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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-14-037 - Official Plan Ammendment - OPA 13/03/D/JVW - Robert Ferrier Dr EA Staff Report ��c ti R Community Services Department wmkitchene►:ca REPORT TO: Planning & Strategic Initiatives Committee DATE OF MEETING: June 9, 2014 SUBMITTED BY: Alain Pinard, Director of Planning - 519-741-2200 x 7319 PREPARED BY: Juliane vonWesterholt, Senior Planner - 519-741-2200 x 7157 WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 4 DATE OF REPORT: April 29, 2014 REPORT NO.: CSD-14-037 SUBJECT: OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT AND SCHEDULE "C"ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (INTEGRATED APPROACH) FOR THE WESTERLY EXTENSION OF ROBERT FERRIE DRIVE TO STRASBURG ROAD OPA13/03/D/JVW RECOMMENDATION: That the Preferred Alignment Modified 2(4) for the Robert Ferrie Drive Extension from Evens Pond Court westerly to Strasburg Road be approved; That the Preliminary Design for the Preferred Alignment as modified and the Environmental Study Report (ESR) be endorsed, and that staff be directed to submit the document to the Ministry of the Environment (MOEE) for filing in the Public Record for the mandatory 30-day public review period; That Official Plan Amendment OPA13/03/D/JVW to show the preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from its current terminus to Strasburg Road on Maps 4 and 5 of the Official Plan, be adopted, in the form shown in the proposed Official Plan Amendment attached to Report CSD-14-037 as Appendix "A"; That Staff be directed to forward the Official Plan Amendment to the Region of Waterloo for approval once the 30-day public viewing period for the ESR is released from the Ministry of the Environment; That Staff be directed to amend the Transportation and Land Use Maps in the Doon South and Brigadoon Community Plans to reflect the preferred Alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from Evens Pond Court to 2 - 1 Strasburg Road once the Official Plan is approved by the Region and past the appeal period; That the Region be requested to amend Map 5 of the New Kitchener Official Plan to reflect this Official Plan Amendment; That Staff be directed to proceed with the Biehn Drive Extension EA immediately following the approval of the Official Plan Amendment and that it be coordinated with the EA for the Sanitary Sewer Extension along Biehn Drive, and further; That the Doon South- Brigadoon Transportation Network and corridor Study Report be superseded by the ESR document and Amendment with respect to the preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive to Strasburg Road. BACKGROUND: In September of 2013 The City of Kitchener received an application for an Official Plan Amendment to determine the precise alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from its present terminus to its intersection with Strasburg Road. Currently the alignment is shown in a preliminary manner in the City's Official Plan on Map 4 - Transportation Plan and Map 5 -Land Use Plan as a dashed line. Part 2 Section 8.3.1.9 Transportation Policies of the Official Plan state that alignments for proposed road corridors are not final until confirmed through an Environmental Assessment and the appropriate amendments to the Official Plan. Under Section A.2.9.1 of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment document, the integration of a Planning Act application process with the Environmental Assessment (EA) process is permitted. An Official Plan Amendment (OPA) is an appropriate application under the Planning Act for integration with the Environmental Assessment process and this report will outline the process of the integrated approach for the assessment of alignment alternatives for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive to Strasburg Road. The Official Plan Amendment does not propose any land use changes, only mapping changes to Maps 4 and 5 in the Official Plan are being requested. The EA will follow the requirements of a Schedule "C" EA process. REPORT: The report will address the integrated approach, the purpose of the Official Plan amendment, the evaluation criteria, a comparative assessment of the preliminary alignments using the evaluation criteria, present the preliminary preferred alternative and identify why the preferred alternative was refined to the modified preferred alternative which is recommended as the final preferred alternative. Integrated Approach As part of the integrated approach, the applicant prepares all supporting documents for the EA component of the project and was a co-proponent with the City on the EA. A City 2 - 2 led Project Team consisting of City, Regional, and GRCA staff as well as technical consultants with expertise in heritage, environmental, engineering, and transportation engineering was established to review technical material and evaluate the 7 preliminary alternatives. The Project team also reviewed other alignments presented as part of the official plan amendment application using evaluation criteria developed by the project team. In addition, a Steering Committee comprised of Senior Management, and Ward Councillors for the area, as well as the Project Manager was established to provide communication in accordance with the direction set out in the Protocol for Involving City of Kitchener Council in Class Environmental Assessments (EAs) as developed by the Director of Engineering in March 2013. Purpose of Official Plan Amendment The Study Area for the Official Plan Amendment and Environmental Assessment falls within portions of the Brigadoon and Doon South Communities as shown on the attached Appendix "B". Currently, the alignment for the extension of Robert Ferrie Drive to Strasburg Road has been shown in a preliminary manner in the City's Official Plan on Map 4 -Transportation Plan and Map 5- Land Use Plan as a dashed line. In accordance with Part 2 Section 8.3.1.9 Transportation Policies of the Official Plan alignments for proposed road corridors are not final until confirmed through an Environmental Assessment and the appropriate amendments to the Official Plan. In this regard the application for OPA was made by MHBC Planning on behalf of multiple land owners in the area. A Schedule "C" EA process is integrated with the Official Plan Process in order to select a preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive to Strasburg Road. An Official Plan Amendment is required to update Map 4 and Map 