updated planning report updated planning report - City of Guelph

Updated Planning Report September 2008
Proposed Lafarge/Silvercreek Development
market-related concerns about implications for the planned functions and economic
viability of existing and designated commercial and mixed use lands, and the Clayton
peer review concerns about consequences for the West Hills mixed use node and the
Willow West Mall (and vicinity) intensification area.
In our opinion, all of those matters and related policy tests have now been appropriately
addressed and satisfactorily answered, both in the subsequent updated market study by
TER, and in this updated planning report. As previously noted, the scope of the updated
market analysis was driven, in part, by an expressed intent to address the original
Clayton market peer review concerns.
The outstanding technical concerns listed by staff at the time of their June staff report
included the following: the acceptability of BA Group’s recommended road
improvements; unresolved issues related to the proposed Silvercreek/CNR underpass;
the need for updated comments from MTO, and lingering issues with the EIS and
stormwater management study.
All of the foregoing subject matters have been the subject of subsequent technical
updates/submissions by respective members of the Silvercreek project team, and in all
cases, that further technical information remains under consideration and/or in
discussions with the respective agencies with the intent of seeking a mutuallysatisfactory
resolution of any remaining issues, and the identification of any appropriate
resulting conditions.
Staff’s June report also made particular mention of the City’s reluctance to accept the
proposed public parkland dedication of the lands east of Howitt Creek, for a variety of
reasons including public access and liability, and the stormwater detention role played
by a portion of that easterly site area.
As documented in this updated planning report, Silvercreek’s previous intention to
dedicate those lands east of the creek for public park purposes has now been essentially
abandoned, in anticipation that the City will ultimately find that proposed parkland
dedication unacceptable. That expectation stems from the updated stormwater
management analysis and related changes to the SWM detention concept, coupled with
the site constraints in providing functional and safe public access for this prospective
park from adjacent neighbourhoods to the north and south – and related concerns
expressed by both City staff and the CNR in these latter regards.
Accordingly, that previous park dedication proposal is no longer a component of the
refined (2008) development concept now proposed.
In summary, it is our opinion that all of the key concerns and outstanding
technical issues discussed in City staff’s June 3, 2008 staff report have either
been satisfactorily addressed by subsequent updated reports and technical
submissions by the Silvercreek project team, or remain under active review and
discussions with the respective affected agencies.
6.4 Summary and Recommendations
In summary, based on the analysis and conclusions of this updated planning report, and
supported by the related technical studies, including the updated ones summarized
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