TAMRMS#: B06
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Bylaw 30/2017 - Land Use Bylaw Amendment, Integrated Care Community (ICC) District, Portion of Area B
Presented by: Tracy Tsui, Planner
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
1. That Bylaw 30/2017, being amendment 150 to Land Use Bylaw 9/2005, be read a first time.
2. That the Public Hearing on Bylaw 30/2017 be closed. (Note that unanimous consent is required to pass a motion to close the public hearing in the same meeting as first reading of the bylaw was passed.)
3. That Bylaw 30/2017 be read a second time.
4. That unanimous consent be given for consideration of third reading of Bylaw 30/2017.
5. That Bylaw 30/2017 be read a third and final time.
If Council does not wish to close the public hearing, or if a motion to close the public hearing does not pass, consideration of the following alternative recommendations would be appropriate:
1. That Bylaw 30/2017, being amendment 150 to Land Use Bylaw 9/2005, be read a first time.
2. That the Public Hearing on Bylaw 30/2017 be adjourned to August 21, 2017.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to outline the proposed redistricting of a portion of Area B within the Integrated Care Community (ICC) to General Commercial (C2), through the amendment of Schedule A of the Land Use Bylaw 9/2005.
COUNCIL DIRECTION
N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
ParioPlan Inc. on behalf of RioCan Holdings Inc. submitted an application to amend the Land Use Bylaw 9/2005 by redistricting a portion of the Integrated Care Community (ICC) Area B, to General Commercial (C2). The purpose of the General Commercial (C2) Land Use District is to provide for the sale of goods and services to the whole community. The ICC District was originally created, in 2000, to form an Urban Village that focused on supportive living by integrating seniors housing (Area A) and health care related services (Area B) within a compact, walkable area.
The applicant’s rationale to redistrict a portion of Area B to C2 is to help reduce the vacancy that currently exists in the subject area by allowing a wider range of commercial land uses to be accommodated. The development is currently 23% vacant; the total area of commercial retail space is 4,736 sq. m, of which 1,094 sq. m is vacant space. Please refer to the attached table comparing the permitted and discretionary land uses between the ICC Area B and C2 districts (Table 1).
Redistricting the subject area to C2 will also eliminate the development regulation for a minimum of 50% of the commercial gross floor area to be health service. A health service means:
A development used for the provision of physical and mental outpatient health care and social or counseling services. Services may be of a preventative, diagnostic, treatment, therapeutic, rehabilitative, or counseling nature. Typical uses include medical and dental offices, health and physiotherapy clinics, and counseling services. In the Integrated Care Community (ICC) Land Use District only, pharmacies may be considered as a health service.
About 36% of the total developed building area is currently operating as health service and the applicant expressed that the development regulation (to have a minimum of 50% health service) is difficult to achieve.
Location
The subject site is located in the southwest area of the Erin Ridge neighbourhood at the municipal addresses of 615 and 665 St. Albert Trail. The site is currently developed with a series of one-storey buildings that consist of commercial retail units ranging in size from 127 to 1,581 sq. m. Existing land uses include a restaurant, financial institution, health services, general retail, liquor store, and a veterinary clinic. Access to the area is from St. Albert Trail, Boudreau Road, and Erin Ridge Road.
Please refer to the attached location map (Figure 1) and the proposed redistricting map (Figure 2), which shows the location and proposed land use change. The proposed amendment covers an area that is 2.38 hectares ± (5.88 acres ±) and the legal descriptions are Plan 072 0821, Block 1, Lot 4 and 6.
Parking
The minimum parking requirement for the subject area is outlined under Part 7, Section (3) Shopping Centre and Multi-Tenant Buildings, (a) of the Land Use Bylaw 9/2005: 1 stall per 30 sq. m of gross floor area for a shopping centre that is 10,000 sq. m or less in gross floor area. As the total gross floor area is 4,736 sq. m, the minimum parking requirement equates to 158 spaces. There are currently 266 parking spaces, and as such, no parking issues are anticipated.