5 of the current Official Plan which shows the preliminary alignment as a straight dashed line. Once the EA is completed and the preferred alignment is determined, both Maps 4 and 5 can be amended to reflect the selected alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive. There are no new land uses or policies proposed through the Official Plan Amendment. Evaluation Criteria As part of the EA process the initial 7 alternatives and the iterations thereof were evaluated for their own merits against certain criteria in order to assess which of the alternatives best meets the problem statement. Early on in the process alternatives 1 b, 1c, 5, 6 and combination 4/6/7 were ruled out because they did not meet the problem statement the problem statement, had challenging geometry or had potentially significant impacts on the natural and/ or cultural environment. These alignments were removed from the list of potential alternatives by the Project Team. The remaining 5 alternatives 1a, 2, 4, 6 and 7 were evaluated further and combinations of the remaining alignments were also considered and evaluated against the criteria. The evaluation criteria included the following factors or group factors for consideration- 2 - 3 Natural Environment- which includes terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, groundwater resources, surface drainage, and species at risk permits. Socio- Economic Environment- which includes land use policy, existing and approved land use, communities, and noise. Cultural Environment- which includes archeological resources, built heritage, scenic roads and cultural heritage landscapes. Transportation/Municipal Services and Utilities-includes transportation network and infrastructure and municipal services and utilities. Financial/Technical- includes the financial costs and technical considerations of road construction such as road geometry, structure, design, topography and constructability. The Project Team finalized the criteria and presented these to the Steering Committee on February 6t", 2014 for their information and consideration. A copy of the final evaluation criteria chart is attached to this report as Appendix "C". Comparative Assessment: A comparative assessment was completed by the Project Team for the Five (5) alignments using the revised Evaluation Criteria. The alignments include five short-listed alternatives 1a, 2(4), 4, 7(2) and 7 (4) (See attached Appendix "D"). The Consultant Team further developed a detailed evaluation matrix and assessed the seven alignment alternatives. The results of the detailed assessment were provided to the Project Team in the form of reference documents in mid-March 2014. Three Project Team meetings were held on March 18, 20 and 27th, where the detailed assessment was presented to the Project Team by the Consultant Team discipline specialists to ensure that all Project Team members gained a full appreciation of the potential advantages and disadvantages associated with the alignment alternatives. The identified advantages and disadvantages were then scored by the full Project Team and a round table discussion ensued to select the Preliminary Preferred Alignment. Following is the summary of the comparative evaluation that was used to arrive at the selection of the Preliminary Preferred Alignment. Alignments were scored by assigning a score of 10 to the alignment that best meets the project objectives or would create the fewest adverse impacts, and indexing the remaining alignments against the preferred alternative for each Factor (maximum score of 10; minimum score of 1). Factor scores were averaged to arrive at a normalized score for each Factor Group, because there are a different number of factors in each Factor Group this was done in order to ensure that each criterion had equal weighting. The Consultant Team presented the initial scoring for each Factor/Factor group, which was then adjusted based on the aforementioned round table discussion by the Project Team. 2 - 4 Each of the factors are summarized briefly with respect to the alignments and how each alignment scored. For a summary of the final scoring of each Factor see Appendix "E" Natural Environment: Alignment 2(4) scored the highest and is ranked first in the Natural Environment factor group as it avoids Provincially Significant Wetlands and is at least 200 metres away from any wetlands, has little or no impact on wildlife habitat and vegetation communities and is located entirely within the city urban area. This alignment also avoids crossing any bodies of water including headwater areas and therefore has no impact to fish habitat, riparian habitat or to the thermal temperatures of the water courses in the study area. With respect to groundwater resources in this area, this alignment showed little or no impact to these resources as it is outside of the Blair Creek watershed and groundwater recharge areas. There is some impact to species at risk for Blanding's Turtle but this habitat is considered a category 3 habitat which is less significant than category 1 or 2 and any impact could be mitigated. Much of the impact may already exist as the hydro corridor runs through the study area and the preferred alignment runs parallel to this hydro corridor in order to minimize any further impact. No permit will be required for Species at Risk from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). JESA habitat is avoided entirely. It is the furthest north alignment from many of the natural features within the study area. Alignment 7(2) placed second in this category with minimal impacts to the wetlands and wildlife habitat, and no impact to any watercourses in the study area as these are avoided. This alignment has similarities with the preliminary preferred alignment as it too travelled north along the hydro corridor for a portion and has similar impacts to SAR habitat that can be mitigated and would require no permit from the MNR. Alignment 4 has more impact to the vegetative communities as it would require crossing more areas outside of the city urban area. Also, this alignment has the most impact on wetlands in the area as it comes in closer proximity to them. The impact to Blanding's Habitat is similar to the other alternatives. This alternative has a greater impact on the provision of storm water management for road ways in the area as it is further removed from the community and would therefore require more effort to coordinate. Impact to the groundwater is slighter higher than alternative 