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Home My WebLink AboutDSD-19-153 - A 2019-058 - 137 Glasgow StStaff Report Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca REPORT TO: Committee of Adjustment DATE OF MEETING: June 18, 2019 SUBMITTED BY: Juliane von Westerholt, Senior Planner - 519-741-2200 ext. 7157 PREPARED BY: Richard Kelly-Ruetz, Technical Assistant (Planning and Zoning) — 519- 741-2200 ext. 7110 WARD: 9 DATE OF REPORT: June 7, 2019 REPORT #: DSD -19-153 SUBJECT: A2019-058 — 137 Glasgow St. Applicant — GSP Group (Chris Pidgeon) Recommendation: Approve with Condition f Pit t Subject Property 0 MEW men Vii'- - _ , i,= 4a k: ! 66 Location Map: 137 Glasgow Street *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. REPORT Planning Comments: Property The subject property located at 137 Glasgow Street is zoned General Industrial Zone (M-2) with Special Use Provision 21U in Zoning By-law 85-1 and designated Mixed Use in the City's Official Plan. The property contains a large approximately 43,500 square metre warehouse -like structure housing a range of uses including: research and development establishment uses; and scientific, technological and communication establishment uses. The property received site plan approval in 2016. There are 1,046 parking spaces on the property. A copy of the 2016 site plan is attached as `Appendix A' for Committee's information. Background Based on the range of uses on the site, the parking requirement in Zoning By-law 85-1 is 1 space for every 28 square metres of gross floor area. As part of the 2016 site plan approval, a minor variance application was applied for and subsequently approved in November 2016 to support a parking rate of 1 space for every 42 square metres of gross floor area. This resulted in a parking reduction of about 500 spaces. As part of the 2016 minor variance approval, there were a number of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures required as a condition of approval to support the parking reduction. Since the site plan approval, the multi -tenanted building has been incrementally filling its spaces. Through the review of Building Permits submitted for/by prospective tenants, staff flagged that some permits have included the addition of mezzanine spaces. The mezzanine spaces add additional gross floor area to the property which was not accounted for in the 43,521 square metres approved on the original site plan. This additional gross floor area does not have any allocated parking spaces. However, as the building is not yet filled to capacity, staff has been able to accommodate the issuance of these permits. Staff has raised the issue of the additional gross floor area captured by the mezzanines to the property owner and have discussed various options to account for them moving forward. Solution The approach reached between the property owner and City staff was to consider a second minor variance approval which would further reduce the parking requirements for the property, thus allowing up to approximately 5 percent of additional gross floor area to be added through mezzanine spaces. The Building Division has established a tracking sheet to actively monitor the exact gross floor area of mezzanine spaces to ensure the 5 percent cap is not exceeded moving forward. This would permit approximately 2,100 square metres of existing/future mezzanine space. As such, the applicant is requesting relief from Section 6.1.2 a) of the Zoning By-law to have a parking ratio of 1 space for every 43.3 square metres of gross floor area, whereas the By-law requires a parking ratio of 1 space for every 28 square metres of gross floor area. 137 Glasgow Street City Planning staff conducted a site inspection of the property, via bicycle, on June 6, 2019. In considering the four tests for minor variances as outlined in Section 45(1) of the Planning Act, R.S.O., 1990 Chap. P. 13, as amended, Planning staff offers the following comments. 1. General Intent of Official Plan The subject property is designated Mixed Use in the City's Official Plan. Lands within the Mixed Use designation are intended to achieve and support and broad mix of uses. It is the opinion of staff that the variance is appropriate as the site has a range of uses which are contemplated by the mixed use designation. This variance facilitates a small increase of gross floor area and related parking reduction, and meets the general intent of the Official Plan. 2. General Intent of the Zoning By-law The requested variance seeking relief from Section 6.1.2 a) of the Zoning By-law to permit a parking rate of 1 space for every 43.3 square metres of gross floor area, whereas 1 space for every 28 square metres of gross floor area is required, meets the general intent of the Zoning By-law. The general intent of the parking ratio of 1 space for every 28 square metres of gross floor area is to provide sufficient parking spaces for the range of uses at this site (research and development establishment; scientific, technological, and communications establishment, manufacturing, etc.). In 2016, a minor variance was approved which supported a parking rate of 1 space for every 42 square metres of gross floor area. At the time, a range of TDM measures were proposed to support the variance including exterior bike parking spaces beyond the requirements, transit passes, etc. This further reduction meets the intent of the by-law as the minor addition of gross floor area is not anticipated to generate a significant parking increase on the site. This, in combination with the proximity of the site to other transportation options (Iron Horse Trail, bus routes, etc.) further ensures this variance meets the intent of the by-law. Staff note that Transportation is supportive of the variance. 3. Is variance minor? Staff is of the opinion that requested variance is minor as the approval a reduced parking rate of 1 space for every 43.3 square metres will facilitate tenants being able to add mezzanine spaces within the existing building, as needed. In 2016, a variance was approved for 1 space for every 42 square metres of gross floor area and this variance request is a minor adjustment to the already approved variance. The site will largely continue to operate as it does today. 