Urban Design Guidelines - Employment Areas - Town of Ajax

EMPLOYMENT AREASURBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006Design GuidelinesArchitectural Design ControlArchitectureCommunity and Resort PlanningUrban DesignLandscape Architecture

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESTable of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS ............................1LIST OF FIGURES ....................................2INTRODUCTION .......................................31.1 PURPOSE..................................31.2 ORGANIZATION OF THEGUIDELINES ..............................41.3 PROCESS..................................52.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES ....................62.1 OFFICIAL PLAN ..........................62.2 AJAX HISTORY...........................82.3 CONTEXT..................................92.4 COMMON VISION .....................123.0 THE PUBLIC REALM.....................183.1 IMAGE.....................................183.2 UNITY AND VARIETY.................183.3 STREETSCAPES.......................183.4 STREET NETWORK...................274.0 THE PRIVATE REALM ..................314.0 THE PRIVATE REALM ..................324.1 SITE PLANNING .......................324.2 BUILT FORM............................414.3 LANDSCAPING .........................474.4 LIGHTING AND FURNISHING.......494.5 SIGNAGE.................................505.0 AREAS OF SPECIAL TREATMENT.......................................................515.1 GATEWAYS AND LANDMARKS....515.1.1 HIGHWAY 401/SALEM ROADINTERCHANGE GATEWAY..........525.2 FOUR CORNERS ......................565.3 HIGHWAY 401 .........................565.4 CELEBRATION OF HISTORY.......585.5 LARGE SITES...........................585.6 VARIETY OF USES....................615.7 ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TOSITE PLANNING .......................61JULY 2006 1

6.0 IMPLEMENTATION........................636.1 INTERPRETATION .....................636.2 PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION.63List of FiguresFIG. 1 SCHEDULE A - LAND USE - 2005OFFICIAL PLAN .........................7FIG. 2FIG. 3FIG. 4FIG. 5AFIG. 5BFIG. 6AJAX EMPLOYMENT AREAS.......10PROPOSED LEISURE TRAILSYSTEM .................................16SCHEDULE C – TRANSPORTATION– 2005 OFFICIAL PLAN ...........21DEMONSTRATION LANDSCAPEZONES (15M & 9M ) .................22DEMONSTRATION LANDSCAPEZONES........................................(6M & 9M)...............................23STREET HIERARCHY AND PUBLICIDENTITY ELEMENTS AS THEYRELATE TO EMPLOYMENT AREAS..............................................25FIG 7 PUBLIC IDENTITY ELEMENTS .....26FIG 8A STREET AND BLOCK PATTERN (TOBE AVOIDED)...........................28FIG 8BFIG 9FIG 10FIG 11AFIG 11BFIG 12AFIG 12BFIG 12CFIG 12DFIG 13STREET AND BLOCK PATTERN(PREFERRED)..........................29STREET FURNITURE.................31DEMONSTRATION PLAN OF URBANDESIGN PRINCIPLES AND BUILDINGGROUPING ..............................36SITE PLANNING PRINCIPLES (TOBE AVOIDED)...........................39SITE PLANNING PRINCIPLES(PREFERRED)..........................40GATEWAYS & LANDMARKS (TO BEAVOIDED)................................53GATEWAYS & LANDMARKS(PREFERRED)..........................54GATEWAYS & LANDMARKS (TO BEAVOIDED)................................55GATEWAYS & LANDMARKS(PREFERRED)..........................55DEMONSTRATION PLAN OF LARGESITE ......................................602

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESIntroduction1.1 PurposeThe purpose of this document is to provideapplicants with a clear understanding of the urbandesign criteria to be incorporated within proposalsfor development in the Town’s employment areas.Implementation of these design criteria will ensurethat developments in employment areas achieve thedesired built form vision for these areas. In makingthese criteria available as a design reference,several benefits are derived:1. applicants can develop suitable designs/lay-outsprior to the submission of formal developmentapplications;2. town staff can review new developmentapplications in a consistent manner, using astandard set of design references; and,3. landowners and residents have the assurancethat the appearance, layout and design of thesetypes of uses will appropriately address thesurrounding land use context.These urban design guidelines are a tool for theTown of Ajax to guide the development ofemployment lands. Urban design refers to thelocation, configuration and relationship of thecomponent parts of employment areas, includingroads, open spaces, development sites, buildings,parking, servicing, and landscaping, among others.The guidelines apply to the development ofgreenfield sites, infill within established areas, andredevelopment of existing sites.The guidelines are intended to be used by a varietyof stakeholders, including:• the Town of Ajax in establishing andcommunicating a vision for employment lands,and reviewing development applications(particularly applications for site plan approval);• private landowners and developers, tounderstand the expectations for a high qualitybuilt environment; and,• the general public, to understand the image foremployment areas within the Town.These guidelines have been prepared to coincidewith the completion of Salem Road and its newinterchange at Highway 401. The Salem RoadJULY 2006 3

interchange will make a large area of employmentlands both north and south of Highway 401 easilyaccessible. These guidelines will ensure that a highstandard of urban design is established for theseareas as well as other employment sites in the town,contributing to health and vitality of the Town ofAjax.1.2 Organization of the GuidelinesThese guidelines include both general, guidingprinciples for achieving the vision for employmentlands, as well as detailed, specific requirements toguide all aspects of the employment areaenvironment. They are organized under sixsections:1. Introduction• description of the purpose, organization andcreative process of the guidelines2. Guiding Principles• identification of general goals for employmentareas, as taken from policies of the Official Plan• an examination of each of the employmentareas in Ajax (see map entitled “EmploymentAreas”, Figure 2, page 10) with respect tolocational attributes that make them unique, andhow the general goals can be applied to them• a description of the vision for employment areasestablished by stakeholders3. The Public Realm• an outline of the broad principles for establishingquality employment environments through thecreation of streetscapes that are interesting andcohesive• an examination of how the hierarchy of streets inAjax is both informed by, and supports theoverall vision• a description of how public land uses andfeatures establish a positive framework foremployment areas4. The Private Realm• an analysis of how the “appearance” ofindividual development sites – the type of builtenvironment they create – supports the visionand reinforces the public realm• a presentation of specific guidelines for thelocation, configuration, and relationship of all4

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESelements on private property, including massing,the placement and orientation of buildings,landscaping, circulation, signage and sitefurnishings, etc.5. Areas of Special Treatment• a look at special features in both the public andprivate realms, that are memorable and vibrantlyexpress the unique vision of the Town of Ajaxand its employment areas.6. Implementation• a reference on how to interpret the guidelines• an explanation the process by which the Townof Ajax will apply the guidelines1.3 ProcessThese urban design guidelines were developedthrough a comprehensive participation processinvolving all stakeholders. The involvement ofstakeholders, including Town staff, landowners,Councillors, and the public, has resulted in aguideline framework that expresses the uniquecultural, social, built, biophysical, economic andpolitical characteristics of Ajax, promotes civic pride,has the commitment of the community, and isimplementable.The guidelines were developed during three keyworking sessions with stakeholders. At the firstworkshop, the opportunities and constraintsassociated with the employment areas wereidentified and discussed, and design principles werearticulated. At the second workshop, a preliminaryurban design framework, responding to theestablished principles, was reviewed and discussed,in order to establish clear direction for theguidelines. The third working session involved anopen house held to permit stakeholders to respondto and refine the guidelines.JULY 2006 5

