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Development Briefs
July, 2009
Toronto:
GREEN ROOFS MANDATORY IN 2010
New commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-residential buildings greater than 21,500 square feet will soon be required to incorporate green roofs in Toronto. City Council adopted the Green Roof By-law in May, which will make green roofs a stipulation of commercial, institutional and residential building permits issued after January 31, 2010 and industrial building permits issued after January 31, 2011.
* A special clause in the City of Toronto Act, 2006, provides the authority for the by-law. A similar by-law would be disallowed in any other Ontario municipality because it supersedes the requirements of the Ontario Building Code. (See Property Management Report, September 2007, www.canadianpropertymanagement.ca)
* Developers of non-industrial buildings will have to dedicate 20 to 60% of the available rooftop space to a green roof, depending on the size of the building. However, residential buildings with six or fewer storeys will be exempted, as will tower roofs with floor plates of less 8,100 square feet. Up to 21.5 square feet per unit can also be designated for other uses, such as private terraces, outdoor amenity space for residents and areas accommodating renewable energy technology.
* On industrial buildings, green roofs will have to cover 10% of the available roof space to a maximum of 21,500 square feet. Cost analyses by City of Toronto planning staff suggest this would add about $200,000 to the cost of construction.
* Site-specific variances or exemptions can be obtained in special circumstances if, for example, design features make it implausible to accommodate a green roof. In those instances, developers would be required to make a cash-in-lieu payment to the City of Toronto’s Eco-Roof Incentive Program equivalent to the cost of green roof area that would have otherwise been required. These cash-in-lieu contributions will then help fund eligible incentive recipients who can receive grants of up to $50 per square metre ($4.65 per square foot) to a maximum of $100,000 toward the capital costs of a green roof.
* The City has also adopted a Green Roof Construction Standard to set out minimum construction and maintenance standards. This contains 14 sections covering engineering aspects of the roof as well as selection and care of rooftop plantings. Supplementary guidelines suggesting best practices and other explanatory material for designers have been promised before the by-law goes into effect.
OVERHAUL UNDERWAY FOR DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS PROCESS
The City of Toronto has revised requirements for Letters of Credit for specified types of development in response to the economic downturn and credit pressures developers are facing. “The City works closely with developers to facilitate project approvals and reducing the levels of credit they require is another means of addressing their cash flow concerns,” says Gary Wright, Toronto’s Chief Planner.
Typically, developers have had to supply documentation from a financial institution to verify they will be able to deliver the project to the City’s requirements. This has now been waived completely for conditional building permits and reduced for on-site landscaping projects and construction of municipal infrastructure.
The recent move is part of the ongoing Development Application Review Project (DARP), which was initiated to streamline the municipals approvals process and respond to Provincial legislation that set stricter timelines for processing development applications. DARP goals include standardization of protocols, greater efficiency and speed in application processing and improved communication with the development industry.
A harmonized zoning by-law for the amalgamated City of Toronto, which has been in development for several years, is a major piece of the strategy that City Council is expected to approve this fall. The draft zoning by-law was released for public consultation this spring and eight community open houses were held in June and early July to provide information.
Hamilton:
PROPOSED NEW OFFICIAL PLAN REFLECTS SMART GROWTH GOALS
Hamilton’s recently released draft Official Plan represents the first comprehensive urban planning strategy since the seven municipalities that formerly made up the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth were amalgamated into a single-tier city in 2001. The new Official Plan sets growth and development goals complementary with Provincial policy and legislation that calls for denser, transit-oriented development to make the most efficient use of existing infrastructure and mitigate environmental impacts as much as possible.
The envisioned urban structure is based on a “nodes and corridors” concept with growth concentrated in mixed-use, commercial-residential hubs and along major arterial roads that cross the city and forge links between the nodes. Of these, Hamilton’s traditional downtown has been identified as the primary growth centre and a focus for: employment; retail; and cultural, entertainment and other public facilities. It would serve as a transit hub and is projected to accommodate approximately 20% of citywide residential intensification, representing 5,000 to 6,000 new dwelling units.
Other nodes of importance include Limeridge, Eastgate and the downtowns of the former municipalities of Dundas, Ancaster, Flamborough and Stoney Creek. Primary urban corridors – James, King, and Main Streets – are earmarked for higher density land uses supported by transit.
McMaster University and associated McMaster University Medical Centre, and Mohawk College and adjoining St. Joseph Hospital are designated as major centres of activity, while traditional industrial areas on Hamilton Harbour, along the Queen Elizabeth Way in Stoney Creek, and in Glanbrook are reaffirmed as areas expected to generate employment. The John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport and the Port of Hamilton are also identified as key elements of the urban structure.
Public consultation on the draft Official Plan was launched at three days of public meetings in early June. For more information, see the web site at http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/HotTopics/Ne
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