4. Is variance appropriate? The variance is appropriate for the use and development of the land as the existing building has a large number of tenants, each of whom has a variety of specific needs. By allowing some future flexibility for adding mezzanine spaces, and capping it at approximately 5 percent of the existing gross floor area, the site will continue to generally function as -is and the mezzanines are entirely interior to the existing building. It is therefore appropriate for the use and development of the land. As discussed, a site plan was approved in 2016. Staff has added a condition of approval to the minor variance to require a minor update to the 2016 site plan to account for the change in the parking rate and additional gross floor area. The update is administrative in nature. Based on the foregoing, Planning staff recommends that this application be approved with condition. Building Comments: The Building Division has no objections to the proposed variance. Transportation Services Comments: The applicant and city staff have been in contact and the proposed parking rate is acceptable. Heritage Comments: The Kitchener Cultural Heritage Landscape Study (CHLS) dated December 2014 and prepared by The Landplan Collaborative Ltd. was approved by Council in 2015. The CHLS serves to establish an inventory. The CHLS was the first step of a phased Cultural Heritage Landscape (CHL) conservation process. The applicant is advised that the property municipally addressed as 137 Glasgow Street is located within the Warehouse District CHL. The owner and the public will be consulted as the City considers listing CHLs on the Municipal Heritage Register, identifying CHLs in the Official Plan, and preparing action plans for each CHL with specific conservation options. Environmental Comments: No environmental planning concerns. RECOMMENDATION A. That Minor Variance Application A2019-058 requesting relief from Section 6.1.2 a) of the Zoning By-law to have a parking requirement of 1 space for every 43.3 square metres of gross floor area, whereas 1 space for every 28 square metres of gross floor area is required, be approved, subject to the following condition: a) That the owner update the site plan to the satisfaction of the Manager of Site Development and Customer Service to account for changes in gross floor area and parking requirements. Richard Kelly-Ruetz, BES Technical Assistant Juliane von Westerholt, BES, MCIP, RPP Senior Planner a v � � m co E _ E Lur € 3 J cn 75 N U m m n' m 5 {4 a2 0 v 2_ ,.� 2m Q = H � Ld Ldcj 7 rj C7 W L C7LU CD zraa oU� ❑w f\ a w L V W V J Y r LL01 a v da � � c C — e3 Z Z F N ~ -20 CL w J — �� S rL} z Z z ec J ua wp LLJ o� (f} J LU V] 111 19 0 yr �+ ru W a� W C � N a LLP � r � LU ur ❑ RIA w z CL LU F— U) W z W W = W H iy Y r H C� � d H � C�.3 Region of Waterloo June 03, 2019 Holly Dyson City of Kitchener 200 King Street West P.O. Box 1118 Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 Dear Ms. Dyson: PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND LEGISLATIVE SERVICES 150 Frederick Street, Sth Floor Kitchener ON N2G 4A Canada Telephone: 519-575-4400 TTY: 519-575-4608 Fax: 519-575-4449 www. reg i o n ofwate r l o o. ca File No.: D20-20/VAR KIT GEN (7) 15 KING KIT, HIP DEVELOPMENT (8) 55, WEICHEL STEET 1917171 Ontario Inc. Re: Committee of Adjustment Meeting on June 18, 2019, City of Kitchener Regional staff has reviewed the following Committee of Adjustment applications and have following comments: 1. SG 2019-012 — 1250 Victoria Street South — No Concerns. 2. SG 2019-013 — 525 Highland Road West— No Concerns. 3. A 2019-052 — 284 Mausser Avenue — No Concerns. 4. A 2019-053 — 99 College Street — No Concerns. 5. A 2019-054 — 10 Gordon Avenue — No Concerns. 6. A 2019-055 — 277 Field Sparrow Crescent—No Concerns. 7. A 2019-056 — 741-751 King Street West — No Concerns. 8. A 2019-057 — 152 Weichel Street — No Concerns. 9. A 2019-058 — 137 Glasgow Street — No Concerns. Please be advised that any development on the subject lands is subject to the provisions of the Regional Development Charge By-law 14-046 or any successor thereof and may require payment of Regional Development Charges for these developments prior to the issuance of a building permit. The comments contained in this letter pertain to the Application numbers listed. If a site is subject to more than one application, additional comments may apply. Please forward any decisions on the above mentioned Application numbers to the undersigned. Document Number: 3026277 Page 1 of 2 Yours Truly, Joginder Bhatia Transportation Planner (519) 575-4500 Ext 3867 Grand River Conservation Authority 400 Clyde Road, P.O. Box 729 Resource Management Division Cambridge, Ontario N 1 R 5W6 Andrew Herreman, Resource Planning Phone: (519) 621-2761 ext. 2228 Technician E-mail: aherreman(u-)grand river. ca PLAN REVIEW REPORT: City of Kitchener Holly Dyson DATE: June 10, 2019 YOUR FILE: See below RE: Applications for Minor Variance: SG 2019-010 907 Frederick Street, Units 3-5 SG 2019-013 525 Highland Road West A 2019-038 128 Mill Street A 2019-052 284 Mausser Avenue A 2019-053 99 College Street A 2019-054 10 Gordon Avenue A 2019-055 277 Field Sparrow Crescent A 2019-056 741-751 King Street West A 2019-057 152 Weichel Street A 2019-058 137 Glasgow Street Applications for Consent: B 2019-014 128 Mill Street B 2019-024 209-211 Heiman Street GRCA COMMENT: The above noted applications are located outside the Grand River Conservation Authority areas of interest. As such, we will not undertake a review of the applications and plan review fees will not be required. If you have any questions, or require additional information, please contact me. Sincerely, Andrew Herreman, CPT Resource Planning Technician Grand River Conservation Authority xThese comments are respectfully submitted as advice and reflect resource concerns within the scope and mandate of the Page 1 of 1 Grand River Conservation Authority