2.0 Guiding Principles2.1 Official PlanThe Town of Ajax Official Plan provides the broadpolicy context for land use change. The Town isexpecting to accommodate 120,000 residents by theyear 2021. It is recognized that employment areasare important to the economic health and quality oflife of Ajax, and sufficient employment land has beenset aside to ensure an appropriate balance betweenemployment and housing.Policies of the Official Plan that are relevant toemployment areas include the following objectives:• Establish comprehensive urban designguidelines that will ensure and provide for arange of safe, functional and attractiveemployment areas.• Strengthen the economic base by increasing jobopportunities and expanding the assessmentbase.• Ensure the development of a variety ofemployment areas that provide a range ofemployment opportunities.• Ensure that sufficient employment opportunitiesexist to accommodate future growth at a Townwideactivity rate of at least 1 job for every 2residents.• Ensure that a sufficient supply of employmentgenerating lands is designated and that theselands can be appropriately serviced.• Provide locations in employment areas forcommunity facilities that are visible andaccessible to residents• Promote the establishment of business parks.• Protect and enhance the natural heritagesystem.• Enhance the Downtown Central Area as aunique area within the Town.• Establish an interpretive trail system comprisinglinked and interconnected environmental andrecreational features.6

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 7

The Official Plan differentiates between twocategories of employment lands: PrestigeEmployment and General Employment. GeneralEmployment areas shall be developed to a highstandard of urban design, but because they aregenerally located away from major transportationroutes, outdoor storage is permitted if screened frompublic view. Prestige Employment, because it islocated along major transportation corridors, doesnot permit outside storage and has an even greateremphasis on a high standard of building design andlandscaping.Excerpts from the Official Plan include:• All employment areas shall ensure adequatescreening, landscaping, berming, or acombination. Shared access and parkingamong various properties is encouraged.• Adjacent to Highway 401, buildings shall frontonto the highway and exemplify high qualitydesign features including built form, landscapingand signage. No outdoor display of items suchas vehicles, watercraft, or equipment shall bevisible from the highway. Parking shall generallynot be located between the building andhighway.2.2 Ajax HistoryPolicies in the Official Plan seek to preserve andcelebrate Ajax’s valued rich history. The prologue tothe Official Plan outlines Ajax’s history:H.M.S. AjaxAjax, the early years (1945)The Town of Ajax is named after a warship, the “H.M.S. Ajax”. During the earlydays of the Second World War, inDecember of 1939, the H.M.S. Ajax,together with the H.M.S. Achilles andthe H.M.S. Exeter won an importantnaval victory in the famous Battle of theRiver Plate.Ajax grew into a community during theSecond World War as a result of thewar-related munitions plant, DefenceIndustries Limited, that was built in thearea, south of what is now Highway 401.The plant and its associated facilitieswere significant in size and the rapidinflux of plant employees quickly led tothe establishment of a community. Bythe time the War ended, a settlementhad emerged and the residents of thisnew community needed a name for theirnew town, and a contest was held for8

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESthat purpose. The name “Ajax” waschosen in recognition of the heroicactions of the H.M.S. Ajax at the Battleof the River Plate. Today, most of theTown’s streets have been named afterthe ship’s veterans.The Town experienced rapid expansionin the 1980’s and again in the late1990’s. Today, “Ajax by the Lake” is adiverse, vibrant, growing communitywithin the Greater Toronto Area. TheTown respects and values humandiversity and acknowledges the social,cultural and economic contributions ofall groups.These guidelines explore ways of understanding andcelebrating this history through the development ofthe Town’s employment areas.2.3 ContextThere are three major/primary areas of employmentlands within the Town of Ajax. They include: theEstablished Core Area south of Highway 401,accessed by the Westney Road interchange; theCarruthers Creek Employment properties north andsouth of Highway 401; and the Audley Road arealocated east of Carruthers Creek and bisected bySalem Road. It should also be noted that the NotionRoad Area constitutes a fourth, smaller employmentarea.1. Curruthers Creek Employment PropertiesThe Carruthers Creek Employment Area has thefollowing attributes:• consists largely of greenfield sites;• is aligned along Salem Road, which functions asthe major transportation route and forms the‘spine’ of this area;• abuts Harwood Avenue along the westernperimeter (Harwood Avenue is envisioned tobecome a boulevard street, with a multi-use trailaccommodating pedestrians and cyclists,leading directly to a downtown that is urban,intensive, and pedestrian-oriented);• is separated from adjacent residential lands byHardwood Avenue, which demarcates the top ofa natural ridge separating the two areas;• contains a planned pedestrian trail system in theCarruthers Creek corridor, which will link to thewaterfront trail; and,• contains a variety of natural features.JULY 2006 9

landscaping that will establish a unique identityfor Ajax;• Focus on creating a high quality public realmthat creates a unique identity and attractsemployers and employees.• Integrate public and private realms.• Enhance the unique characteristics of Ajax,including good transportation access, uniquehistory and natural environment, and skilledlabour force, through design that introduces,supports or expands these characteristics in thebuilt environment. For instance, a trail markermay interpret some aspect of Ajax’s historywhile providing visibility and access to a naturalfeature.• Create landscapes that have references tohistoric, artistic, cultural or natural elements orfeatures, to avoid the “typical” business park thatappears like it could be anywhere.• Ensure that more important streets in Ajax havean enhanced image.• Provide flexibility in the guidelines to ensure thatsites of different or unique functional or aestheticrequirements can be accommodated and resultin high quality environments.• Provide an appropriate land use interfacebetween employment areas and nonemploymentuses.• Create aesthetic employment areas withamenities to create a competitive advantage forbusinesses in Ajax. For example, employmentareas that are well-connected to natural featuresallow employees to experience them during theirshort breaks and lunch periods, and becomepart of their rationale for living and working inAjax.• Utilize the unique presence and location of therailway and GO Transit services to enhance theidentity, and character of Ajax.Heritage• Enhance and celebrate Ajax’s unique history ofemployment areas as an original settlement,military and wartime development, andsettlement patterns through design features.14

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESPrimary Identity• Create a unique experience along Highway 401in Ajax.• Create gateways to Ajax on Highway 401 ateach end of the Town.Linkages• Implement the recommendations of the Vision2020: A Bicycle and Leisure Trail System Planwhere possible.JULY 2006 15

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES• Consider individual courtyards and/ or openspaces as part of a larger network of openspace.• Encourage multiple uses to cluster “peopleplaces” (such as courtyards, patios, cafeterias)to create nodes that are vibrant and active,linking both to each other and to the surroundingsetting.• Consider possibilities for linking North and SouthAjax.Natural Features• Utilize natural features to maximum advantageby celebrating them in the landscape, ensuringthey have high public profile as amenities foremployees.• Provide visual and physical access to naturalfeatures.Topography• Celebrate opportunities provided by change intopography (for overlook, for dramatic urbandesign).The trail in this natural system invites public usethrough its visibility• Ensure access and servicing that is functional(in areas of different topography).• Consider positive and negative sight linescreated by topographic difference.JULY 2006 17

