Richmond Hill approves future plans for Yonge and Bernard area
North of downtown to be a key development area

Yorkregion.com
Kin Zarzour
Nov. 28, 2017

Richmond Hill councillors have approved long-term plans for one of the town’s top development areas.

In the process, they say, they have protected the Yonge Street and Canyon Hill Avenue/Bernard Avenue area from overintensification and developer appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The community north of the village core has been identified, through the official plan, to become the third-most intensely developed area in the municipality -- after Richmond Hill Centre (at Highway 7) and the Yonge and 16th key development areas.

The final secondary plan report outlines how height and density are to be distributed, where new public streets, parks, and transit facilities are planned, and the need for transportation.

At a committee meeting last week and full council Nov. 27, several delegations voiced concerns about the town's plans for the 19.6 hectares, which have been on hold and under the microscope for more than a year.

Local residents crowded into council chambers to speak about traffic and overdevelopment, while developers spoke against restrictions on what they would like to build. Several property developers called for greater density and height allowances.

The plan currently calls for no more than 10 to 15 storeys. Many of the development proposals aspire to exceed that, said a staff report.

Local residents from Wards 2 and 4 -- areas most impacted by the plan -- said they understand development is inevitable, but should only take place if improvements to roads and transit keep pace.

John Li, of Brookside Road, said the nearby Yonge and Elgin Mills intersection is one of the worst crash sites in Richmond Hill and is bound to get worse.

"From 2014 to 2015, 84 crashes in that intersection How many crashes do you need for that to be unacceptable?"

To assure residents that development would come in sync with transit and infrastructure, Ward 4 Coun. David West, seconded by Ward 5 Coun. Karen Cilevitz, presented a revised motion.

It requires the town to advocate for relevant regional transit and road improvements in the vicinity to coincide with the initial build-out including, at a minimum, the Elgin Mills railway grade separation, widening of Elgin Mills Road between Bathurst Street and Yonge Street, and intersection improvements at Elgin Mills/Yonge and Yorkland/Elgin Mills as well as the widening of 19th Avenue from Yonge Street to Highway 404 and for a highway interchange at Highway 404.

If those improvements, and the Viva Bus Rapid Transit on Yonge project, are not completed before 15 per cent of the total housing units are constructed and occupied, or three years from now, a pause in development could be triggered to allow staff to re-evaluate traffic issues.

Residents said the revised motion was not perfect, but a good step.

But John Alati, with Davies Howe LLP, disagreed. Speaking on behalf of developers, he said a secondary plan is not the place to advocate, adding he is disappointed the town is still having discussions about discussions when the plan is supposed to be in process of being adopted.

Ward 2 Coun. Tom Muench also disagreed with the motion. The only member of council to vote against adopting the secondary plan, he said there was still time for meaningful discussion.

“The stakeholders, being property holders, investors, residents, politicians, bureaucrats, consultants, there is no one happy here.”

Muench pushed for extending or renewing the existing Interim Control Bylaw, freezing development for three months more to allow further study and consultation.

However, no council member would second Muench’s motion. Several pointed out that not having a formal position -- through a secondary plan -- would put the town at a disadvantage.

Regional Coun. Brenda Hogg noted there is an OMB hearing coming in December over a Bernard plaza and other OMB actions from developers wanting to build in the area.

“We need a legal position, or folks who own the plaza will bring a plan that will be unmanageable” she warned. “It’s not in your best interests to delay any longer. I’m happy with what’s before us."

Cilevitz reminded council of what happened to the area around Yonge and 16th Avenue, which did not have a secondary plan in place when it was brought to the OMB.

As a result, she said, the board approved development heights of 28 and 29 storeys, “way over height and twice the density”.

Cilevitz called the revised motion a “middle ground” and commended residents for their participation.

“This is to protect the town, not us -- the council. There’s nothing nefarious here.”

Ward 6 Coun. Castro Liu agreed.

“This is a living document, as close as we can get -- we don’t want to expose ourselves to the OMB”.

Added Mayor Dave Barrow, “we need to move forward. We have assurances things will be monitored.”