2(4). Alignment 7(4) ranks as the fourth preferred option from the natural environment perspective. Generally, all the northern alignments including 2(4), 4, 7(2) and 7(4) all have similar impacts to the environment which can be summarized as minimal since natural environmental features were generally avoided. Also, similar scores to the other northern alignments were given for the aquatic impacts, as these alignments avoid watercourses and there were no impacts. Similarly, groundwater resources impacts were not distinguishable between the alternatives in the north. Alternative 1(a) scored the lowest in the natural environment category as it is in closer proximity to the natural environmental features than the other more northerly alignments. Otherwise, it avoided many other environmental features such as the 2 - 5 Blanding's Turtle habitat. While this alignment did not cross the Caryndale Woodlot, it is by default in closer proximity to the woodlot and therefore scored lower than other alternatives did. Socio-economic Environment These criteria examine land use policy, existing and approved land use, communities and noise. Alignment 2(4) was the most preferred for this group /factor as it falls completely within the city designated urban area, is located within lands that have already been designated for low rise residential development, avoids a designated cultural heritage landscape at 500 Stauffer Drive, removes no land from agricultural production, and could easily support transit. All the lands required for the road construction would fall within plans of subdivision and this would result in no costs to the city for the acquisition of land. This is the shortest and most direct route to connect to Strasburg Road. This alignment would also allow for the city to focus densities at the node created at the intersection of Robert Ferrie Drive with Strasburg Road. Alignment 4 was ranked second from a socio-economic standpoint as it also avoids the cultural heritage landscape at 500 Stauffer Drive and provides for a good road connection at Strasburg Road from a geometrical perspective. It has similar scores as alignment 2(4), however, it is located further south and somewhat more removed from existing communities. This impacts the ability to focus densities at the intersection of Robert Ferrie Drive and Strasburg Road in support of transit. This would require 2 plans of subdivision, currently in circulation, to be redesigned in order to be implemented. Alignments 7(2) and 7(4) have similar scores with alignment 7(4) being slightly lower. Both alignments have some impact on the designated cultural heritage landscape at 500 Stauffer Drive, as the alignments involved crossing the property at the northeasterly corner at Caryndale Drive. These alternatives could be implemented without changes to plans of subdivision currently in circulation. Both of these alignments could potentially pose difficulty in securing the necessary land for the completion of the road alignment as they are relying on crossing 500 Stauffer Drive which is now a designated cultural heritage resource and this would result in additional land costs to construct the road. The focused densities at Strasburg Road may be difficult to achieve for alignment 7(4) as it is further removed from the existing development. These alignments could also delay the implementation of the scenic road network due to the uncertainty around the acquisition of all necessary land required to construct the road as a portion of the alignments cross 500 Stauffer and does not go through a plan of subdivision. Alignment 1a scored the poorest as it is located largely outside of the designated city urban area, would involve the removal of agricultural lands from production and would result in the fragmentation of farming operations as well as the fragmentation of a designated cultural heritage resource. This is the poorest alignment with respect to connectivity to the existing community as it is quite removed from existing development. This would have a negative impact on the provision of transit or other municipal services to the area as they are so removed. This alignment has the most negative impact to the staging of the infrastructure works in this area including the road construction and 2 - 6 associated closures to implement the scenic heritage trails. This is also the most expensive alternative. Cultural Environment Alignment 2(4) scored the best for the Cultural Environment factor group which considers known or potential archaeological sites, built heritage resources, scenic roads and cultural heritage landscapes. Alignment 4 was a close second, while alignments 7(2) and 7(4) have some direct impact on the property at 500 Stauffer Drive which has been designated under the Heritage Act as a cultural heritage landscape. The impact is along the northeastern corner of the property affecting the view sheds and topography. Alternative 1 a is the poorest alternative from a cultural environment standpoint, as it has significant direct impacts on the cultural heritage landscape, as it fragmented the property. Transportation/Municipal Services and Utilities This group factor examined how effectively the alignment met the future transportation demands on the roads within the community, considered capacity to accommodate projected demand forecasts, supportability of transit, active transportation, access to properties, connectivity to road network utility conflicts and needs, and road safety. Alignment 2(4) again is the best alignment as it addressed the transportation needs being the shortest and most direct route to connect to existing street stubs and services including regional watermain services, provides for good transit access, allows for additional densities to be concentrated at the intersection of Robert Ferrie Drive with Strasburg Road, had no unusual costs associated with grading, has safe sight lines, has the lowest cost, allows for the staging and sequencing of development and associated scenic road closures, and includes all land requirements for the road within plans of subdivision. Alignment 4 is a close second with some challenges to the geometry of the intersection of the existing roads within the community that connect to Robert Ferrie Drive. Alignment 1a is the best from a purely technical traffic perspective and its ability to accommodate the forecasted traffic capacities projected for the area, but was ruled out for a number of other factors including the fragmentation of the