3.0 The Public Realm3.1 ImageThe image of Ajax’s employment areas will followthe pattern typically established in older urban areas(such as Ajax’s original employment and residentialareas) where:Fairall Street exhibits many of the characteristics ofthese guidelines, including buildings set close tothe street with main front entrances connected tothe sidewalk.• the public realm is the focus of design;• buildings are located close to and address thestreet;• a significant portion of the street frontage isdefined by buildings;• adjacent buildings and uses are located closetogether and create a sense of neighbourliness;and,• pedestrian movements are direct and wellconnected.These principles of organization and design avoidpatterns more typically considered ‘suburban’, withtheir large building separations, landscaped buffers,and parking areas in front of buildings. Theseprinciples will result in a built environment withinAjax’s employment areas that is pedestrian friendly,transit-supportive, and visually attractive.3.2 Unity and VarietyAjax’s employment areas seek to achieve a balanceof unity and variety in their urban design. Forexample, buildings can have consistent setbacks,massing, rooflines, use of materials, or colours, thathelp to create a unified appearance in thestreetscape. This contributes to a sense ofwholeness, where component parts relate to eachother to help define a sense of place. However, it isappropriate that buildings also vary these sameelements, to create interest and variety in thestreetscape. This balance of unity and varietyapplies to streets, spaces, the landscape, and therelationships among them.3.3 StreetscapesStreets are one of the most important components ofpublic space. They link all land uses in thecommunity, providing access for pedestrians,cyclists and vehicles. Attention to the streetscapeappearance of Ajax’s employment lands provides anopportunity to convey a unique, high-quality imagethat not only unifies the different employment areas,18

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESbut also integrates them positively into thecommunity. While this section is primarilyconcerned with the linear street corridor, attractivestreetscapes are the result of the interplay andrelationship between roads, sidewalks, utilities,furniture, planting, buildings, access and parking.3.3.1 Streetscape HierarchyCertain streets in Ajax, because of their high visibilityand use, will be important in defining the image ofthe employment areas, and therefore require ahigher standard of quality and design. As notedabove, this includes not only the treatment andmaintenance of the public realm, but also buildingsand private landscaping.The street hierarchy is as follows:Corridor Level ofTreatmentHighway 401• includes all sites with asignificant frontage visible fromHighway 401, including those onthe south side of the CNRcorridorspecialHarwood Avenue• where the Carruthers Creekemployment areas interface withadjacent residential• a special street in the TownSalem Road• accesses the new employmentareasenhancedWestney Road• accesses the established coreOther arterial roadsCollector roadshighLocal roadsHighway 401 is unique because of its high speed,limited access, and gateway role (see Section 5,Areas of Special Treatment). All of the others aretrue streets and will have elements in common.3.3.2 Landscape BuffersThe Town’s comprehensive zoning by-law requireslandscape buffers adjacent to roads in employmentareas. The intent of these landscape buffers is notto screen employment areas from streets; rather, it isto reinforce the street edge, the pedestrian realm,and good built form. The width of the landscapebuffer is dependent on the road designation in theJULY 2006 19

official plan and/or the designation of adjacent usesas follows:LocationLandscape RequirementsHighway 40115mHarwood Avenue9mType A and B Arterials9mType C Arterials6mCollectors adjacent to Prestige Employment 6mLocals adjacent to Prestige Employment 3m(Refer to ‘Schedule C - Transportation’ for thelocation of these roads)The treatment of the landscape buffer shall supportthe overall streetscape goals. In this regard, whereportions of a site’s frontage contain built form, theadjacent landscape buffer shall reinforce thebuilding’s contribution to the streetscape (forexample, the buffer may be located immediatelyadjacent to the base of the building and becomprised of foundation planting; or, it may belocated at the edge of the right of way to define apedestrian walkway entrance). Where part of asite’s frontage contains parking, or allows views toservice, storage, or loading areas, the landscapebuffer shall be appropriately landscaped to definethe street edge and adjacent building walls as wellas provide a screening or buffering role (forexample, the buffer may be located adjacent to theright of way and take the form of a low hedge. Inother words, the landscape buffer may vary in itslocation between the building face and the edge ofthe right-of-way to where it is most appropriate andeffective. The treatment of landscape buffers shallbe consistent with the following parameters:• Reinforce the linear wayfinding cues bydemarcating pedestrian or vehicular entrances.• Incorporate landform and planting consistentwith public identity elements (see below). Apublic identity element can be located in thelandscape buffer.• The treatment within the landscape buffer canbe the public identity element itself.• Materials within the landscaping buffer mayinclude hard elements such as columns, lowwalls and decorative fencing, and soft elementssuch as trees, shrubs, grasses, groundcoverand sod. The buffer may not be wholly sod.20

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 21

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 23

3.3.3 Public Identity ElementsA significant component of achieving a unique andidentifiable image of employment areas in the Townof Ajax and the GTA is through the establishment ofpublic identity elements. These are built orlandscape elements that are highly visible, bold andartistic, and create landmarks in the community.Their purpose is to express civic pride or history, orcorporate identity, or both.Public identity elements may include publiclycommissioned art, or they may be composed ofbuilding, streetscape, or landscaping items that arelocated and designed to be memorable, such as,landform, colour, lighting, signage, plant material,walls, or building components, among others. Theintent is to create simple, low-maintenance andinexpensive gestures that are recognizable andunique. It is intended that their character anddetailing reinforce the built form image, using asimple, complementary design. The Town of Ajax isworking towards establishing elements of built form,street furniture and/or landscaping that will establisha unique identity for Ajax.These elements shall be located consistently withthe street hierarchy, where they will have thegreatest impact by defining important corridors orplaces. There are three types of elements:• town-scale elements, that include an expressionof civic identity celebrating Ajax within the GTAand have the highest-impact;• employment-area-scale elements, that celebratethe employment areas within the Town, act aslocal landmarks, have a moderate-impact, andare consistent with, but do not necessarilycelebrate, Ajax’s identity; and,• local-scale elements, that are modest landmarksthat may include only corporate identity.Refer to the map “Street Hierarchy and PublicIdentity Features” (Figure 6, Page 25) for locationsof these elements. Local-scale elements are shownfor demonstration – they occur in a variety oflocations that are along major travel routes, arepublicly visible, or are locations of important featuressuch as open spaces or amenity areas.24

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 25

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES3.4 Street NetworkThrough the detailed design of roads identified inSchedule C of the official plan, and through newroads created by plans of subdivision, there is anopportunity to establish a pattern of streets andblocks – a community fabric – that sets thegroundwork for employment areas.• Create a logical, inter-connected and convenientnetwork of streets.• Provide streets along the edge of significantnatural features, in order to give the features“frontage”.• Orient streets to provide views and access tonatural features.• Locate public land uses and stormwatermanagement ponds along major streets, and atprominent locations such as intersections or atthe ends of vistas. Maximize frontage for theseuses along major roads.• Create distinct development pockets or blocks ofland through the organization of the street andopen space system. These distinct pockets mayeach have their own sense of place.Stormwater management pond located along animportant street, at the end of a view corridorJULY 2006 27