A Traffic and Parking Impact Assessment was also provided by the applicant to determine the impacts associated with the proposed redistricting. The existing parking supply for the subject area is anticipated to continue to exceed the City’s Land Use Bylaw parking requirement based on a review of the proposed permitted uses. Also, transportation assessments show that roadway improvements can be implemented should the redistricting generate an increase in traffic.
Compliance of Statutory Documents
The redistricting application is consistent with the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the Erin Ridge Area Structure Plan (ASP), both of which show the area as commercial.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
Prior to submitting a formal application, a public open house was held on January 11, 2017. Notice of the public open house was mailed out to property owners within a 100-metre radius of the subject area on December 28, 2016, and advertised in the St. Albert Gazette. The open house consisted of display boards, comment forms, and a formal presentation to share with the community the proposed Land Use Bylaw amendment. Only two (2) persons from the public attended the open house. No comment forms were submitted during or after the open house.
With the submission of a formal application, the proposed redistricting was circulated on March 23, 2017 to internal departments, external referral agencies, and property owners within a 100-metre radius of subject area. The contents of the circulation reflected the initial application that proposed a text amendment to add more land uses to the ICC District Area B, and to reduce the requirement for a minimum 50% of health service, to 10%. The initial application included proposed land uses that were generally in keeping with the Corridor Commercial (CC) District. Comments were provided from four (4) external stakeholders:
• Alberta Health Services, indicated no objections.
• Christenson Developments, indicated no objections.
• Citadel Care Corporation, indicated no objections.
• Residents of 18-20 Erin Ridge Road, opposed with concerns that some of the proposed uses are inappropriate and not in keeping with the intent of the ICC District’s Urban Village concept. The residents were also concerned about traffic generation.
After review of all the comments submitted, the proposal changed to redistricting the subject area to General Commercial (C2), rather than a text amendment. The redistricting will enable a wider range of commercial land uses, but with land uses that are more complimentary to the residential community than what was originally proposed. The stakeholders above were notified and no further comments were received. As such, it was determined that there were no concerns to the proposal.
The public hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 10, 2017 and notice of the public hearing will be provided through the City website, CityLights, and a second mail out to property owners within the 100-metre radius.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial: None at this time.
Legal / Risk: None at this time.
Program or Service: None at this time.
Organizational: To enable development, the Development Branch will be required to review development permit applications and may be involved in meetings with the developer/consultants.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
If Council does not wish to support the recommendation, Council may defeat first reading of Bylaw 30/2017 for the redistricting of the subject area. The implication would be that the applicant would need to wait for six (6) months to re-apply with the same or an alternative proposal.
STRATEGIC CONNECTIONS
a) City of St. Albert Strategic Plan (Policy C-CG-02) - Pillars of Sustainability
• SOCIAL - We are a friendly and inclusive community of passionate equals, where everyone feels a sense of belonging. We believe that community starts with the person next door.
• ECONOMIC - We prosper and excel through a strong and diverse economy that is supported by forward-thinking commerce, outstanding local businesses and a dynamic downtown core.
• BUILT ENVIRONMENT - We build our community towards the future to sustain balanced development, with a reverent eye to the past, honouring our unique settlement history and distinct identity.
b) Governance Strategy
• Council is committed to ensuring that the City of St. Albert is a responsive, accountable government that delivers value to the community.
c) Service Delivery Strategy
• Council is committed to ensuring that the City of St. Albert is engaging residents to identify opportunities to improve delivery of services to the community.
d) Long Term Plans
• Municipal Development Plan
• Erin Ridge Area Structure Plan Bylaw 8/96
• Land Use Bylaw 9/2005
e) Corporate Objectives
• Attract and retain high quality employees
• Ensure our customers are very satisfied
f) Council Policies, Bylaws or Federal/Provincial Statutes
• Not applicable
g) Other Plans or Initiatives
• Not applicable
Report Date: July 10, 2017
Author(s): Tracy Tsui
Committee/Department: Infrastructure and Development Services
General Manager: Glenn Tompolski
City Manager: Kevin Scoble