cultural heritage landscape and its closer proximity to environmental features, and its cost. In the end Alignment 1a scored a 3 and Alignments 7(2) and 7(4) scored a 5 and a 4 respectively, as the ability to accommodate the traffic flows as a result of the road geometry and the cost associated with the grading and provision of utilities is much more significant. The implementation of the road network through alternatives 7(2) and 7(4) is more challenging due to the uncertainty of the timing of land acquisition, as these alternatives cross 500 Stauffer Drive and are not located within a plan of subdivision which would allow for the dedication of the roads through that planning application. Financial/Technical This factor group considers the cost of design, construction, mitigation, and the overall constructability of the road. Although the roads will be constructed as development proceeds within each plan of subdivision, the EA process has to consider costs. There 2 - 7 will be no associated direct construction costs to the City as the road will be constructed by the Subdivider at the time of development. The city will be responsible for maintenance after the road is assumed by the municipality. Alignment 2(4) is the least expensive road to construct while la is the most expensive. la is the best from a design perspective as it is a direct and straight road that connects to Strasburg Road. However, there would be significant heritage mitigation, land costs and timing and implementation costs associated with this alternative. Alignment 4 was a close second ranking with higher costs for cut, fill and structural requirements than 2(4). Alignments 7(2) and 7(4) were ranked 3 and 4 respectively and generally have similar costs with alignment 7(4) having higher costs with the geometric design and the associated cut and fill requirements. Preliminary Preferred Alternative: Alignment 2(4) received the highest scores from the Project Team. In accordance with the recommendation of the Project Team, the Factor Groups were considered to be of equal importance and therefore received equal weighting during the scoring of the alternative alignments. It represents an acceptable balance of advantages and disadvantages across the spectrum of evaluation criteria and was presented as the Preliminary Preferred Alignment at PIC # 3 held on April 10th, 2014. (See attached Appendix "F"). Rationale for selection of Alignment 2(4): • Avoids natural heritage features, including wetlands, forests, streams and fish habitat, wildlife passage areas, groundwater recharge areas, regulated floodplain • Has minimal impact on regulated category 3 SAR habitat for Blandings Turtle and avoids JESA habitat and will avoid having to obtain an Endangered Species Act permit • Avoids any impacts to owner-occupied residence and bed and breakfast business at 500 Stauffer Drive • Results in the lowest noise impacts • Avoids cultural heritage features (roadscapes); limited impacts to other cultural heritage features (farm complexes) • Provides the desired spacing and road connection configurations at the Robert Ferrie Drive and Strasburg Road intersection as well as provides for safe connections of Robert Ferrie Drive and the Caryndale Road • Allows for the staging of development and the closure of certain roads to implement the scenic heritage road network • Is physically the easiest and least expensive option to construct Modified Preferred Alignment As mentioned above, the Preliminary Preferred Alignment was presented at PIC Meeting #3 on April 10th, 2014. Approximately 50 people were in attendance. Concerns were expressed over the fragmentation of the Caryndale Community, safety 2 - 8 for children in the area of the intersection of Caryndale Drive and Robert Ferrie Drive by the Preliminary Preferred Alignment. Staff received numerous letters to that end as well. In an attempt to respond to the numerous concerns raised by the residents staff met with the consultants so that the intersection of Caryndale Drive and Robert Ferrie Drive could be improved so as to keep the Caryndale community intact, while still providing a safe intersection that is safe both horizontally and vertically. As a result, the Preliminary Preferred Alignment was modified slightly at Caryndale and this new modified alignment will achieve the desired safe intersection and will leave the Caryndale Community whole, while it continues to avoid the designated cultural heritage landscape at 500 Stauffer Drive. It also continues to satisfy the problem statement and meets all the above noted rationale for the preferred alignment. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The Robert Ferrie Drive Extension project is aligned with the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan; refer to Strategic Plan document, community priorities — Development sections 1 & 3. Further, this project provides service to lands identified as Priority B in the Kitchener Growth Management Plan. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no immediate financial implications for The City of Kitchener as the road will be constructed through plans of subdivision by the respective Subdivider. Maintenance costs will be borne by the municipality once the road is assumed. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: As part of the integrated approach for the EA and OPA project three Public Information Centres were held on December 3rd, 2013, February 26th, 2014 and April 10th, 2014 and the statutory public meeting required by the Planning Act will be held on June 9th 2014. The Public Information Centres were conducted to provide the public, agencies, stakeholders, interested and affected parties with an opportunity to review and comment on the study findings including the preferred alternative, along with the other alternatives considered. The direct mail-outs, along with the newspaper advertisement advising the public and property owners of the project commencement and the Public Information Centres, provided a project overview, as well as contact names and information for those interested. Furthermore, there were many project meetings conducted to discuss specific issues with stakeholders and affected landowners. The City staff and consultant also presented the study findings to the City's Environmental Committee (April 17tH 2014) and Heritage Committee (March 27th, 2014) to obtain their valuable input. CONCLUSION: In an effort to address the concerns over safety and fragmentation of the Caryndale