HomeMy WebLinkAbout74-50REPORT NO. 1
REPORT ON PROPOSED WAVERLY ROAD NEIGHBOURHOOD
SHOPPING CENTRE
1. Introductions
The Waverly Road neighbourhood is currently under construction
and will have an ultimate population of approximately 5,600 people.
This figure will be reached within the next 2 or 3 years, thus
necessitating some type of shopping facilities in the area. The
neighbourhood plan, prepared by the COJ PB in 1971, has designated
2.7 acres for the purpose of convenience neighbourhood shopping
in the area. These shopping facilities were intended to consist of
2 or 3 small stores, not excedding 1500 sq.ft. in area each, with
a Variety or Jug Milk Store being the major tenant.
2. Proposals
The Southeastern Building Corporation has submitted a shopping
centre design with a gross floor area (G.F.A.) of 52,050 sq.ft.
including a chain food store of 12,250 sq.ft. as its main tenant.
There would be provisions for another 17 smaller stores with
G.F.A. of 19,600 sq.ft. and 20,200 sq.ft. of office space on the
second floor. Access to the site would be from Waverly Road and
Quinn Drive with a parking capacity for 187 cars. This proposal
conforms with present zoning except that the maximum store size
is presently 1500 sq.ft.
3. Comments:
After studying basic shopping centre requirement standards in
several text books, I have concluded that the maximum floor area
1'
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30 (cont'd...,.)
required to serve the projected population in this neighbourhood
is 259000 sq.ft. This should only be permitted, however, when
the general distribution of retail space in Bowmanville has been
determined. The proposed food store with a gross floor area of
129500 sq.f t. should not be allowed to go into this centre at
this time for the following reasons:
(1) The proposed supermarket is too small to provide an
alternative to the larger chain stores in the Oshawa and
Bowmanville area, and the site area is too small to
support a full sized supermarket. Full, top of the line
supermarkets normally average around 20,000 sq.ft, in
area..
(2) While not comprising a full sized supermarket, the
proposed food store is too large to be classified as a
convenience store, as was originally intended in the
neighbourhood plan.
(3) The proposed shopping centre could only be successful
if it drew in substantial traffic from outside the
neighbourhood, and since the centre is not located on an
arterial road but only on a residential collector road,
this is not considered desirable.
(4) The intermediate size of the proposed shopping centre
would place the function of its chain store in a danger-
ous position as far as retaining its clientel should
one of the two proposed, larger shopping centres be appr-
oved at Waverly Road and Baseline Road. Either of
these proposed larger shopping centres could prove fatal
to the smaller one.
- 3 - REPORT NO. 1
The current proposal as designed,has two other major flaws that
should be noted:
(a) Provision has been made for 17 small stores in
addition to the supermarket. I feel that this is
too many small outlets to be supported by a neigh-
bourhood of this size. These stores would probably
have a high vacancy rate and a high turnover of
tenants even if the larger centres down the road
did not go in. In the face of competition from a
larger centre the whole project could go bankrupt.
(b) The proposed design also includes 20,000 sq.ft. of
office space, which I feel should at this time still
be encouraged to locate in the downtown core, rather
than in a neighbourhood shopping centre.
4® Conclusions:
The site which is the subject of this application has been sele-
cted to serve as a neighbourhood convenience centre and should
consequently draw only a limited amount of local traffic, with
a large portion of its business being of a walk -to- nature. The
current proposal includes 52,000 sq.ft. of gross floor area
including 209000 sq.ft. of offices. I feel this type of design
would generate more than its share of car traffic on Waverly
Road, thus over taxing a residential street.
4 - REPORT NO. 1
Conclusions: (cont'daaoo)
It was the intent of the Official Plan and the Waverly Road
Neighbourhood Study to maintain this site as a neighbourhood
convenience centre not as an alternative or competitor to the
central business district or any other shopping centre, currently
in existence or proposed.
In summary, I would recommend that at this time not more than
four stores with a maximum floor area of 1500 sq,ft, each should
go on this site. If at a later date it is decided that there will
not be a larger shopping centre in the immediate vicinity, then a
neighbourhood shoppi.n� centre containing a small supermarket and
a total of not more than 25,000 sgoft, of gross floor area should
be permitted as an expansion of the initial development. The
zoning bylaw should not be amended at this time and the applicant
should be advised that any more substantial development on this
site must await completion of a commercial need study for the
whole Town,
Respectfully submitted,
1. Jr'7rC� / /f�1VA,I -L,
George F. Howden,
Planning Director.