2008/04/28
REPORTS. STAFF CONTACT:
a) Presentation: (Approx. 30 min)
Chris Prentice - IB.I Group
Transit Business Plan Karl Dren
b) TS-2008-31
Niagara Falls -Fort Erie
Inter-Municipal Transit Service Karl Dren
c) PD-2008-32
Site PIan.Approval Process Alex Herlovitch
3) NEW BUSINESS:
EIGHTH MEETING
Monday, April 28, 2008
4:00 p.m.
.City Hall, Committee Room #2A & B
1) Approval of the April 14, 2008 Community Services Minutes.
2
1) Approval of the April 14, 2008 Corporate Services Minutes.
2) REPORTS:
a) Memo to Committee
357 Appeals - 8675 Montrose Road
b) CD-2008-05
Lundy's Lane Request re: Kiwanis Bench Program
c) CD-2008-06
Request of Waiver of Fees for Springlicious
3) NEW BUSINESS:
4) ADJOURNMENT:
STAFF CONTACT:
Todd Harrison
Dean lorfida
Dean lorfida
4) ADJOURNMENT:
a) Resolution to go into Closed Meetina.
MINUTES OF COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING
MONDAY, April 14, 2008, CITY HALL, ROOM 2 AT 4:00 P.M.
PRESENT: Chair Councillor Carolynn loannoni -, Mayor Ted Salci, Councillors: Jim
Diodati, Vince Kerrio, Victor Pietrangelo (4:30 p.m.), Bart Maves, Wayne
Thomson, Janice Wing and Shirley Fisher.
ABSENT:
STAFF: John MacDonald, Ed Dujlovic, Ken Burden, Ken Beaman, Denyse
Morrissey, Lee Smith, Dean lorFida, Serge Felicetti, Alex Herlovitch, Todd
Harrison, Marianne Tikky- Steno.
GUEST: Michael Loudon -Consultant Water & Sewer Rate Study
Mr. John Bache - 134 Church Street, St. Catharines
Ms. Gene Grandoni -Niagara Falls.
PRESS: Corey Larocque, Niagara Falls Review, Rob Lapensee, Niagara This Week
MINUTES
It was ORDERED on the motion of CouncillorThomsonand seconded by Councillor Wing,
that the March 31, 2008 minutes be approved.
Motion: Carried.
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2008/04/14.
REPORTS
a) R-2008-15
Bob Gale Complex Construction Update
Mayor Salci questioned staff as to whether the corner stone from the existing
Memorial Arena could be used/placed at the new four pad arena. The Director of
Parks, Recreation and Culture will investigate the possibility and report back to
Committee.
It was ORDERED on the motion of Councillor Fisher and seconded by Mayor Salci
that the update report be received for information.
Motion: Carried.
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2008/04/14.
b) R-2008-14
Dr. Afrukhteh Art Collection
It was ORDERED on the motion of Councillor Thomson and seconded by Mayor
Salci that staff pursue funding and partnering alternatives for the display of the Dr.
-2-
Afrukhteh Art Collection.
Motion: Carried.
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2008/04/14.
3) NEW BUSINESS:
a) It was ORDERED on the motion of Councillor Fisher and seconded by Councillor
Thomson that a letter be sent to the Region requesting appropriate signage on
Stanley Avenue south of McLeod Road.
Motion: Carried.
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2008/04/14.
b) It was ORDERED on the motion of Councillor Wing and seconded by Councillor
Pietrangelo that;
1. Staff report back on the cost estimates to carry out a road closure EA for the section
of Main Street between Murray Street and Stanley Avenue and the streetscaping
of Murray Street from Stanley Avenue to Main Street.
2. That staff notify the affected BIA's for comment prior to seeking the cost estimate.
Motion: Carried.
Action: Recommendation submitted to Council 2008/04/14.
ADJOURNMENT
It was ORDERED on the motion of Councillor Pietrangelo and seconded by Councillor
Maves that the regular meeting of the Community Services Committee be adjourned at
4:45 p.m.