Community the Project Team engaged their consultants to consider refinements to the Preliminary Preferred Alignment that would look at a new design of the intersection of Caryndale Road and Robert Ferrie Drive that would provide for the safest intersection from a horizontal and vertical perspective for both vehicular movements as well as 2 - 9 pedestrians and that continues to ensure that 500 Stauffer Drive is not impacted and continues to meet the transportation needs of the community at large. In accordance with Class Environmental Assessment process together with studies and detailed assessment completed by the Consultant Team, the Project Team has selected a Modified Preferred Alignment for the Robert Ferrie Drive Extension from Evens Pond Court west to Strasburg Road. This modified preferred alignment will help alleviate traffic congestion on local roads and will implement the overall transportation network envisioned by previous studies in the Doon and Brigadoon communities. The Project Team has modified the 2(4) alignment slightly at the intersection and is confident that this will address all the concerns raised by the community without compromising the EA process to date. Staff recommends that the modified alignment 2(4) connecting Robert Ferrie Drive from its present terminus to Strasburg Road as shown in Appendix "G" be approved. In order to continue improving the traffic and transportation needs in the Brigadoon and Doon communities the Transportation studies done as part of this Integrated EA and OPA process confirmed that the extension of Biehn Drive is necessary to meet the current and projected transportation needs of the Brigadoon/ Doon South communities. It is therefore also recommended that the EA process for the extension of Biehn Drive commence as soon as possible and further that it be concurrent with the EA for the extension of sanitary sewer services along Biehn Drive. The Environmental Study Report has been provided for Council endorsement. Due to its size, a link under Appendix "H" has been provided. After Council's endorsement the Project Team will file the document with the Ministry of Environment for the 30-day mandatory public review period. Upon completion of the 30 day mandatory viewing period and release from the Ministry of Environment, it is further recommended that Staff proceed to forward the Official Plan Amendment to the Region of Waterloo for their approval. It is recommended that the Region be requested to amend the New Kitchener Official Plan to reflect this Official Plan Amendment to the current Official Plan. Once the Official Plan Amendment is approved by the Region, it is recommended that Staff be further directed to amend the Transportation Maps in the Doon South and Brigadoon Community Plans. REVIEWED BY: Hans Gross, Director of Asset Management; Della Ross, Manager of Development Review ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, Deputy CAO (Community Services) Appendix A-OPA Document Appendix B- Study Area Map Appendix C- Evaluation Chart Appendix D- Shortlisted Alternatives Appendix E- Summarized Scoring Chart Appendix F- Preliminary Preferred Alternative Appendix G- Modified Preferred Alternative 2 - 10 Appendix H- Complete ESR Report Link Jo view in full, please see link (scroll down to information on Robert Ferrie Drive Extension) - httD://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/Environmental qssessm�e sqs Appendix I- Notice 2 - 11 CSD-14-037-Appendix A AMENDMENT NO. TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN OF THE CITY OF KITCHENER Robert Ferrie Drive Westerly Extension From Evens Pond Court to Strasburg Road Integrated Approach with the Schedule "C" EA Process 2 - 12 CSD-14-037-Appendix A 2 - 13 CSD-14-037-Appendix A AMENDMENT NO. TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN OF THE CITY OF KITCHENER Robert Ferrie Drive Westerly Extension INDEX SECTION 1 TITLE AND COMPONENTS SECTION 2 PURPOSE OF THE AMENDMENT SECTION 3 BASIS OF THE AMENDMENT SECTION 4 THE AMENDMENT SCHEDULE `A' AMENDMENT TO MAP 4 OF THE OFFICIAL PLAN — TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULE `B' AMENDMENT TO MAP 5 OF THE OFFICIAL PLAN- LAND USE APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 Agency, Department and Neighbourhood Comments APPENDIX 2 Notice of the June 9th, Public Meeting of Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee APPENDIX 3 Minutes of June 9th, Public Meeting of Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee APPENDIX 4 Minutes of Council June 16th 2014. 2 - 14 CSD-14-037-Appendix A AMENDMENT NO. TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN OF THE CITY OF KITCHENER SECTION 1 — TITLE AND COMPONENTS This amendment shall be referred to as Amendment No. to the Official Plan of the City of Kitchener. This amendment is comprised of Sections 1 to 4 inclusive and Schedules `A' and `B'. SECTION 2— PURPOSE OF THE AMENDMENT The purpose of this Official Plan Amendment No. is to make map changes to Map 4- Transportation and Map 5-Land Use to show the preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from its present terminus at Evens Pond Court to Strasburg Road as determined by an integrated approach Schedule "C" Environmental Assessment (EA) process coupled with the Official Plan Amendment Process. No land use changes are proposed by the amendment. SECTION 3— BASIS OF THE AMENDMENT The study area is located in the Brigadoon and Doon South Planning communities. The current extent of Robert Ferrie Drive terminates at Evens Creek Pond in the Doon South community and is shown conceptually as a dashed line that extends in a westerly direction in the existing Official Plan on Map 4-Transportation and Map 5-Land Use. The conceptual location of the road crosses Caryndale Road and extends west through the property known as 500 Stauffer Drive which has been designated as a Cutlural Heritage Landscape under the Heritage Act to connect with Strasburg Road. Part 2 Section 8.3.1 of the Official Plan states that alignments for proposed road corridors are not final until confirmed through the completion of an Environmental Assessment and further indicates that amendments to the Official Plan may be required. The applicant has submitted an Official Plan Amendment to initiate the determination of the preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from its current terminus to Strasburg Road and has requested that the alignment be determined through an integrated approach with the Environmental Assessment Act and the Planning Act applications. The City commenced the integrated EA and OPA process by establishing a City Project Team comprised of City, Regional and GRCA staff as well as a Consultant team comprised of Engineering, Environmental, Heritage, and Transportation Engineering specialists led by the applicant's Planning consultant to assist in the preparation of evaluation criteria, evaluation of the alternatives and to select a preferred alternative. 