Autumn 2018

Toronto Condo Appeal Success

 On June 20, 2018, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal held a hearing for an appeal by Mizen Holdings Corporation regarding a non-decision for a plan of condominium application at 2522-2542 Keele Street in the City of Toronto.  The application submitted was for the condominiumization of 128 residential units in an eight-storey mixed-use building that also proposed commercial uses on the ground floor which was not a part of the original application.  Martin Quarcoopome, MCIP, RPP, an Associate with Weston Consulting, provided expert planning opinion evidence on behalf of Mizen Holdings Corporation to support the appeal and approval of the plan of condominium application.

The challenge for Mr. Quarcoopome was convincing the Tribunal of the merits of the application given the history of the previous zoning by-law amendment and site plan which were approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2015 and 2017 respectively. The Tribunal was also presented with evidence in opposition by a request for additional parking spaces to be required. However, the Tribunal, with Mr. Quarcoopome’s clear and well-grounded evidence, decided that the requirements of the site-specific zoning by-law were met by the application, as previously established in 2015 and 2017.

Mr. Quarcoopome’s testimony, in concert with a Nextrans Transportation consultant and residents of the building, resulted in an unusually quick oral decision to approve the plan of condominium from the Tribunal. Ultimately the Tribunal decided that the additional modifications requested were not needed and would not be imposed. Decisions by the Tribunal on such cases usually endure a process that takes several months, which would have led to additional costs and uncertainty for the unit purchasers of the condominium. Weston Consulting is pleased by the Tribunal's expedited processing of this appeal. 

Improving Housing Options in South Oshawa

After a year of negotiations with a prominent local stakeholder and the City of Oshawa, and managing the community consultation process, Weston Consulting successfully secured zoning approvals to permit the development of a new townhouse community in the heart of an established neighbourhood area in south Oshawa. The site, located at the southwest corner of Phillip Murray Avenue and Park Road South, will help to diversify the housing stock in south Oshawa by introducing 56 new townhomes that will also enjoy a private parkette and shared private lane. The approved rezoning will also assist the City of Oshawa in meeting intensification targets.

As a proposal for intensification and infill within an established neighbourhood area, the project was subject to significant opposition from local residents. As such, the community consultation process was integral to the success of the approval. Weston worked closely with SO Developments Inc., the owner and developer of the property, and City of Oshawa Planning Staff to successfully manage the community consultation process, which included hosting community meetings to speak with concerned residents, providing formal responses to resident concerns and ensuring that submission materials were made available for public review.

Weston also worked closely with a prominent local stakeholder that expressed concerns regarding the compatibility of the proposed use with its operations. The stakeholders' concerns were addressed primarily through a peer review of technical materials. Weston worked closely with the stakeholders to address issues and concerns, ultimately establishing that the proposed development was acceptable. 

Having secured the rezoning approval, as well as draft plan approval of subdivision and condominium, Weston Consulting is now working with the proponents towards obtaining Site Plan Approval with site works scheduled for spring of 2019.

Leslieville Lots See 96 Variances Approved

"TOR1" – The Evolution of Printing Plant to a Data Centre

On June 21, Digital Realty opened one of Canada’s largest and most advanced co-location data centres. Weston Consulting was excited to be a part of this opening which marked the next chapter for a storied, former Toronto Star facility located at the interchange of highways 400 and 407.

The facility, originally opening in 1992, housed what was then one of North America’s largest printing plants. When first constructed, it was built by the Toronto Star and expected to handle the production of newsprint for multiple news dailies. The Toronto Star Printing Centre was considered the most technologically advanced in the world. After 24 years, and with more people accessing daily news via the internet, Torstar Corporation sought to dispose of the property.

Weston Consulting was retained by Torstar Corporation and initiated a Development Options Assessment to inform the disposition and sale of the property. The site takes advantage of its prime location for the efficient movement of goods and people being located at the intersection of two significant highways and along a major transmission corridor within the Parkway Belt West Lands. Recognizing this opportunity, DuPont Fabros Technology (now acquired by Digital Realty) purchased the Torstar facility. Weston Consulting obtained the approval for a data centre use on the lands through a Minor Variance process.

Weston Consulting, along with WZMH Architects, obtained Site Plan approval, working closely with Vaughan Planning and Building Staff.  The Site Plan Approval entailed a one-storey addition at the south end of the existing industrial building to accommodate the data processing facility, as well as a range of other site improvements.
 

The completed data centre is named "TOR1." Consisting of approximately 766,300 square feet, including the existing building and new addition, the facility is ideal for the new use and is now in a position to serve nearly 15,000 technology companies already located within the Toronto-Waterloo corridor and beyond.

Weston Consulting's team on this project included Kevin Bechard, Sandra Patano and Robert Walter-Joseph.

Digital Realty supports the data centre and collocation strategies of more than 2,300 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centres located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.  Digital Realty’s clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from cloud and information technology services, communications and social networking to financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and consumer products.  www.digitalrealty.com

Weston Consulting is proud to have acted as an agent of change to accommodate the evolution of a former printing press.