Motion: Carried
Agri! 28, 2008
~.
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:1~~~~~~alls
~~N~DA
Councillor Carolynn loannoni, Chair
and Members of the Community Services Committee
City of Niagara. Falls, Ontario
Members:
Re: TS-2008-31
Niagara Falls -Fort-Erie Inter-municipal Transit Service -
RECOMMENDATION:
TS-2008-31
That the following report be received for the information of Committee.
BACKGROUND:
Niagara Transit has been providing service inter-municipally between Niagara Falls and
St. Catharines since September 1992 on a fare per ride basis. Effective September 2003
a universal bus pass agreement was developed between Niagara Transit and the Brock
University Students' Union to assist the- students residing in our community with their
transportation needs to the campus. To compensate Niagara Transit for service provided
to St. Catharines, as well as unlimited travel within Niagara Falls on our municipal transit
system, the student union charges a levy on tuition fees applied to all full time students.
Therefore, whether the student .utilizes our transit service or not, they. are charged a
nominal yearly fee.. There is no provision to `opt out' of the program, so those students
who choose not to ride the buses or cannot due to their residence location are, in essence,
subsidizing those who frequent the service..
In addition to the service provided to Brock University in St. Catharines, Niagara College's
Student Administrative Council has established a similar program to purchase
transportation fortheirstudents residing in Niagara Falls. In September2005, the Student
Council initially established a link between Niagara Transit's municipal services and the
Glendale Campus in Niagara-on-the Lake. Encouraged by the favourable acceptance of
this service, in September 2007, the Student. Counci! :made the decision to purchase.
additional service to transport their. students to the Woodiawn Campus in Welland. To
.date, the students of the three Campuses have become frequent customers generating the
following number of .passenger -trips per month.; Glendale Campus 2,000; Woodlawn
Campus 3,100; and Brock. University 4,500. It should also be noted the entire operating
cost to provide these services is the responsibility of Niagara College's Student
Administrative Council and Brock university's Student Union and thus, no cost is subsidized
by-the municipal taxpayer.
-.. ;
Community Services Department
Working Together to Serve Our Community Transportation Services
,,
Aril 28, 2008 - 2 - TS-2008-31
Currently, discussions are taking place with the Town of Fort Erie to provide a link between
the two municipalities. This connection would meet the needs of the Niagara College and
Brock University students residing in that community. The students would be required to
pay a nominal fare when boarding the Fort. Erie bus, but would be able to transfer to one
of the three Niagara Transit buses upon arrival in Niagara Falls at no charge to continue
.their trip to the three Campuses serviced due to the agreement in place which covers the
costs associated with providing these services.
The Universal Bus. .Pass agreements in place. with Niagara College's Student
Administrative Council and the Brock University Student's Union will compensate Niagara
Transit for the service provided-to the three campuses from Niagara Falls, and thus, the
students simply show the Bus Operators their .student I.D. (No fare .required). when
transferring onto these buses.
Although the schedule will be designed to meet the needs of the students. attending Brock
University and Niagara College, the service will. be promoted to attract additional ridership
beyond this student target market. There may be an opportunity to encourage workers
residing in Fort Erie to utilize this service to travel to employment venues in Niagara Falls.
If successful, the .initiative may remain in service year round and. not just the eight-months
Niagara College and Brock University are in session.
Staff is currently making arrangements to ensure the appropriate resources are in place
to accommodate .this potential new venture, including the possible procurement of a pre
owned bus. As further details are discussed and addressed, an additional Report will be
forwarded to Council to ensure all parties are apprized of this exciting initiative.