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 29

3.4.1 General Streetscape• Provide a sidewalk on both sides of the street.• Provide splash strips at major intersections.• Locate transit stops to maximize rider safety andconvenience.• Provide concrete pads at all transit stops.3.4.2 Street Trees• Provide tree planting on each side of the streetas per Town standards.• Select street trees from a diversity of highcrowned deciduous species, with selection ofvariety based on hardiness, seasonal colour andsalt tolerance. Where streets abut natural areasselect native deciduous species.3.4.3 Street Furniture• Consider modern rather than necessarily‘victorian’ in character heritage-inspiredelements that bring a common language to unifythe employment areas in the Town. The Town ofAjax is working towards establishing elements ofbuilt form, street furniture and/or landscapingthat will establish a unique identity for Ajax.• Tree grates, guards, bollards, benches, busshelters, waste receptacles, lighting, streetsignage posts, newspaper boxes and otherpermanent site furnishings are encouraged tocomplement and harmonize in finish, colour andmaterials throughout the employment areas.• Provide street furniture in appropriate locationsalong street frontages (e.g., in the vicinity oftransit stops, at intersections of arterial andcollector roads, and along pedestrian routesshown in the town’s “Vision 2020 – Bicycle andLeisure Trail System Plan” or similar trail plan).30

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 31

4.0 The Private Realm4.1 Site PlanningThe configuration of individual development sitesshall be driven by two urban design goals: firstly, toreinforce a positive streetscape image byappropriately addressing the public realm withbuildings and landscaping; and, secondly, to createan environment that provides comfort and amenity,is navigable, and is efficient for building andtransportation functions. A variety of siteconfigurations may be possible to accomplish thesegoals, and the following guidelines are meant to beflexibly interpreted for each specific situation. Forexample, function, topography, corporate image,aesthetics, road hierarchy and access may all affectthe layout of a site – whether a building is close tothe street, or set back; where parking and servicingareas are located; and how it is landscaped.The variety of contexts in which site planning occurs,imply that not all guidelines can be interpreted in thesame way for each situation. In general, buildingsare to be located close to the street, address thestreet with doors and windows, provide directpedestrian connections, and locate parking andservicing functions to the side or rear of the building.Where the streetscape is not supported in this wayby buildings and the visual absence of parking andservicing, then landscaping and the provision ofadditional amenity treatments must be utilized.4.1.1 GeneralBuilding groupings with a similar family of designdetails• Establish well-defined, visually appealingstreetscapes. Buildings and landscaping shouldcontribute to the larger streetscape image.• Buildings shall be sited, designed and organizedin such a manner that over a discrete area, allnew development appears and functions as anintegrated extension of all other adjacentemployment development. This may occur overtime, as later development follows the cuesestablished by earlier development. Examplesof discrete areas include:o street corridors, particularly arterialsand other through streets;o a cluster of buildings at the end of acul-de-sac;o a crescent streetscape;o sites relating to natural features;and,32

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESo areas defined by clear edges, suchas major roads and open spaces, orthat may be within one visualcorridor.• Avoid homogeneity of building appearance indiscrete areas.• Concentrate amenities and activities atprominent locations wherever possible. Forinstance, locating the main front entrance at acorner, close to the sidewalk, adjacent to anemployee amenity space such as a patio, allowsfor multiple opportunities for casual encounterand interaction and will enrich the streetscape.To support well-defined streetscapes wherebuildings have a direct, intimate relationship with thestreet, a “street-oriented” type of site plan functionsas an appropriate general approach to most newdevelopment, and is particularly appropriate to infillor redevelopment of older employment sites. Thefollowing bullet points define a street-oriented siteplan:• Site buildings generally parallel to adjacentroads. The public faces of buildings shall alignwith neighbouring buildings so as to present aconsistent street edge defined by the buildingfaces lining the street.• Site buildings with a substantial portion of theirfront and exterior side facades between 3.0 and12.0 metres of the front and exterior lot lines (asthe Zoning By-law permits), called the BuildWithin Zone. It is intended that highlyarticulated building facades be located within theBuild Within Zone.• Provide a minimum amount of building walllocated within the build within zone as follows:o on all lands adjacent to arterial andcollector roads, the minimum builtfrontage shall be 50% of thefrontage of the property;o on all lands adjacent to local roads,the minimum built frontage shall be40% of the frontage of the property;and,o if the size of the building relative tothe size of the property is such thatthe building is not large enough toachieve the applicable minimumbuilt frontage standard, then thebuilding shall be designed to beoriented such that the longestbuilding face is presented to thestreet within the build within zone,with the exception that the buildingface facing the street shall beBuilding set close to the street with significant builtfrontage and articulated facadeDemonstration plan achieving minimum 40% builtfrontageJULY 2006 33

Direct pedestrian connections from parking areas tomain entrancedesigned to present a frontal-qualityfaçade with detailing in terms ofentrances, windows andarchitectural elements.• Locate the main entrance to face or address thestreet.• Locate parking and servicing to the side or rearof buildings, where the building itself screensthem from view. No parking areas or drivewayaisles are permitted between an adjacent streetand any part of the building façade within thebuild within zone.• Encourage visitor parking that is easilyaccessible to the main entrance.• Provide shared vehicular access between siteswhere physically possible.• Locate service functions such as loading bays,garbage and recycling disposal away from publicview, using the building, including wing wallextensions, as the primary screen.• Outdoor storage, where permitted, shall belocated away from public view using the buildingas a primary screen.• Views of outdoor storage that are not screenedby buildings shall be screened with a barrier,which may be some combination of a berm, walland/or a solid decorative fence, or otherappropriate landscaping.• A limited amount of outdoor display will bepermitted where it helps to animate the streetedge and promotes a clean, active businessimage for Ajax.• Locate office uses to face the most importantstreets.• Locate show rooms, presentation and salespavilions, and retail components to face streets,to add interest and vitality to the streetscape.• Locate amenity or commercial uses, such askitchens, cafeterias, or sandwich shops, atgrade, facing public space, preferably publicstreets or natural features.• Provide periodic unimpeded views to naturalfeatures from streets through building placementand landscape design.• Provide direct visual contact with naturalfeatures from interior spaces wherever possible.• Divide large parking areas that are adjacent toor highly visible at the street edge through theuse of landscaping, pathway systems, andbuilding placement to create smaller “outdoorrooms”.• Ensure that service areas have adequate spacefor maneuvering and allow for efficientoperation. Vehicle movements in and around34

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESservice areas should not conflict with adjacentparking areas.• Locate service areas, truck maneuvering areas,and outdoor storage areas away from adjacentresidential properties, using the building as aprimary buffer or screen.• Pave all service areas.• Use a concrete apron around waste/recyclingareas to minimize damage to hard surfaces.• Setbacks of employment buildings and usesfrom residential uses shall comply withapplicable regulatory controls, including theTown of Ajax Official Plan and Zoning By-law.JULY 2006 35