2 - 15 CSD-14-037-Appendix A Seven original alignment alternatives and their numerous iterations and combinations resulted in thirteen alignments considered. This list was shortlisted to 5 alignments as the Project Team quickly ruled out alignments that would have too many environmental impacts or that had direct impacts on 500 Stauffer Drive with the exception of alignment 1a, which was the most direct alignment to Strasburg Road and was currently shown as a dashed line in the Official Plan. The City held 3 Planning Information Centres (PIC) to solicit public input into the process in accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment. At the last PIC held on April 10th 2014, the preliminary preferred alternative was presented to the public. Alignment 2(4) was selected as the preliminary preferred alternative, as it avoided the cultural heritage landscape at 500 Stauffer Drive which has been designated under the Heritage Act, has little impact on the natural environment, as it is well removed from environmental features such as woodlots, wetlands, groundwater recharge areas and watercourses. The preliminary preferred alignment does go through Category 3 Blanding's Turtle habitat which, through consultation with the Ministry of Natural Resources is not as sensitive as Category 1 and 2 habitat and can be mitigated. The alignment follows the hydro corridor where the habitat has already been impacted, so as not to significantly impact the area further. This alignment also met the transportation needs of the community and further, allowed for the best connectivity to existing road stubs within this community. Approximately 50 people were in attendance at the last PIC. Concerns were expressed over the fragmentation of the Caryndale Community, safety for children in the area of the intersection of Caryndale Drive and Robert Ferrie Drive by the Preliminary Preferred Alignment. In an attempt to respond to the numerous concerns raised by the residents, City staff met with the consultants so that the intersection of Caryndale Drive and Robert Ferrie Drive could be improved so as to keep the Caryndale community intact, while still providing a safe intersection that is safe both horizontally and vertically. As a result, the Preliminary Preferred Alignment was modified slightly at the Caryndale Road intersection and this new modified alignment will achieve the desired safe intersection and will leave the Caryndale Community intact. It also continues to satisfy the problem statement and meets all the above noted rationale for the preferred alignment. The necessary EA process has been completed to determine the precise alignment of the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive to Strasburg Road. Based on the foregoing, the Planning Staff of the Community Services Department recommends that Official Plan Amendment Application OPA 13/03/D/JVW be approved. 2 - 16 CSD-14-037-Appendix A SECTION 4— THE AMENDMENT 1. The City of Kitchener Official Plan is hereby amended as follows: a) Amend Map 4- Transportation is amended to show the modified preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from Evens Pond Court to Strasburg Road as determined through the integrated Schedule "C" Environmental Assessment and Official Plan Amendment process, as shown on the attached Schedule `A'. b) Amend Map 5-Land Use is amended to show the modified preferred alignment for the westerly extension of Robert Ferrie Drive from Evens Pond Court to Strasburg Road as determined through the integrated Schedule "C" Environmental Assessment and Official Plan Amendment process, as shown on the attached Schedule `B'. 2 - 17 CSD-14-037-Appendix A a 7 Z U) m col 0 J�, 0 c o c o LLo E Z d U a ) 0- U) m O x ° x ° Lj 0 w co W d W d CID 0 LU F- �0 � � � -a cu O W Q ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 ° °c' M JH � co � = az0 ° T d H J LJJ d 0 0 0 0 0 uJ O 0' co Yaoz Q a a a a z L LL z LL HOQ .,t ° o 0 0 0 Q E aU C C N 0 U -r_U) U) J a y 1111111 IIIIII uu U CL � 1111111 IIIIII ���� � Q 0 J U) Off , 0 o / L 0 0 LL o Lu �� p, O � J a w W F- LU '' 0 0 o ' W 0°0 7Q Lu w 0 wrr� �LL Z,� — QF—Mm 2WU)W LL WQm 0 Como ' H 0�m W p0� O 2 W W Z 0 Z yfnH oR N (7 O 0� awowiwiwiwiwiwwmoowowiwiwiwiwiwowwnurwm���a�mu`�w'�'��5 a i° U) - a o 0 w R � o W LL'�lL E D O w N m a!✓O m ° O w Ln Ci O 2 O LO V �OIOI1y���/� Q (.......,.��,,,� y� W i Im��rlmwm%� '" � -i W IMIMWIWIWIWIU � Q IWWmni ww w�iwwwlrwmwnurwmwnurwur r��'���mmor�l��mmnmr<U iwiu�www r us U Q U) 0 0% 10 10 "WIN IN io =11 cj W W Ao Ao s Q (Y� D z U- �y��e Hhi� i w �W 2 - 18 CSD-14-037-Appendix A m 71 U O UI O J O C) O O > o w Q x x Lj 7 o zzpa o w a w a -a c o = J V F— O O O O az � d 0)L _j � L L L L N O C Y U ♦� Z Q 0 0 0 0 — LLfA U Z 0 LL W J — — — — N Q (B O a LL H � Qa U U U U E c Q U Q ° ° c c m a IIIIII 1111 ----------- Q Y o IIIIII IIII �.:: z 1j) w IIIIII IIII IIII ,y J I.......�. � J 0 U) dL. a Y rt{, � 4.: y11 1 o °z trt{, t4i � trt LL LL LU m F- LU ,r{, �w(7W LL O " � � . wpOz s +m Y..• ` Z U)V) l� �w '�,wnwnwiwiwiwlID�iWnww,bnum'��a�m� (.900 am iwiwiu wiwi � N a X LO U) a o o w R /� � WW O PL rt � �LLI N �� maa0 O N ,pj0101NIN��IW�N�� Q Iw/�i LLI 0110110 77 �a�mMna'wa�wwo�unemrn�/mun W iw � u�wmwnu�wmwnu�wur rmnyi�wlmm°rl�l ��m iui J W �wwwwiww m w Q � uuuu�u o % U) 0 0" } 0% ,tip•; 444 44 ° ° rt{, �� �• k { W, S� 4 4 4 4 4 4 W w w S , " H a 4'•• ti• � a 4'•• g• � a 4'•• g J J J J J J J J J ......a"1��Y"'�^_-.,,..'• M� 2 - 19 CSD-14-037-Appendix B k � 5 1H l [ r r cr IT r � 'r y ry �r f y q , � - i f Fm �^ q � �. �ti u ��' u t 0 (D ._ y 5 ( J k � E ���•`` a Y N °,� �� �N, •.