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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSD-045-07 Q!JlmglOn REPORT PLANNING SERVICES Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: Monday April 23, 2007 I~C:_l'l U~l ord*Gm -) I Y - O~ Report #: PSD-045-07 File #: PLN.31.11 By-law #: Subject: BOWMANVILLE WEST TOWN CENTRE STREETSCAPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report PSD-045-07 be received; 2. THAT the Bowmanville West Town Centre Streetscape Implementation Plan be adopted as a guide for future streetscape improvements; 3. THAT all interested parties listed in this report and the Regional Municipality of Durham be advised of Council's decision. Submitted by: . Crome, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. r of Planning Services RevieWedbY:O~~ ~ Franklin Wu, Chief Administrative Officer ~ A. S. Cannella, CET. Director of Engineering Services JW*DJC*sn*df April 18, 2007 CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-0830 REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 2 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 The Bowmanville West Town Centre emerged during the early 1990's and will grow rapidly over the next few years with commercial, mixed-use and residential developments. The existing streetscape (decorative light standards, unit pavers in medians) of the Bowmanville West Town Centre area originated from the recommendations of the "Functional Engineering and Streetscape Implementation Plan, Bowmanville West Main Central Area" prepared in 1994 by Totten Sims Hubicki Associates (TSH). This plan was mainly limited to the commercial development area which was previously called the "Bowmanville West Main Central Area" demarcated by Green Road from the west, CPR property boundary from the south and east, and Stevens Road and Bowmanville Creek from the north and east. 1.2 Since that time in 1994, the areas adjacent to the Bowmanville West Main Central Area have undergone significant change with high-density residential developments such as the Aspen Springs condominiums and the proposed Brookhill Neighborhood to the North. In addition the proposed high density residential developments such as the Dunbury condominium development at Highway 2 and Green Road and the Kaitlin residential apartments north of railway lines are also located within the West Town Centre. 1.3 The Commercial Policy Review concluded with the adoption of Amendments 43 and 44 to the Clarington Official Pian by Council on March 1, 2006. The latter implemented major changes to the Secondary Plan for the Bowmanville West Town Centre. All of the appeals of OPA 44 have been resolved. 1.4 As part of the Commercial Policy Review, in March 2006, Council approved major commercial developments anchored by Home Depot and Wal-Mart stores. These projects together with the existing development will consist of approximately one million square feet of gross leasable retail and service floor area. 1.5 Through The Bowmanville West Town Centre Secondary Plan, Council adopted as one of the Goals of the Plan "to ensure high quality of architecture and urban design in all phases of development in order to create a unique sense of place and foster social interaction in the West Town Centre". 1.6 In addition to expanding the Bowmanville West Town Centre, one of the key changes in the Secondary Plan has been the treatment of Highway 2. Previously, Clarington Boulevard was the major pedestrian street and Highway 2 (then under the jurisdiction of MTO) was secondary as a pedestrian environment. With the expansion of the Bowmanville West Town Centre and the changing approach to arterial roads in urban areas (as evidenced by the Region of Durham Arterial Road Design Guidelines), a major change in design approach is that Highway 2 is to become more of a pedestrian- oriented environment, not simply a conduit for motor vehicles. REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 3 1.7 The Secondary Plan provides clear direction to promote and enhance the function of King StreeUHighway 2 as the main street of the Bowmanville West Town Centre. This area will also be a major gateway to the Bowmanville Community within a pedestrian oriented street system. 1.8 In this context, due to the recent expansion of the Bowmanville West Town Centre area with the upcoming commercial, residential and office developments, there was a need to update the previous "Functional Engineering and Streetscape Implementation Plan" prepared in 1994 to reflect the goal of Council and the adopted urban design polices as developed through the Commercial Policy Review. The Municipality retained Brook Mcilroy LId to prepare the Bowmanville West Streetscape Implementation Plan. 2.0 THE STREETSCAPE IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT 2.1 The Stud v Area Based on the proposed development projects in the West Town Centre area, the Streetscape Implementation Plan area was delineated as illustrated in the following map: ,",,,, ~" !