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES4.1.2 Pedestrian AmenityThe pedestrian circulation system can be anorganizing feature of sites. The pedestrian realmcan create amenity for employees by providingcomfortable places to walk or sit. It can also beconfigured to promote a more active street life byproviding opportunities for interaction.• Provide well-defined, clearly identifiable andsafe pedestrian movements. This shall beachieved through different paving materials,colours, special landscaping, pedestrian-scalelighting (e.g., lighted bollards), and alignmentwith desire lines.• Provide direct pedestrian linkages from thesidewalk to main entrances visible from thestreet.• Provide direct pedestrian linkages from parkingareas to building entrances.• Provide raised walkways (minimum 1.5 metreswide) around the perimeter of all buildings wherethey abut driveway aisles, parking and serviceareas, except at overhead or loading doors.Ramps and curb depressions shall be providedin appropriate locations to allow for barrier-freeaccess to buildings.• Link pedestrian systems in a continuous networkinternal to the site, to public sidewalks, and toadjacent sites with convenient destinations suchas large offices or ancillary retail (ie. restaurantsor convenience stores).• Provide barrier free access and circulation withspecial attention to the design of curb cuts andpedestrian crossings.• Incorporate traffic calming features or designs inareas of congestion or conflict with vehiculartraffic.• Provide direct pedestrian linkages to existing orfuture transit stops from main entrances visiblefrom the street.• Provide outdoor pedestrian spaces andamenities in desirable areas, for example:o courtyards or squares for gathering,eating, and relaxing;o outdoor patios adjacent tocafeterias/food service;o picnic tables next to naturalfeatures, or adjacent to food service;and,o seating areas where they have acomfortable micro-climate.• Locate outdoor pedestrian spaces to face publicstreets, or natural features, wherever possible.Well defined pedestrian linksJULY 2006 37

38• Encourage common or shared pedestrianspaces between buildings and sites.• Provide for safe pedestrian movements acrossdriveways, parking areas, and vehicle routesthrough the site.

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 39

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES4.2 Built FormThe location, orientation and massing of buildingsshall allow the “best” form and articulation of thebuildings to be visible from a number of locationsand situations, with an emphasis on the publicrealm. The best form is intended to respond to thestreetscape hierarchy, that is, it should be visiblefrom and orient to, the most important streets. Thebest form shall respond to the principles set out inthe vision.The best form of buildings could be simple built formshapes. Best form is the most attractive orarticulated form that any individual building has tooffer, such as the office component, or the elevationwithout the loading bays. Simple shapes may bepreferred to complicated forms that may be lesseasily recognized when viewed from vehicles.• Orient buildings to address the street. Buildingelevations facing adjacent roads shall have aclear “frontal” expression in the detailing ofentrances, windows and architectural elements.Buildings shall promote a vibrant and pedestrianfriendly streetscape through pedestrian scale,the provision of windows at grade level,prominent and sheltered entrances, and the useof materials.• Articulate all publicly visible wall surfacesthrough projections, depressions, columns,texture, vertical or horizontal plane changes, orchanges to roof line, in combination with colourand material changes. Avoid long stretches ofmonotonous building facades or “blank” walls.Preferred: articulated wall surfaceTo be avoided: monotonous wallsJULY 2006 41

This building provides a purposeful change inmaterial between the office and warehousecomponents• Provide purposeful termination of buildingfaçade materials, through plan changes (jogs inthe building), projections, or other elements.Changes of façade materials within the sameplane on any elevation are not acceptable.• Avoid continuous roof lines through the use ofprojections, changes in vertical plane, andprominent building elements, particularly atentries, on street axes, at pedestrian walkwaysand at site entrances.Preferred: dynamic roofline through changes invertical plane, building element, colour andmaterialTo be avoided: monotonous roof line• Anchor key streets and prominent corners byproviding noticeable architectural forms. In thisregard, buildings will “turn” the corner, i.e., havearticulated facades facing both streets.• Provide built elements that acknowledge viewtermination axes of streets, or vehicular orpedestrian circulation routes, for example,through a change in shape or material.• Ensure that portions of buildings abutting streetcorners are a minimum of 6 metres in height.• Incorporate a high proportion of windows in theelevations of office components to afford clear,unobstructed sight lines from the office area toadjacent roads, outdoor pedestrian amenityareas and parking areas.42

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES• If there are multiple buildings on one site, theyshall have a coordinated architectural treatmentto develop overall site harmony. Providedifferentiating characteristics, particularly atentrances and in the landscaping. Note thataddressing can be part of this differentiation.Preferred: building grouping with similarvocabulary but distinctive elementsTo be avoided: monotonous treatment of multiplebuilding site• Provide materials and finishes of high quality.Metal cladding is discouraged, and its use willbe reviewed on design merit.• Treat side and rear elevations exposed to publicview with an appropriate level of architecturaldetail consistent in vocabulary with the frontelevation.• Integrate the screening of rooftop mechanicalequipment through the design of facades,rooflines and parapet conditions to completelyscreen them from public view. Pipe stacks orother vertical elements shall be positioned tocoordinate with the building design from allvisible public elevations. Screening should becompatible with other materials and coloursused on the building. Where buildings areadjacent to existing or planned high densityresidential uses or existing/proposed hotel/motelsites, or other tall buildings, all rooftopmechanical units shall be wholly enclosed, withlouvers or other appropriate means of ventilationemployed as required.• Incorporate hydro transformers and utility vaultsas part of the building, unless the utility providerrequires otherwise.• Locate areas for waste storage and recyclingwithin buildings wherever possible. Where it isnot possible, waste and recyclable shall becontained within an enclosure of solid masonry,JULY 2006 43

using materials and of a design complimentaryto that of the main building. Concrete bollardsshall be installed flanking access doors, whereappropriate.• No overhead doors for loading or waste disposalshall be located on a building wall facing anadjacent street, unless screened by anotherbuilding (e.g., an interior service court).• Encourage enhanced landscaping andarchitecture along all publicly accessible naturalfeatures.• For accessory buildings, provide compatible andcomplimentary design, colour and materials tothe main building.Building entrances can play a significant role inestablishing positive streetscapes and identity,connecting the building with the street and largercommunity, and providing orientation for the user.They provide an opportunity to create anarchitectural statement.• Emphasize the main entry using form, colour,and shape coordinated with the building,landscape and signage.• Provide clearly visible, articulated buildingentrances.A clearly articulated building entrance coordinatedwith landscapingThis building has a well defined entrancearticulated by changes in plane, material and colour• Establish a wayfinding identity for buildingentrances, so that they are visible at first glancefrom streets or the highway, and lead users toentrances once they have navigated throughdrop-off, parking, or servicing areas.• Provide entrances or entrance elements with anappearance and form that easily leads vehiclesand pedestrians to destinations.44

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES• Encourage principle public entrances to becovered with an entrance canopy or weatherprotection element.• Encourage other entrances that are regularlyused to have similar architectural vocabulary tothe main entrance.• Provide distinct and identifiable entrances toindividual units within multi-unit buildings.The following guidelines represent further strategiesfor developing positive streetscapes and identity bycreating excitement in building design.• Create interest using any two or more of thefollowing methods:ο use colour;ο incorporate historic references (seeSection 5.4);ο use dramatic lighting;ο incorporate energy efficient or greenarchitecture design or elements whichare visible from public spaces;ο incorporate artistic elements; and/or,ο utilize signage as an animating device.Animated signs create interestArtistic elements create interest• Mass or sculpt the building using any one ormore of the following methods:ο break the plane of the building;ο create layers in the façade; and/or,ο incorporate changes to the rectangularbox.Break the plane of the buildingChanges to the rectangular boxLayers in the facadeJULY 2006 45

