Whereas Baif Developments Ltd. owns a 9.42 ha property in the northeast quadrant of the Headford Business Park (“Headford”) as depicted on Schedule “A” attached hereto (the “Baif Lands”);
Whereas the Baif Lands are located immediately south of the lands known municipally as 1577-1621 Major Mackenzie Drive East, also depicted on Schedule “A” attached hereto (the “Treasure Hill Lands”);
Whereas the Baif Lands and Treasure Hill Lands comprise an isolated pocket of Headford, bounded by Highway 404 to the east, the Rouge Valley to the west and southwest, and Major Mackenzie Drive East to the north, which are physically separated from the balance of the Headford employment lands by significant highways and a large natural heritage feature;
Whereas the Baif Lands will remain landlocked unless and until Vogell Road is built within the Treasure Hill Lands to provide road access to Major Mackenzie Drive East and/or a new vehicular bridge is constructed across the Rouge Valley to establish a connection with Vogell Road to the south;
Whereas these important road connections are unlikely to be constructed without a viable development opportunity on the Baif Lands;
Whereas the Baif Lands have been designated for employment uses for decades without any viable development opportunity having materialized;
Whereas it has been recognized and acknowledged through numerous planning applications and Ontario Municipal Board hearings that the Baif Lands and the Treasure Hill Lands have distinct characteristics from the balance of Headford and are integrally linked from a land use planning and infrastructure perspective;
Whereas the Headford Master Servicing Plan, which was established decades ago and remains sound, contemplates a shared municipal water and wastewater servicing scheme for the Baif Lands and Treasure Hill Lands, with a single connection to the existing YDSS trunk sewer and a single stormwater outlet to the Rouge Valley;
Whereas the Baif Lands were identified as Provincially Significant Employment Lands when the Provincial Growth Plan was issued in 2019, notwithstanding that the Treasure Hill Lands were not so identified;
Whereas the City of Richmond Hill Council at its meeting on February 26, 2020 recommended to the Region of York its support of an employment lands conversion for the Treasure Hill Lands, while deciding at the same meeting to not recommend a conversion for the Baif Lands;
Whereas the Region of York Council at its meeting of October 22, 2020 approved an employment land conversion to permit residential uses on the Treasure Hill Lands, with such conversion to be implemented through the ongoing municipal comprehensive review and forthcoming Region and City official plan amendments, while deciding at the same meeting to refuse a conversion for the Baif Lands;
Whereas the City of Richmond Hill Council at its meeting of October 28, 2020 approved a concept plan and draft Minister’s Zoning Order submitted by Treasure Hill Homes to permit the development of a new long-term care facility and residential community on the Treasure Hill Lands (the “Treasure Hill Development”);
Whereas the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a Zoning Order on December 2, 2020 pursuant to Ontario Regulation 698/20 to permit the Treasure Hill Development (the “Treasure Hill MZO”);
Whereas site plan and subdivision applications were subsequently filed with the City to obtain additional planning approvals required for the Treasure Hill Development;
Whereas the Treasure Hill MZO has irreversibly changed the planned function of the northeast portion of Headford and the development prospects of the Baif Lands;
Whereas Baif has raised serious and valid concerns with the City in respect of the incompatible land uses and proposed residential lots and grading on the Treasure Hill Lands along the shared property line, including the potential for heavy industrial uses to be constructed on the Baif Lands immediately adjacent to the proposed long-term care facility and single family homes proposed on the Treasure Hill Lands;
Whereas the Provincial Land Use Compatibility Guidelines do not permit sensitive land uses to be located in close proximity to certain industrial uses;
Whereas a future employment development on the Baif Lands could produce significant negative noise, odour and air quality impacts for the Treasure Hill Development;
Whereas the truck traffic, loading and servicing for a future employment development on the Baif Lands would be required to traverse the Treasure Hill Lands, through the proposed residential community, in order to access the Highway 404 interchange at Major Mackenzie Drive East, which is not an acceptable or appropriate traffic outcome;
Whereas Baif has submitted a new concept plan prepared by Bousfields Inc. dated October 25, 2020, attached hereto as Schedule “B”, showing a proposed mixed-use community on the Baif Lands (the “Baif Development”) which would eliminate the land use compatibility problems with the Treasure Hill Lands and enable the Baif Lands to finally develop with appropriate and complementary uses;
Whereas Baif has also submitted a draft Minister’s Zoning Order to permit the proposed Baif Development, attached hereto as Schedule “C” (the “Draft Baif MZO”);
Whereas new seniors housing, long-term care facilities and associated medical and wellness services are needed in the Region of York and City of Richmond Hill;
Whereas the proposed Baif Development includes 1.2 ha reserved for seniors housing and a community wellness hub, with the possibility of providing an additional long-term care facility should it be desired by the City and Region and supported by the market;
Whereas the proposed Baif Development, like the Treasure Hill Development, will fulfill important City objectives including delivery of critical road and servicing infrastructure;
Whereas the economy of the City and Region has suffered as a result of the global pandemic, and the Province has encourage municipalities to plan for the economic recovery including getting projects shovel ready; and
Whereas the proposed Baif Development will generate significant short term and permanent jobs for the City and Region, as well as significant development charge and long-term property tax revenue.
Now Therefore Be It Resolved:
That the Council of the City of Richmond Hill has considered the Draft Baif MZO and the concept plan illustrating the proposed Baif Development, with further details to be considered and approved through the processing of future site plan and subdivision applications for the Baif Lands; and
That the City formally request the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to issue a Minister’s Zoning Order, substantially in the form attached hereto as Schedule “C”, to implement the proposed Baif Development, and if necessary to amend the Provincially Significant Employment Area mapping to remove the Baif Lands; and
That the City formally request the Region of York to reconsider Baif’s request for an employment land conversion of the Baif Lands, for the reasons set out herein, and to confirm that the City supports the conversion and redesignation of the Baif Lands through the ongoing municipal comprehensive review and forthcoming Region and City official plan amendments to permit residential and community uses on the Baif Lands as set out in the Draft Baif MZO; and
That the City Clerk be directed to, forthwith, forward a copy of this resolution to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing as a statement of Council’s request; and
That the City Clerk be directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Region of York for its information and as a statement of Council’s request.