Staff here will be allowed to exempt site plan approvals – but only under certain conditions.
In a recent report submitted by town planner Sally Stull, she recommended council delegate the authority to staff to exempt site plan approval for additions which were less than 50 square metres in ground coverage and did not significantly change drainage, grading or vehicle access.
Stull pointed to council’s resolution from November 2010 which allowed for a site plan approval process which would allow developments to be conditionally approved by council, subject to certain conditions being met prior to building permits being issued, and that those conditions were met prior to any release of securities.
Stull said her intent was to further streamline the process.
She noted the streamlined process was used in the Erin Tim Hortons restaurant and the industrial development at 31 Pioneer Drive.
Stull considered it primarily a housekeeping matter for council.
She explained that when dealing with properties such as commercial or industrial properties which require site plan approval. where the work really has no impact to the site, that the town would be able to exempt them from the site approval process.
She noted that last year the conditional site plan approval process was created to streamline site plan applications and approvals which would cover them until the end of the process – when any funds are reimbursed to the applicant [when conditions of the approval were satisfied].
She further noted a bylaw dating back to 2004, which amended the old site plan agreement, which is both cumbersome and no longer used for site plan approvals now that the conditional approval process is in place.
Councillor Barb Tocher said she totally agreed with the approach.
She added that the previous approach was too cumbersome for the applicant.
“It just slows the process down.”
Other members of council, also had no objection to the proposal.
Council received the town planner’s report regarding recommendations to streamline the process for minor applications.
Council subsequently passed a resolution to exempt structural additions which are less than 50 square metres of ground coverage and do significantly change drainage, grading or vehicle access.
At the same time council rescinded bylaw 04-37.
Exchange Hotel proposal
At that point, Stull updated council on work being done on the Exchange Hotel building in Hillsburgh.
“The owners are moving forward with the renovations of that property.”
Stull also pointed out that as per site plan drawings distributed to council members, “they have added a stairwell to service the units to be constructed within the building.”
As an aside, she noted that as a result of the last zoning bylaw amendment, the municipality required such stairwells to be enclosed.
“The would be a classic example of why you would do that.”
Stull explained that with multiple tenancy buildings, enclosing the stairwell is a safety feature in terms of snow or ice, plus it generally eliminates the use of the stairwell for storage.
However, she also recommended that the proposed stairwell addition to 109 Trafalgar Road, known, as the Exchange Hotel, be exempted from site plan approval as there is no significant change to the site related to grading, drainage, vehicular access or parking.
Stull noted that the Exchange Hotel was constructed prior to the requirement for site plan approval.
She added “staff are of the opinion that a site plan approval will not provide any benefit to the development of this site and recommend the exemption.”
However, Stull noted that the property owners have purchased the property to the north “and they intend to expand the Exchange Hotel to provide more ground floor commercial and two stories of residential. They are hopeful they will be condominiums.”
Stull added that when that application comes through, then site plan approval will come into play for the whole site including parking, drainage and grading.
“We will get the opportunity to look at the site as a whole.”
“… if that application comes forward,” Tocher added.
She added that she’s also been paying attention to the photo gallery on the proponent’s Facebook site.
In the photos of the reconstruction, “you can see the images of the original windows which faced south, where they were bricked in.”
“It’s fascinating watching [the process] on Facebook,” Tocher said.
Council later passed a resolution that the stairway proposed be exempt from site plan control as it does not significantly change the site.