• Create a cohesive image using one or more ofthe following methods:ο balance the elements and colours of thebuilding. This does not imposesymmetry, but a balance betweendominant and subordinate elements.ο bring some of the distinctive elements ofone part of the building into other parts,and vice versa.Distinctive elements from one part of the building are brought to the other46

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES4.3 LandscapingExpression of the Town’s pride and appreciation ofits natural and recreational features is a key principlefor employment lands. Sites adjacent to majorfeatures should address the feature with a treatmentappropriate to an important street within the PrestigeEmployment designation. That is, the natural orrecreational feature is treated as importantly as anystreet or use in the Town.Open spaces, valley edges, parks, pedestrianwalkways, woodlots, and natural features sharemany of the same visual opportunities as streets andcorner sites. Full use is to be made of theopportunities presented by these special conditionsand their significance reinforced.• Use landscaping to compliment and reinforcepositive elements of buildings, and to supportthe sense of a continuous urban form; avoid theimpression that buildings are isolated from eachother on their own sites.• Integrate landscaping with the design of thebuilding, including using materials, shapes orelements of the building in the landscape.Ensure placement and spacing of landscaping isconsistent with the rhythm or configuration of thebuilding.• Articulate pedestrian entrances facing adjacentstreets and define edges of walkways linkingpublic sidewalks to building entrances.• Plant trees in all landscaped areas in a mannerthat is harmonious and consistent with thesurrounding tree pattern. Planting in landscapestrips abutting roads should compliment theexisting character of the streetscape in terms ofplacement and species.• Select plant materials to suit growing conditionsat the planting location and match anticipatedmaintenance levels. Where side or rear yardsbetween sites are adjacent to natural features,provide naturalistic or hedgerow planting on bothsites that becomes continuous with the naturalfeature.• Organize landscaping such that it does notobstruct pedestrian or vehicular sightlinesrequired for safety, either at the time ofdevelopment or when planted material reachesa mature state.• Ensure that parking visible from streets isscreened with semi-transparent techniques(hard and/or soft landscape elements) to allowcasual observation for safety. Further lessenthe impact of parking by using walkway islands,Natural features orientation diagramSemi-transparent screening of parkingJULY 2006 47

aised landscaping and low walls to break up thearea into small zones. Provide a view corridorfrom buildings, circulation areas, gatheringspaces or sidewalks to parking areas.• Locate functions such as loading docks,garbage disposal/recycling, and/or outdoorstorage (where permitted) away from public viewand from residential areas. Locating thembehind buildings allows the building to screenthem. Where buildings and wing walls do notscreen the whole of service or outdoor storageareas, screen them with hard or soft landscapeelements including walls, fencing, berming,and/or planting that is consistent in materialsand details with the character of the site as awhole.• Encourage enhanced landscaping andarchitecture along all publicly accessible naturalfeatures.• Berms used as landscaping elements shall becreated at a maximum 3:1 slope.• Encourage landscaping that protects, supports,enhances or extends natural features into sites.• Provide non-intrusive fencing (for example,black vinyl chain link fence) in flankages or rearyards where required.Examples of service areas screened by hard & softlandscape elementsThis landscaping reinforces the streetscape, helps define the main front entrance and links it to the street, provides apedestrian connection to parking, and provides semi-transparent screening of parking48

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES• Preserve all existing perimeter trees withminimal changes to the area beneath the dripline. Locate underground services and utilitiesso as not to encroach within the drip line of treesto be preserved, to minimize disruption to theroot system.• Preserve existing trees near or along residentialproperty lines wherever possible to act both as abuffer as well as to prevent planting onresidential properties to become suddenlyexposed to edge conditions.• In instances where a utility provider requires thata hydro transformer or utility vault be locatedoutside of a building, such elements shall bescreened by hard and/or soft landscaping.4.4 Lighting and Furnishing• Arrange lighting to mitigate spillover effects onadjacent natural features, so as not to disruptthe natural functions of these sensitive areas.Similar treatment shall be undertaken to mitigatepotential spillover effects on adjacent residentialdevelopment.• Locate lighting to enable users to easily identifyroutes through a site.• Ensure a safe pedestrian environment byproviding appropriate lighting in all pedestrianareas including building entrances, walkways,and parking areas.• Enhance the night image by highlightingprominent architectural and/or landscapequalities, and corporate identity features.• Encourage lighting and furnishing to becompatible with the characteristics of thefurniture, signage and lighting within theemployment areas.JULY 2006 49

4.5 SignageThe design of signage in employment areas isencouraged to promote an attractive visualenvironment and an active business image for Ajax.Given the importance of signage and corporateidentity, clear and unobstructed views are essential.This building has signage with individual lettersand clearly visible street addressing• Integrate signage with the design of the buildingor site. Encourage signs that are compatible insize, style, colour, shape, materials, location andmounting with the built form.• Signage comprised of individual letters, front litor back lit, or halo effect neon is preferred. Cutout letters with cold cathode back light and otherinnovative signage will be considered.• Signage in high exposure areas such asgateways or intersections shall enhance thespecial identity and character of these areas, aswell as the image of Ajax.• Provide wayfinding identification that directstrucking, employees, visitors, cyclists, andpedestrians, as appropriate, to theirdestinations.• Provide large-scale street addressing easilyvisible to traffic. All addressing shall havealphabetic or numeric characters that are aminimum of 20cm (8”) tall. For every 15m ofdistance above 30m between the curb of theroad and the address location, characters shallbe an additional 10cm (4”) tall. Street namesare encouraged in the addressing.• All signage will be reviewed and regulated inaccordance with the Town’s sign by-law.These signs are well integrated with the building50

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES5.0 Areas of SpecialTreatmentAreas such as gateways, landmark locations,Highway 401, cross roads, and nodes of land useintensity, are opportunities for special treatmentsincluding enhanced and contextually unique urbandesign, architecture and landscape. Ajax’s uniqueheritage provides an opportunity for interpretationand expression not only in areas of specialtreatment, but throughout employment areas.5.1 Gateways and LandmarksSpecial opportunities exist at gateways to create asense of arrival or entry and reinforce the image ofthe employment lands. Because of their prominentlocations, these sites are recognizable landmarksand community-orienting focal points.Landmark locations are highly visible sites withinemployment lands. They are created when one ormore of the following factors come together:• they are located along important street corridors;• they are at a crossroads or gateway;• they are located at the end view of a street, forinstance at a T-intersection, or a bend in thestreet; and/or,• they are adjacent to an important open space.Landmark architecture and landscaping at thecorner of important streetsThe approach to landmark locations follows thepublic identity elements identified in section 3.3Streetscapes. Landmark locations becomecommunity-orienting focal points that benefit fromthe application of special design.• Locate special buildings or places at the end ofview corridors. Encourage pedestrian squaresor courtyards which can be used for publicpurposes at these locations.• Locate buildings close to the street at thegateway or landmark.• Provide identifiable architectural features forbuildings at gateways or landmarks, such astowers, enhanced elevation treatment, uniquemassing of roof lines, a multi-storey presence, orother prominent architectural forms.• Design buildings to support the overall image ofthe employment areas.• Locate main building entrances at the gatewayor landmark.JULY 2006 51

