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1593 Four Mile Creek Road
P.O. Box 100
Virgil, Ontario
L0S 1T0
Submitted on:
January 18, 2016
Report:CDS-16-047
Report To:Community & Development Advisory Committee
Subject:Regent Street, John Street E., King Street & Anne Street
- Application for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments

1. RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that:
1.1 the proposed Official Plan Amendment By-law for the "Pillar and Post Garden", attached as Appendix B to this report on the lands located at 526 Regent Street, be forwarded to Council for adoption, once the properties have merged in title and ownership of the Regent Street road allowance has been completed; and
1.2 the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment for the "Pillar and Post Garden", attached as Appendix C to this report on the lands located at 526 Regent Street be forwarded to Council for adoption, once the properties have merged in title and ownership of the Regent Street road allowance has been completed.

2. PURPOSE / PROPOSAL
An application has been submitted to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law for the lands bound by Regent, John, King, and Anne Streets to be known as The Gardens at Pillar and Post. The applications are to allow for the commercial expansion of the existing Pillar and Post hotel to facilitate the development of the Garden Property and Office Property. The Garden Property will contain a multipurpose building to host conferences and other functions, as well a garden area with event tents to host weddings and special occasions. The Office Property will contain an office/ administrative building, parking structure, and a warehouse building.

The proposed development also includes the Regent Street road allowance that is currently Town-owned and is leased to the Pillar & Post Hotel for their operational use. The applicant will be assuming ownership of the road allowance from the Town as their offer to purchase has been accepted. The proposal will turn this roadway into a pedestrian and cycling connection to link the adjacent residential uses to the gardens. It is also an emergency access route.

3. BACKGROUND
Site description and surrounding land uses
The subject lands are located directly across John Street from the current Pillar and Post hotel. The property is bound by Regent, John, King, and Anne Streets, and is approximately 6 acres in size. The subject lands are surrounded by low-density residential land uses consisting of primarily single-detached dwellings.


Figure 1: Location map

Currently on-site, there is a large gravel parking area that contains overflow parking for guests, visitors, and staff of the hotel. The warehouse buildings of the former industrial uses of C&C Yachts are also on-site. Site photos of the current condition of the property are attached in Appendix H.

4. DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS
The applications to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law for the subject lands propose to facilitate the commercial expansion of the Pillar and Post hotel, and to develop the Garden Property and Office Property. On the Garden Property, there will be a multipurpose building to host conferences and functions, as well as a Monet-inspired garden area with event tents to host weddings and special events. The applicant has noted that the gardens will be open to the public when not in use by the hotel. On the Office Property, there will be an office/ administrative building, a parking structure, and a warehouse building. The two (2) properties are separated by the Regent Street road allowance, which the Pillar and Post hotel. Regent Street will be repurposed to become a pedestrian- and cycling-only connection to the gardens.

The site currently holds several zoning designations, as a result of previous development proposals that were never constructed. These include: General Commercial - Site Specific (GC-39) to permit a 114-room hotel and 836.1m2 conference centre and Residential Development - Site Specific (RD-45) to permit a mix of residential dwellings comprising of single-detached, semi-detached, townhomes, and apartments. The applicant is proposing to rezone the site to a site-specific General Commercial (GC) use. The draft Zoning By-law Amendment reflects the proposed changes.

The Planning Analysis of the development is detailed in Appendix A to this report. It details the relevant Provincial, Regional, and Town planning policies that pertain to the proposed development with specific regard to intensification, urban design, land-use compatibility, and commercial land uses.

If the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications were to be approved, a detailed, finalized site plan, landscape plan, building elevations, and architectural renderings and drawings would be submitted to the Urban Design Committee for review. The Applicant has noted that if the applications were to be approved, specific measures concerning noise mitigation, vegetative screening, and phasing of construction would be finalized at Site Plan Approval stage.

A Holding (H) provision has been included in the Draft Zoning By-law Amendment to ensure that a Record of Site Condition (RSC) has been filed to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for the site. The RSC is required as the site is going from a less sensitive (industrial) use to a more sensitive (commercial) use. The filing of the RSC is subject to the Region's satisfaction. The Holding provision shall only be removed upon filing an RSC and when the Niagara-on-the-Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant is completed or when it can be proven that there is capacity at an existing plant for this development.

The draft Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment have been crafted for the subject lands as if they are one property. If the properties do not merge, the relief established in these Amendments will not be correct for the intended development. Although the draft Amendments are attached, staff recommend that they not be approved until the sale of Regent Street road allowance is finalized and parcel sizes have been determined. Setbacks, frontage and other provisions will be determined based on the final parcel configurations.

5. OPTIONS
  1. Approve the applications for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment after the Pillar & Post Hotel has taken ownership of the Regent Street road allowance (recommended).
  2. Refuse the applications if Council feels the proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment are not appropriate for the development of the property.
  3. Defer a decision on the applications due to the need for more information on impacts to adjacent properties.

6. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The applicant will be responsible for site remediation, including the submission of an RSC from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to be filed.

The applicant will also be responsible for building permit fees and development charges at the time of application for construction.

7. COMMUNICATIONS
Attached for Council’s consideration are the concept site plan, concept landscape plan, and architectural renderings and drawings for the proposed development, included as Appendices D, E, and F, respectively. Site photos of the current conditions of the subject lands are included in Appendix H.

Should Council adopt the proposed Official Plan Amendment, there is a twenty (20) day appeal period, after which the by-law will be in effect if no appeals are received. Should Council adopt the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment, there is a twenty (20) day appeal period, after which the by-law will be in effect if no appeals are received.

Should Council approval the applications, the applicant will apply for Site Plan Approval on the subject lands.

8. CONCLUSION
The proposed applications for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment conform to Provincial, Regional, and Town planning policies. The proposed development is a complementary response to the expanding commercial needs of the Pillar and Post hotel, while being sensitive to the impacts to the surrounding residential neighbourhood. The proposed development will provide amenities for residents to enjoy, including the gardens, enhanced streetscapes, and a pedestrian and cycling connection along Regent Street. Staff therefore recommend that the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications be supported and recommend to Council that they be approved.



Respectfully submitted,

Raymond Tung, BES, MLA
Urban Design Specialist


Shirley Cater, MCIP, RPP, EcD Milena Avramovic, CMO
Manager of Planning/Interim Director Chief Administrative Officer
Community & Development Services



ATTACHMENTS
All Attachments.pdfAll Attachments.pdf


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