Mass rezoning aims to spur Parkway, Crawford area
Offices would still be allowed
A mass rezoning of properties around The Parkway and Crawford Dr. would still allow a large office building in the south-end area, despite a plea from the downtown business association.
City council, sitting as planning committee Monday, will consider rezoning about 40 industrial properties in the Lansdowne West Secondary Plan area to allow certain commercial uses such as banks, restaurants, automotive dealerships, and repair shops.
The Downtown Business Improvement Area had asked the city to double the minimum floor area for a regional scale office facility that would be allowed in the area to about 32,300 square feet, which would make it unlikely that the downtown would lose more office jobs to the so-called Gateway area at The Parkway and Hwy. 115.
That regional scale office facility zoning made it possible for the federal government to pull many of its jobs in the city from its former building on King St. downtown to a new building on Crawford Dr. last year. It pulled jobs and economic activity out of the city’s core, which is the target area for office space according to the city’s planning policies.
City staff aren’t recommending raising the threshold to allow an office building on the visitor centre site at the northwest corner of The Parkway and Crawford Dr.
The regional scale office facility use will be removed from the zoning for the Crawford Dr. property, where the existing federal government office building would become a legal non-conforming use, land use Caroline Kimble states in a report.
“The property owner of the visitor centre site has relied heavily on the existing zoning from an in- vestment perspective,” she states.
But the visitors centre site, which the city gave to Roshan Holdings i n return for a free 10year lease of the tourism office on the property, remains largely undeveloped. A Tim Hortons was built on the property in 2009. The long-awaited hotel and convention centre hasn’t materialized yet.
The mass rezoning is an attempt to encourage development in that part of the city.
A year ago, council got a head start on expanding the property uses in the area when it approved a zoning change to allow a Mercedes-Benz dealership at 995 Crawford Dr.
Council held off on approving the mass rezoning in May when it raised concerns about the possibility of allowing dog kennels beside residential neighbourhoods and allowing museums and art galleries to move into the area.
In response, staff have removed dog kennels, museums and art galleries from the permitted uses under the zoning designations for the properties.
A few city-owned and Canadian Pacific Railway properties have been removed from the proposed mass rezoning. The permitted uses for those vacant, undeveloped, industrial properties would be reconsidered after the city finishes its realignment of Harper Rd. and Crawford Dr.
The planning committee meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 500 George St. N. NOTE: Follow
live coverage of the meeting, including a live video stream, and join a community chat starting at 6:15 p.m. at www.thepeterboroughexamine r.com.