+fig 2 - 20 CSD-14-037-Appendix C Factor Category/Factor Group/Factor Irtd cator/IUfeasure Natural Envlronrr►erit 1A,,. Terrestrial Ecosysterds • Wetlands - Impact on feature and function of PSWs or other wetlands (area; classification/quality, relative extent in relation to entire complex) • Designated Environmentally Sensitive Policy - Impact on feature and function of ESPAs/ANSIs Areas/Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest, and significant woodlands (area; relative extent Significant Woodlands in relation to entire designated area) • Vegetation communities - Impact on feature and function of vegetation communities (area, type quality, composition, relative extent; and potential for mortality, stress,composition change) • Wildlife habitat - Impact on feature and function of and/or reduction of interior habitat (area; fragmentation) - Effects on wildlife movement corridors or corridors between critical habitat features (e.g. upland/breeding ponds) (number of crossings) - Degree of potential increases in animal-vehicle conflicts B: Aquatic Ecasysterds • Water bodies and Watercourses providing fish - Number of water bodies and watercourse habitat(including food/shelter) crossings, sensitivity of fish/fish habitat and thermal regime(warm,cool or cold water) - Extent (area) and function of riparian habitat removed - Extent and type of fish habitat (in-stream) altered/displaced at water bodies and watercourse, including importance to aquatic ecosystem (e.g.spawning, nursery areas) • Water quality,thermal regime and baseflow - Encroachment on headwater areas (1" or 2nd Order Streams) (area) - Degree of interference with known groundwater discharge areas that contribute to creek baseflow - Effects on surface drainage/floodplain contributions to fish habitat 1C. ,Groundwater Resources , • Groundwater recharge areas - Encroachment on significant groundwater 2 - 21 CSD-14-037-Appendix C recharge areas (Regional Recharge Area) (removal/disruption of function—area;depth) • Groundwater quality - Potential for impacts to vulnerable areas (area) • Shallow groundwater movement - Potential for interference with existing flow patterns (baseflow) relative to proximity to surface water and significant groundwater discharge areas Factor Group/Factor Ind cat6r/Measure ©ti Surface Drainage • Watercourses;drainage catchments - Need for diversion/channelization of Doon Creek/Blair Creek (length of crossing) and catchment area impacts (area) • Flood plain function - Impacts to Regulatory Floodplain of Doon, Blair and Strasburg Creeks (including need for CIRCA work permit) - Changes (+/-) to Blair/boon/Strasburg Creek floodplain hydrologic function • Stormwater management - Opportunities to enhance roadway stormwater management measures, including coordination with/use of adjacent development facilities E. Species at Risk 0eerrrtits • Vegetation Species at Risk - Effects on vegetation SAR or species of local/regional significance (type, number, quality) • Wildlife Species at Risk - Effects on terrestrial SAR or species of local/regional significance (type, area of critical habitat; breeding timing windows) • Aquatic Species at Risk - Effects on aquatic Species at Risk or species of local/regional significance(type, length) • Species at Risk permits required for - Permit requirement (yes, no); probability of construction obtaining permit(s) (high, medium, low); degree of associated risk to project implementation Socio-Ec©nomic Envitonrnent 2A. `Land Use 136ficy • Land use/resource designations and policies - Degree of compatibility with Provincial, Regional and City growth/development goals/objectives policies (high, medium, low) 2113. Existing and Approved Land Use 2 - 22 CSD-14-037-Appendix C • Agricultural operations (physical resource - Prime agricultural land (Class 1-3; specialty consumption; facility resource consumption; crop) (area) operational impacts) - Total farm properties affected (number; type; area;severances) - Farm infrastructure displaced (type, number, area) - Fragmentation of farmland designated for agricultural purposes. • Other business operations - Business infrastructure/employees displaced (type; number) - Changes (+/-) in business exposure/viability • Approved development proposals - Impacts on approved development lands (area; exposure/viability) X. Communities • Impacts to individual properties/communities - Encroachment on individual properties (number/area) - Influence in defining proposed urban boundary. (high, medium, low) • Community connectivity (cultural/social - Physical changes (+/-) to established linkages) community connectors (trails/roads) - Changes to delivery of community services (emergency;school transportation) • Recreational opportunities - Changes (+/-) in community access to recreational/interpretive areas Factor Geoup/Fact©r Ind cat6r/lUleasure 2M.!N,6ise, • Noise sensitive areas - Noise sensitive receptors experiencing increases (5 dB ranges) in sound levels over pre-existing conditions - Noise sensitive receptors experiencing resultant absolute noise levels over 60 bDA 3w, 61tural EnV raryr erft 3A. Archaeological Resources • Known and/or potential archaeological sites - Number/type/significance of direct/indirect impacts to registered archaeological sites Number/type/significance of direct/indirect impacts to known archaeological resources and/or areas of high archaeological potential 2 - 23 CSD-14-037-Appendix C 3113. Built Heritage • Built Heritage Features - Number/type/significance of direct/indirect impacts to built heritage resources (based on presence of built heritage resources identified or designated by the City of Kitchener as having heritage value or interest, or identified during EA field studies); probability of obtaining required regulatory permits; and the degree of associated risk to project implementation 3C. Scenic 11116ads Impact on the Scenic Road Network and ability to convert to trails Potential to expand/enhance the Scenic Road/Community Trail Network 3C. Cultural Heritage Landscapes • Cultural Heritage Landscapes - Number/type/significance of direct/indirect impacts to cultural heritage landscapes and features such as scenic-heritage roads, farm complexes,etc.) Visual impact of road 4ti Transp©i tion/Municipal Services and{Utilities 4A.',Transportation Netuuorkllnrastructure • Transportation network - Relieve future demand on other collector roads within the community Provision of Doon South Community access, community connectivity Potential impacts to local roads/intersections and existing Robert Ferrie Drive • Traffic operations - Road safety and accessibility (sight distance; turning movements) • Transportation policy initiatives - Capability to support municipal policy • Capacity/capability to accommodate forecast initiatives (transit, active transportation, traffic demand. roundabouts) • Provides for appropriate access to existing _ Impact on access to existing properties properties Connectivity to Strasburg