\s:-:-:\\ \ ,\~(\:;\\ t:;;.".. ~ >\ I E' ,. j1 I (rP i I , ffiITillII Existing ReSidential ffiillTITI Proposed Residential _ Existing Commercial I .. Proposed Commercial . _ Existing Institutional I _ Proposed Institutional I _ BowrnanviUe West Town Centre I Streelscape Implementation l_____ ProJ~~~"~.."._.._..,"''-_' Bowmanville West Town Centre Streetscape Implementation Project Area Figure 1: Bowmanville West Town Centre Streetscape Implementation Plan Area REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 4 2.2 Current Issues The BWTC area is currently more suburban in character and does not reflect the character of an urban town centre. This is mainly the result of the lack of defined streetscape elements and of a particular style of building or streetscape design. Although there are a number of developments proposed or underway in the area, generally the buildings themselves will not adequately define a street wall. An enhanced streetscape will help to address the following areas of issues and opportunities: . Lack of identity for Bowmanville West Town Centre area. . Lack of streetscape design unity and consistency. . Automobile-dominated streetscape with fast moving traffic. . Lack of traffic calming measures. . Unfriendly environment for pedestrians with less facilities and opportunities for pedestrian activities, particularly along Highway 2. . Lack of facilities for people with disabilities. . Large expanses of underutilized right-of-way areas. . Unattractive street intersections and street corners. . Maintenance issues with the existing street furniture due to inefficient design. 2.3 Aims and Obiectives The main objective of the Bowmanville West Town Centre (BWTC) Streetscape Implementation Plan is to promote a long-term, coordinated program of public and private investment within a pedestrian environment that will enhance the area's role as the focus of community activity. This Streetscape Implementation Plan provides standards and direction for improvements to the public right-of-way that would enhance the identity of the West Town Centre area. To achieve the following objectives: . To create a more pedestrian-friendly area through streetscape improvements and provision of pedestrian amenities; . To create a unique identity for the Town Centre that expresses the existing character of the area; . To identify area gateways/entry points and prominent locations for public art and other special treatments; . To develop a common language of materials, plantings and street furniture that will contribute to a unified vision and create a recognizable place; . To encourage high-quality development by investing in the public realm/open space and improving the quality of design; and . To promote retail activity by creating a beautiful and functional streetscape that allows users to easily move between sites. REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 5 2.4 Workshops 2.4.1 Two major workshops were conducted by Brook Mcilroy Inc. and Municipal Staff. The first workshop was a full day session held on January 18, 2007 at the Municipality. Regional and Municipal Departments, Hydro One, and the development proponents participated. The developers included The Kaitlin Group, Dunbury Developments, Metrus Developments Inc. and Halloway Holdings Ltd. 2.4.2 The second workshop was held on February 8th, 2007and was mainly organised to review the recommendations of the first workshop and to obtain input from the Municipal and Regional Departments on the draft conceptual plan. 3.0 SUMMARY OF STREETSCAPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 3.1 The Bowmanville West Town Centre should be developed as a vital and attractive town centre which is supported with a variety of transportation modes such as public transit, driving, cycling and walking. The BWTC Streetscape Implementation Plan should define the character and quality of the public realm which includes continuous sidewalks, places to socialize, pedestrian friendly intersections, enhanced landscaping, transit stops and street furnishings. Contemporary and consistent design should reinforce a strong pedestrian realm through application of guidelines to landscaping, walkways, street lighting, public art, street furniture, landscape buffers, transit shelters/structures, signage and other infrastructure. The Site Plan should promote a long term coordinated program of public and private investment in the pedestrian environment that will enhance the area as the focus of community activity. 