mix of residential and commercial uses to a maximum density of 3.0 times the area of the lot area, and a height limit of 18 metres.
Site Plan Control
An application for Site Plan Control is required and has not yet been submitted.
Reasons for the Application
The proposal’s height of 137.4 metres and density of 16.9 times the area of the lot far exceed the height and density permissions set out in Zoning By-law 438-86, as amended.
Additional areas of non-compliance with the Zoning By-law will be assessed as the review of the application advances.
Issues to be Resolved
Staff will be encouraging the applicant to review sustainable development opportunities by utilizing the Toronto Green Development Standard, adopted by City Council in July 2006.
The following issues identified by staff, and others which may be raised by the public, will need to be reviewed and addressed, and include:
- conformity with Official Plan policies and Design Criteria for the Review of Tall Building Proposals;
- Staff report for action – Preliminary Report - 15 St Mary St
- appropriateness of the proposal’s significant scale and massing in terms of the overall height and built form arrangement on the site, and compatibility and relationship with the surrounding context;
- treatment of the ground floor of the building and its relationship to streetscapes;
- appropriate relationship to the listed buildings and overall character of St. Nicholas Street;
- proposed development impacts on neighbouring Parks and Open Space Areas;
- impacts on adjacent properties, including shadow, overlook and privacy;
- location and suitability of the proposed amenity space;
- further review of the heritage significance of 65-67 St Nicholas Street;
- pedestrian and vehicular access to, from and movement on the site;
- proposed unit sizes and mix of unit types;
- assessment of traffic and transportation impacts;
- incorporation of green development standards;
- identification and security of community benefits under Section 37 of the Planning Act should the proposed development, or some variation thereof advance; and
- ability to meet the intent and spirit of the Official Plan, Council policies and other applicable planning policies, including the Provisional Policy Statement, and to represent good planning and community building.
Additional issues may be identified through the review of the application, agency comments and the community consultation process.
CONTACT
Jocelyn Deeks, Planner Tel. No. 416-392-0459 Fax No. 416-392-1330 E-mail:
