Simone Fiore, of the Planning and Regulatory Services Department provided an overview of the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment application to permit a medium density residential development consisting of five townhouse dwelling units on the subject lands. Ms. Fiore advised that staff’s recommendation was that the staff report be received for information purposes only and all comments be referred back to staff.
Ryan Guetter, Weston Consulting, agent for the applicant, advised that an open house was held to discuss the proposed development, and that the owner is committed to making adjustments to the plan based on feedback received. Mr. Guetter provided an overview of the proposed development, elevations, architectural renderings and landscape plan. Mr. Guetter noted that they will be commissioning a traffic analysis to address residential traffic concerns, and advised that they are working with staff regarding refining the details pertaining to site drainage and stormwater management. Mr. Guetter concluded by advising that they are committed to hearing all comments, and that they will work with the Local Councillor, Members of Council and the community to ensure the appropriate revisions are made.
Katarina Papas, 221 Harding Boulevard, spoke on behalf of her parents and shared concerns regarding the impact the proposed development would have on traffic in the area. She noted that Harding Boulevard already experiences heavy traffic due to the medical building, hospital and school, and that area residents have difficulty exiting their driveways.
Carlo Astorino, a resident of Harding Boulevard, advised that his family has resided on Harding Boulevard for many years and that traffic and congestion in the area has become worse over that time. He noted the significance of the intersection in Richmond Hill, due to the location of the hospital, medical building and school, and expressed that he was not against development, but would like development to be an opportunity to make a bad situation better and not worse.
Leslie Black, 21 Lilley Court, expressed concerns relating to the impact of the proposed development, noting that adjacent properties could also be redeveloped in the future which would destroy the neighbourhood. Mr. Black advised of concerns with parking on Lilley Court due its proximity to the medical building, as well as concerns pertaining to changes in the sewage capacity that would result from the proposed development.
Scott Garrow, 15 Lilley Court, advised of concerns pertaining to the lack of compatibility of the proposed development with the existing neighbourhood. He expressed concerns with privacy, the orientation of lots, the massing and height of the townhouse units and the lack of snow storage.
Dino Puppi, 24 Lilley Court, advised of concerns with the number of proposed units on the subject lands. He questioned why the maximum lot coverage calculation of 42 percent does not take into consideration the driveway and also questioned the percentage of green space calculation.
Emilio Pesce, 26 Lilley Court, advised that his property backs onto the proposed development and expressed concerns with privacy and safety as a pool owner. He advised of liability concerns should children become hurt due to traffic volumes, and cars backing out of driveways on Lilley Court. Mr. Pesce communicated that he is not opposed to future development proposals, but felt the development proposal was not suited for the corner location.
Rachel Smith, 27 Lilley Court, questioned the 2 parking space allocation for each townhouse unit, and shared her belief that additional parking may be needed given the size of the units. She also expressed concern with only 2 visitor parking spaces being proposed and questioned where the additional vehicles would park.
A resident of Lilley Court, spoke on behalf of his parents to express concerns that the area could get busier when the new hospital in Vaughan was completed due to patients transferring between the new hospital and Mackenzie Health.
Melvin Sokolsky, 29 Lilley Court, shared concerns regarding the affect the proposed townhouse units could have on drainage and sewage given the downward slope at the front of his property. Mr. Sokolsky advised that his unit was located near the ravine, and that he was concerned the proposed development could change the natural surroundings.
Gaye Robertson, 190 Harding Boulevard West, shared her concerns with the traffic congestion in the area.