3.2 The Streets cape Implementation Plan covers the following elements: . Streetscape Concepts for primary, secondary and private streets; . Streetscape Elements providing guidelines for street trees and landscaping, gateways and special treatment areas, intersection and corner treatments, crosswalks, light standards, parking lot buffers, sidewalk paving materials, public art and street furniture; . Implementation outlining priorities, options for Highway 2 and order of magnitude costing. 3.3 Streetscape Concept for Maior Streets The transition of Highway 2 to an urban streetscape will require significant improvements. The recommended design for Highway 2 will: REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 6 . Tie the area together through common streetscape elements (e.g. paving, lighting, landscaping) and the creation of pedestrian crosswalks; . Provide well-placed pedestrian amenities that include seating, transit shelters, bicycle racks and waste receptacles; . Provide areas to showcase public art, banners, special treatment areas and intensive landscaping; . Define the pedestrian-scale of the street through its design; and . Provide areas for sitting and open spaces at major intersections (Le. Highway 2 and Clarington Boulevard) and along the streets. The illustration of current and future conditions is shown below. Figure 2: Existing view of Highway 2 -looking from west Figure 3: Proposed streetscape visualization of Highway 2 -looking from West REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 7 Clarington Boulevard and Green Road are the major north-south connector streets that will: . Bring people to the commercial centre from surrounding residential neighbourhoods; . Enhance pedestrian access through the creation of continuous sidewalks and enhanced landscaping; . Provide pedestrian amenities that include seating, transit shelters, waste receptacles, etc.; and . Create a transition from the surrounding communities by providing for different conditions; 3.4 The Streetscape Implementation Plan contains components that will be implemented over the short term, medium term and long term. For example, the streetscape sections will be built, in part, in connection with the West Bowmanville commercial development. Staff reviewed which elements are the most important and need to be included in the reconstruction of Highway 2 and Green Road and in the construction of Stevens Road and Boswell Drive. Elements such as the boulevard pavers would be construeled over the longer term with further urbanization. For the shorter term, sodded boulevards would be the norm with street trees, seating areas and planters. In addition to the decorative light standards. one of the critical elements in the short term is the provision for raised medians along Highway 2. The raised medians would help to establish the special character of the area and serve as a traffic calming element. Other components identified as special treatment areas would only be considered as part of a community project by groups such as public art, memorials, and special landscape areas. Figure 4: Highway 2 - existing median Figure 5: Proposed Median design concept REPORT NO.: PSD-045-07 PAGE 8 4.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 4.1 Together with the Bowmanville East Town Centre, this area serves as the focal point of Clarington containing the primary commercial, institutional and in the future higher density residential areas. In this regard, the streetscape elements are critical components to defining the public realm. It is recognized that there is a cost to this for both capital and operational requirements. 4.2 A number of the components of the Streetscape Implementation Plan are covered under the Municipality's Development Charges projects, the Principles of Understanding with Halloway Holdings Ltd. and Metrus Developments (West Diamond Properties Inc.lPlayers Business Park Ltd.), and obligations of the development proponents through the reconstruction of Highway 2 under Regional Servicing Agreements. Staff is also seeking some additional contribution from the development proponents for the Highway 2 improvements. 4.3 A number of the streetscape projects are included in works already budgeted for 2007 or forecast for 2008 in conjunction with the work to be undertaken for the Halloway and Metrus. 4.4 Additional projects will be brought forward for Council's consideration by separate report or through the normal budget process. 5.0 CONCLUSION The Bowmanville West Town Centre Streetscape Implementation Plan will serve as a guide for future actions to create a special identity and sense of place for this key area of the Municipality. Attachments: Attachment 1- (Under separate cover) - "Bowmanville West Town Centre Streetscape Implementation Plan" document prepared by Brook Mcilroy Inc. List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: West Diamond Properties Ltd. Players Business Park Inc. Halloway Holding Ltd. The Kaitlin Group Dunbury Developments