updated planning report updated planning report - City of Guelph

Updated Planning Report September 2008
Proposed Lafarge/Silvercreek Development
As Tate Economic Research (TER) has stated in their updated market study, Dee’s
“pure residual” retail space demand approach for the CPR was a conservative method of
planning for future commercial needs, which is not in tune with the real operation of the
marketplace, given its competitive effects among retailers, and resultant sales transfers,
as part of a healthy and dynamic retail market. Accordingly, it is TER’s (and Clayton’s)
view that there is actually additional retail market potential in Guelph beyond the CPR’s
projected total of 2.2 million square feet by the year 2021.
It also warrants repeating that the lack of designation of the Silvercreek site as an
additional Mixed Use Node in the CPR (and OPA 29) was largely an acknowledgment of
the separate planning approach considered to be more appropriate for the
redevelopment of Lafarge (Silvercreek) lands, based on City staff’s acknowledgment of a
likely transition away from its current industrial land use designation. Any such
redevelopment proposal was to be considered on its own merits, and properly supported
by appropriate studies, rather than the principle of an alternative land use (such as
commercial) being prematurely designated on a “speculative” basis through the CPR
process, without the rigour of the sort of site-specific consideration and scrutiny which
has subsequently ensued through the Silvercreek application process.
We would also observe that the two large-format uses proposed in the revised
development concept complies with the Plan’s above-noted maximum of four large-scale
free-standing retail uses in each mixed-use node.
Under the general commercial policy umbrella, the Plan also expresses a series of
specific policies on urban design for commercial & mixed use. An overview of these is
provided in this report at Section 3.3.9.2, and they won’t be detailed again here. Suffice
it to say that a range of urban design matters is addressed which is, at the same time,
both expansive and detailed.
As previously noted, the revised redevelopment concept (2007) has been supported by
revised, detailed, site-specific urban design principles and guidelines (prepared jointly on
behalf of Silvercreek by Brook McIlroy and Michael Spaziani Architect.) The related
report establishes design directions for the proposed development generally consistent
with the range of design matters covered in those Official Plan policy directions –
including “General Design Principles”, an extensive range of “structuring elements” for
the revised development concept, and a detailed set of urban design principles,
supplemented by annotated illustrations. The last section of the report concludes with
the actual recommended guidelines proposed, including a wide-ranging series of site
design criteria and built form guidelines. As evidenced by their comments on page 22 of
their June 3, 2008 staff report, City staff are satisfied that the Silvercreek urban design
document “…meets or exceeds the City’s policies for commercial sites and buildings in
the Official Plan.”
Silvercreek’s request to establish a new Mixed Use Node brings into play the various
required impact studies described in Section 3.3.9.3 of this report. These comprise the
following:
• market impact, including the required scope of such a study, and clear statements of
the policy “tests” to be addressed, with a particular focus on avoiding detriment to the
planned functions of the C.B.D. and existing designated commercial/mixed use
lands;
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