Road • Capacity - Capacity to accommodate forecast demand 46. Municipal,Seruices`and.Utilitie's 2 - 24 CSD-14-037-Appendix C • Municipal services - Opportunities for connections to or logical extension of existing services - Provision of standard cross-section locations for services - Provision of continuous services • Utilities (existing and proposed plant) - Degree of exposure of utilities and/or utility conflicts with road design Factor GrouplFactor Indicator/Measure S: Finandal/Technical A. Financial • Cost - Estimated capital cost($) Road length Property requirements (number,area) and ease of acquisition Extraordinary operations and maintenance requirements/costs (e.g., differences in the number of valves and water treatment requirements;collector road maintenance) Species at Risk mitigation/overall benefit Cultural heritage mitigation measures Technical • Roadway geometric design requirements - Conformance to TAC and City of Kitchener/RMOW standards • Structural/foundation/pavement design - Conformance to TAC and City of Kitchener requirements standards - Requirements for pavement depth and/or foundation footprint, based on soil conditions - Structural requirements relative to capital cost and long term maintenance requirements • Topographic;extent of cut/fill - Potential for excessive borrow quantity or excessive off-site disposal of earth material (volume) - Requirements for excessive (steep) grades (length) - Ability to maintain positive drainage, in combination with number of suitable drainage outlets and establish strategy for flow 2 - 25 CSD-14-037-Appendix C distribution to Doon/Blair/Strasburg Creeks • Constructability - Physical constructability (adequate access to corridor) - Potential conflicts with existing infrastructure (other than utilities) - Provision of standard horizontal and vertical clearance requirements - Current staging of development for full implementation of the road network 2 - 26 CSD-1 4-037-Appendix D 711 4 twou z A uj w 0 > LLJ CL w w w Z z 0 J z ui U) LL 0 —j CL CL w —i < Z I P-1 10 0 w I—L 0 � Iof . . . . . . . . . . . F. J? liv �j Ve Lie 7:, ji � ®� 1 �r 1 H ii a n n 2 - 27 CSD-1 4-037-Appendix D E b q�jou LILI " '4 CIJ ,LU 2 . C En UJ Z o Z 2t z 0 uj — 3 61 Z O z < cl w Z Z z W CO W i7! I z uj IL 0 0 CL a. ti < to H :J J ........ Ij ri :-:1 J-j :J ... ....... Al: vi 2 - 28 CSD-1 4-037-Appendix D Z qP u IM LU uj ui ILL z 0 > w Z < CL z w Z z U) W w CD 0 CL ul 0 w 0- w < IP it ti Q ... . .... ... ... ........... ....... 14 LR .2 2 - 29 CSD-1 4-037-Appendix D z LU M�M ML LLJ Cl) Z LU z U- 0 > Z 0 0 Lu MA. z Z z uj w V) w z 2 :3 0 IL z w ❑ IL 0 < Q ❑ 0 a LU z < X .. ........ ........... O� � r � r T In Z-4 A IT JU V 2 - 30 CSD-1 4-037-Appendix D aQ '4 U uj Z LLJ Z LL. > 0 a. z oLLIZ —j z w LLJ LU 0 0 X w �'T w < U- Jc� II .................- ly IA o fJ ........... 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O ° § Mug g o Rig E r� a - a 2 - 32 CSD-14-037-Appendix E EVALUATION CRITERIA- ROBERT FERRIE DRIVE SHORT LISTED ALIGNMENT ALTERNATIVES Factor Category/Factor Group/ Factor 1 A 2 ( 4 ) 4 7 ( 2 ) 7 ( 4 ) 1.NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 1.A Terrestrial Ecosystems 7.25 9.50 4.75 8.50 8.00 1.8 Aquatic Ecosystems 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 1.0 Groundwater Resources 1.00 8.67 9.67 8.33 9.00 1.13 Surface Drainage 4.00 10.00 8.33 9.33 8.33 1.E Species at Risk 10.00 1 8.00 1 8.00 1 7.75 8.00 NORMALIZED NATURAL ENVIRONMENT SCORE 6.45 1 9.23 1 8.15 1 8.78 8.67 2.SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 2.A Land Use Policy 1.00 10.00 7.00 5.00 5.00 2.13 Existing and Approved Land Use 4.00 7.00 6.00 7.00 7.00 2.0 Communities 1.00 9.00 7.33 7.67 6.67 2.D Noise 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 NORMALIZED SOCIO-ECONOMIC SCORE 4.00 9.00 7.58 7.42 7.1'7 3:C0LTURAI„ENUIRf3NMENT 3.A Archaeological Resources 1.00 10.00 9.00 6.00 6.00 3.B Built Heritage 1.00 10.00 9.00 5.00 5.00 3.0 Scenic Roads 1.00 10.00 9.00 7.00 7.00 13.D Cultural Heritage Landscapes 1.00 10.00 9.00 5.00 5.00 14OFtMAuzEi�C,uL;Tt:fRA(,EtruiRdNM T$00!�E' i.4t 14. 4 ,,p4 ;7 7 4.TRANSPORTATION/MUNICIPAL SERVICES AND UTILITIES 4.A Transportation Network/infrastructure 7.75 7.50 6.00 3.75 3.50 4.B Municipal Services and Utilities 5.50 9.00 8.50 3.50 6.00 NORMALIZED TRANSPORTATION/MUNICIPAL SERVICES AND UTILITIES SCORE 6.63 8.25 7.25 3.63 4.75 5.A Financial 1.00 9.00 10.00 5.00 5.00 5.B Technical 6.50 8.75 4.75 6.00 2.75 TOTAL NORMALIZED SCORE 21.83 45.36 39.36 31.08 30.21 PREFERRED OVERALL RANKING 5 1 2 3 4 M:\38163\02-Reports\WE Reports\Evaluation Matrix\3 816 3-10 0 RFD-Short Listed Alt ernatives_M...h 31-14_Final.xlsx 2 33 • • . + W111 110 , cc z • ■ 4 w CL • 1, 4N Q lf� ...........k�l■■■■ ........... 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The Official Plan Amendment will result in mapping changes to the City's Official Plan. No new land use designations are being proposed by this amendment. This project is being planned under Schedule "C" of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment.The proposed study area is shown on the attached map. (INSERT MAP) The statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act is scheduled for Monday June 9th, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 200 King Street West. Staff will present the preferred alignment with the Environmental Study Report (ESR) together with a Planning Report and an Official Plan Amendment (OPA). A recommendation for approval of the ESR and adoption of the OPA is proposed. This meeting is intended to provide an opportunity for public comment prior to the decision being made. Any person may attend any public meeting held and make written and/or verbal representation either in support of, or in opposition to, the above noted proposal. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision does not make oral submissions at this public meeting or make a written submission prior to approval/refusal of this proposal, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of a subsequent appeal. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION regarding the problem statement for the EA, the preliminary alternatives, the evaluation criteria, background information and the preferred alternative and the ESR document is also available on the City's website.Any questions regarding this integrated EA process may be directed to: Juliane von Westerholt, Senior Planner- 519-741-2200 ext. 7157 (TTY: 1-866-969-9994), juliane.vonwesterholte,kitchener.ca 2 - 37