• Locate parking and service areas away from theprimary gateway or landmark location.• Design sites to create year-round interest andan attractive night time appearance.• Relate development on all adjacent corners orsites, as appropriate, through coordinatingsetbacks, massing, heights and landscaping.Encourage buildings with compatiblearchitectural styles, elements and details.• Provide public identity elements at key locationsappropriate to the hierarchy of streets.5.1.1 Highway 401/Salem RoadInterchange GatewayAs identified on the map entitled “Street Hierarchyand Public Identity Elements as they Relate toEmployment Areas” (Figure, 6 p. 25), the lands inthe vicinity of the Highway 401/Salem Roadinterchange constitute the town’s easternemployment area gateway from Highway 401. Thiseastern gateway is intended to provide the principalhighway egress location into the abutting prestigeemployment area from highway 401 and from areasnorth and south along Salem Road. Development inthis location will convey an upscale employmentbusiness image of the highest quality and reinforcethe vision of this gateway as a corporate addressand destination. The development of landmarkbuildings shall be undertaken in order to highlightthe entry point and provide orientation elements.Given that this area is intended to be developed foremployment intensive uses, buildings shall be multistoreyand of commensurate size and massing.Built form is required to provide for a transition inscale from the broad expanses of Highway 401 tothe more contained urban corridor appropriate toSalem Road, and achieve the intent of theguidelines for gateway areas as outlined in section5.1. Special attention shall also be given to thedesign, layout and siting of buildings in order toprovide direct views and pedestrian access toadjacent natural features and stormwatermanagement ponds, allowing employees andvisitors to take full advantage of these features.52

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 53

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESJULY 2006 55

5.2 Four CornersSites at the crossroads of important streets can takeon characteristics similar to landmark or gatewaylocations. These ‘four corner’ locations provide theopportunity to create an active, community-orientingfocal point, where they can take advantage of theactivity at the corner. Four corners locationsrepresent ideal opportunities to locate public identityelements; however, such elements can occurthroughout employment areas, including at T-intersections.A four corners can be created by built formand/or landscaping.• Address all four corners of the intersection witheither built form or enhanced landscaping. Builtform is preferred. Locate buildings close to thecorner at the minimum setback and providemain building entrances addressing theintersection.• Provide a pedestrian amenity space at theintersection such as a plaza or seating area.• Relate built form on all corners, throughcoordinating setbacks, massing, heights andcompatible architectural styles, elements anddetails.• Relate landscaping on all corners, throughsymmetrically compatible spaces &arrangements of elements.Refer to the map “Street Hierarchy and PublicIdentity Features” (Figure 6, p 25) for potential fourcorners locations.5.3 Highway 401As briefly highlighted in Section 2.1 of thisdocument, the Ajax Official Plan contains a numberof design-related policies for employment areas,including policies for the development of prestigeemployment sites adjacent to Highway 401. Giventhe role and function of Highway 401 as the Town’sprimary transportation corridor, and the specialimage for Ajax, the Official Plan singles outdevelopment of adjacent employment sites forspecial treatment.In terms of urban design, the prime exposure ofthese lands to Highway 401 means that no outdoordisplay of items such as motor vehicles, watercraft,snowmobiles, cranes or other equipment ispermitted on lands visible from the Highway.Similarly, except for limited amount of visitor parking,parking and loading facilities generally shall not belocated between the building(s) and Highway 401, inorder to promote a prestige appearance. In the56

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESsame vein, buildings proposed on sites adjacent toHighway 401 shall be designed so that they front onthe Highway and exemplify high quality designfeatures including built form, landscaping, andsignage – in other words, treatment that is equal, ifnot superior, to that intended for prestigedevelopment where building façade(s) andlandscaping has frontal exposure to an arterialroad.”Buildings with exposure to streets on two or threesides will consider the priority of street frontages inthe quality of their appearance. Highway 401 willhave first priority followed by arterials, then localroads.Where natural/ existing grades may effectivelyscreen parking, servicing, or storage areas fromview, they may be located flexibly on a site.The Highway 401 corridor is a special opportunity forseveral reasons:• Highway 401 is one of the primary routes linkingAjax to the GTA and points beyond.• Employment lands flanking Highway 401 cancreate a positive and unique image for Ajaxwithin the GTA.• Employment lands exist at the east and westgateways to Ajax along Highway 401.• The railway is located immediately south ofHighway 401, and is actively used both forfreight and passenger purposes. The GO TrainStation is located along Highway 401.o Active freight trains may create animage of ‘Ajax at work’.o There is an opportunity to create apositive impression and interestingexperience for passengers of GO orVIA.Priority of frontages for locating high qualitydesign features, as well as parking, servicingand storage areas.It is important that the treatment of the Highway 401corridor positively reinforce its many roles as agateway or first impression of Ajax. It goes beyondthe employment lands themselves. The imageestablished along Highway 401 is a critical townwidecomponent of defining the Town. That is, theexperience of the Highway 401 corridor is key tocommunicate a clear civic identity, and thus is to betreated with care.• Provide a landscape treatment that can beperceived while traveling at high speed. Thismay involve large, simple, repetitive and/or boldforms.JULY 2006 57

• Consider corporate signage visible to vehicleson Highway 401, in front of the railway, as analternative to the site or building-mountedsignage of adjacent businesses that is blockedwhile trains are parked on the tracks.• Consider a landscape treatment that celebratesthe activity of both freight and passenger trains.Parked freight trains mean that a business inAjax is busy.• Consider the motion of trains in the design of thelandscape treatment, for instance, theiracceleration and deceleration from the station.• Consider a gateway sign or element thatannounces Ajax and its unique civic image.• Ensure the treatment of Highway 401 isconsistent with the treatment of Ajax as a whole.The establishment of an identity through the newemployment lands provides the opportunity tocoordinate this treatment as a whole.Refer to the Highway Beautification Study (2005)prepared by the Town of Ajax EconomicDevelopment Office.5.4 Celebration of HistoryAjax’s unique history, particularly as it relates to therailway and wartime activities, provides anopportunity to remember and celebrate the past. Itis beyond the scope of this document to detail thishistory; however, a variety of interpretive ideas areset out as precedents. These ideas explore waysthat historic details relating to built form andlandscape can be incorporated in the contemporaryemployment area environment.• Provide an element of historic celebration onsites adjacent to Highway 401 and arterialroads.• Encourage elements of historic celebration onother sites.5.5 Large SitesUsers with very large site requirements for buildingfootprint(s), transportation or storage needs, shouldgenerally follow the guidelines in this document.The scale of the development, however, may bebeyond that envisioned by some of the guidelines.In those cases, the goal is to apply ‘normal’ scale tokey locations within the large sites. Key locationsinclude pedestrian and vehicular access points,passenger drop-offs, office components, and edgeconditions at the most important corners or along themost important street(s). At these locations, building58

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESand landscape elements are to follow the relevantguidelines. In between these locations, the site maybe dominated by large-scale elements. Largeparking and service areas shall still be screenedfrom public view.JULY 2006 59

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES5.6 Variety of UsesThese guidelines are primarily concerned with morewidespread employment uses such as warehousing,manufacturing, and offices; however, a wide varietyof employment and ancillary uses are permittedwithin employment lands, including financialinstitutions, restaurants, banquet and conventionfacilities, athletic clubs, and hotels. These types ofuses bring variety to the streetscape, provide apedestrian scale to buildings and the spaces aroundthem, and generate activity. It is appropriate thatsuch developments follow the general guidelines inthis document that achieve a high-quality builtenvironment (e.g., locate buildings close to thestreet with well-defined entrances and strongpedestrian linkages). The following guidelines applyespecially to the variety of uses that help achievevariety and animation in the streetscape.• Locate buildings in prominent locations, at thestreet edge.• Encourage the location of uses and the siting ofbuildings at ‘four corners’ locations.• Consider a vehicular drop-off function inassociation with a main front entrance facing thestreet, provided it is located and landscaped tosupport the goals of the broader streetscape.• Encourage an employment/industrial vernacularfor buildings and landscapes, consistent with theemployment area as a whole.• Encourage prominent signage, provided it meetsother signage goals of these guidelines.5.7 Alternative Approaches to SitePlanningThe intent of these urban design guidelines is toestablish an image for employment areas in Ajaxbased on high-quality, pedestrian streetscapesdefined by articulated built form. This represents theprimary approach to site planning.There may be unique situations, however, thatrequire a different approach to site planning, forinstance:• large, single users where multiple buildings areproposed in a campus setting;• large corporate headquarters making a dramaticstatement with architecture and landscaping;• areas with significant site constraints such asgrading; and,• special functional needs for access, servicing,and/or operations.JULY 2006 61

Alternative proposals will be evaluated on a case bycase basis, for appropriateness and for design merit.The focus on creating high quality streetscapes andenvironments is paramount. The followingguidelines set out alternative requirements wherethe general goal of the guidelines cannot beimplemented.• Provide enhanced amenities with a strong visualpresence such as historical references in thebuilt form or landscape, well-defined pedestriangathering spaces, or pronounced public identityelements. The Town of Ajax is working towardsestablishing elements of built form, streetfurniture and/or landscaping that will establish aunique identity for Ajax.• Provide a spacious landscaped setting for thebuilding, parking and other elements of a publicnature. Landscaping may incorporate grassareas, landforms, trees, shrub beds anddecorative materials.• Provide a landscaped pedestrian and vehicleroute from the street to the main front entrance,with a landscaped drop-off court, and directaccess to visitor parking.• Where the building is set back from the street,provide elements at the street edge the definethe street in lieu of the built form, such as lowwalls, a strong landscaped edge, or publicidentity elements.• Provide wayfinding for the site, includingcorporate signage/identification, directionalsignage, clear site organization, and buildingcues such as pronounced entrances.• If parking is located in front of buildings, anappropriate landscape treatment that diminishesthe impact of vehicles is required, such as:o parking areas are broken intosmaller areas by landscapedislands;o hard and/or soft landscape elementsact as a screen; and,o additional pedestrian amenities orlandscaping is provided.• For sites with multiple buildings, createpedestrian amenity areas such as seating areas,patios, walkways and plazas that link all thebuildings and the street. Locate main entrances,staff, entrances, cafeterias, lounges, and otherareas of high activity, to have a directrelationship to pedestrian amenity areas andsimilar functions of other buildings.• Where appropriate, extend natural features intosites. Provide an adequate size of planting tocreate the perception of a natural area. Provide62

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESa mix of plant material that is native, diverse,appropriate to the environmental conditions, andhas seasonal interest.6.0 Implementation6.1 InterpretationSuccessful built form environments are the result ofthe skillful coordination of many complex factors.The built environment includes streets, sidewalks,buildings, landscaping, signs, and parking, amongothers, on both public and private lands. Theconfiguration of these elements responds to avariety of physical, social and economic dimensionssuch as climate, employment opportunities, access,transportation modes, and patterns of use orbehavior.These urban design guidelines are meant to guidethe consideration and design of these factors. Theyshould be read as a whole, so that the relationshipbetween the guiding vision and specificrequirements is understood. Not all of the guidelinesare applicable or appropriate to particular situations.The guidelines are meant to be flexible, in order toachieve the intent of the vision, in the many uniqueand complex situations where they apply.The guidelines have been written in an actionorientedmanner, rather than passive terms such as“may” or “should” consider. As such, they project astrong, affirmative message emphasizing theimportance of effective actions for achieving thedesired built form for the Town’s employment areas.It is acknowledged that the guidelines are not theonly means of achieving the built form vision andapplicability will be influenced by local conditions,requirements and constraints. The guidelines canbe adapted to such salutations based onprofessional judgments.6.2 Process of ImplementationDraft Plan of Subdivision and SubdivisionAgreementThe land use design elements are establishedthrough the draft plan approval process. Thisincludes the general land use organization, the roadlayout and the location of stormwater managementfacilities.JULY 2006 63

The detailed design requirements of the serviceswithin the public rights-of-way are addressed in thesubdivision agreement, including the landscape andstreetscape design.In these guidelines, the following sections areparticularly relevant to the draft plan stage:Section 2:Section 3.3:Section 3.4:Section 5.0:Guiding PrinciplesStreetscapesStreet NetworkAreas of Special TreatmentTertiary PlansTo ensure development occurs in a comprehensiveand coordinated fashion, the Town may require thepreparation of a Tertiary Plan. The preparation ofthis plan will draw upon all of the guidelines.Privately Administered Design ControlThese urban design guidelines provide conceptsand standards to guide development on public andprivate lands with regard to issues concerning thevision for employment lands, general goals andobjectives, site planning, architecture and landscapedesign. They establish a set of common baseprinciples.It is recommended that a privately administeredDesign Control review process be established, toeffectively implement the concepts of this document,as well as more specific and detailed built formsolutions, for private development.The privately administered Design Control reviewprocess requires that on a per-application basiswithin the Town of Ajax’s Employment Areas, all siteplans, elevations, and materials and colours for allbuildings be reviewed and approved by the controlarchitect prior to submission to the Town of Ajax forsite plan approval and/or building permit application.This site plan and associated documents (i.e.,building elevations, landscape plans and details) areto be submitted as part of the Design Controlprocess, and must be stamped “approved” by theDesign Control consultant prior to submission to theTown of Ajax.In the event that the Director of Planning of theTown of Ajax feels the Design Control consultant isnot administering the guidelines in accordance withtheir intent, the Director may:1. replace the consultant, or64

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES2. require that a committee comprised of threequalified consultants/architects beestablished to assess whether the DesignControl consultant is administering theguidelines in accordance with their intent.The committee shall be comprised of (i) onemember appointed by the Director, (ii) onemember appointed by the applicant, and (iii)one member acceptable to the Director to benominated by the applicant.In the event that an applicant has a dispute with theadministration of the guidelines by the DesignControl consultant, the applicant may appeal to theDirector, who, at their sole discretion, may choose toappoint a committee as outlined in 2), above.Site Plan Approval ProcessAll developments subject to the Site Plan Approvalprocess will be administered by the Town of Ajax.The purpose of this process is to ensure that thesedevelopment proposals meet all of the requirementsof the Town of Ajax as well as those of those ofother approval authorities or commenting agencies.In these guidelines, the following sections areparticularly relevant to the site plan approval stage:Section 2:Section 4.0:Section 5.0Guiding PrinciplesThe Private RealmAreas of Special TreatmentJULY 2006 65