Recommended by:
Karl Dren, Director f Transportation Services
a,
Approved by:
Ed Dujlovic, Exe ut irector- of Community Services
i ; ,-; A
Respectfully submitted:
v
John N~acponald, Chief Administrative Offices
~ F1 ~
D. Stuart
S:\General Administration\GA 1.01 Reports\2008 Community Services104 Apr 28\TS-2008-31 Fort Erie Inter-municipal Transit Initiative 2.wpd
April 28, 2008 PD-2008-32
Nia ara alts
cnNAn~~
Councilor Carolyn loannoni
and Members of the Community Services Committee
City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Members:
Re: PD-2008-32
Site Plan Approval Process
RECOMMENDATION:
That Council receive and file this report for information purposes.
That staff be directed to prepare a report that would allow the return of the delegation of power for site plans
back to Council under certain conditions.
BACKGROUND:
On March 31, 2008, the Community Services Committee requested staff to prepare an
information report for Council regarding the site plan approval process.
Site Plan Approval Process
In 2001, Council passed By-law No. 2001-103, whereby it delegated its power and authority to
approve site plans, under Section 41 of the Planning Act, to the Director of Planning &
Development. Prior to the passing of By-law No. 2001-103, the Director of Planning and
Development had only been delegated partial authority to approve the site plans involving
buildings which were less than 557.4 metres (6,000 square feet). The complete delegation of
site plan approval to the Director of Planning & Development was accepted by Council based
on the success of partial delegation process.
Site plans are approved by the Director of Planning only when they have been satisfactorily
reviewed by the other City departments and the concerned external agencies (eg. Region,
Conservation Authority). The delegation of authority to the Director is intended to make the site
plan approval process more efficient and streamlined while guaranteeing that conditions of
approval are met in a timely manner (see attached timeline) and the development community
receives a high level of service. The goal has been to provide a seamless approval process
from the time a site plan application is received, to the issuance of building permits.
Niagara Falls is not unique in its approval process. Several other municipalities have delegated
site plan approval authority to staff. These include: Barrie, Sarnia, Brampton, Mississauga,
North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Stoney Creek, Brantford, Cambridge, Oshawa, Burlington,
Windsor, Port Colborne and West Lincoln.
~ Community Services Department
Planning & Development
Working Together to Serve Our Communi
ty
. .
s i 3 ~ ~ ~
M ~.x F.~ k.'.k
April 28, 2008 - 2 - PD-2008-32
The site plan approval process is working well. Since Council delegated approval authority to
staff, approximately two hundred (200) site plans have been approved in an efficient manner.
To date staff has been able to resolve almost all issues between the various stakeholders.
If staff's authority to approve site plans was rescinded, the process of approving site plans
would be lengthened by approximately four weeks (see attached chart). The reason for this
is that after staff conducts its review, the matter would have to be scheduled for Council's
consideration. If a Council meeting had just passed, it may take a month for the matter to be
scheduled for Council's consideration. The fact that a report recommending approval must be
written, the report must go through a Council Review Team meeting and be ready two weeks
in advance of the Council date contributes to the time delay. Once Council concurs with staff's
recommendation, the Planning Director would be in a position to sign the drawings and forward
them to Legal Services for an agreement and registration. If Council does not agree with the
staff recommendation, the drawings would be referred back to the developer for revision
necessitating further review.
Public Involvement in Site Plan
The site plan approval process is designed to give municipalities the opportunity to negotiate
with developers matters such as the location of parking, landscaping, fencing, lighting, refuse
storage, etc. The Planning Act does not mandate public involvement in the site plan process.
However, on occasion Council and the Committee of Adjustment have provided for public
involvement by directing staff to invite area residents to participate in the site plan approval
process. In the past, when there has been a difference of opinion between the area residents
and the developers, staff has served as a facilitator between the stakeholders and has aimed
to provide a site plan which is compatible with the surrounding land use without making it
unreasonable for the developer.
Under the Planning Act, the public cannot appeal a site plan to the Ontario Municipal Board
(OMB) which eliminates the unnecessary delay of a development project by an unhappy
individual. On the other hand, the owner of the land has the right to appeal a site plan to the
OMB if the municipality fails to approve the drawings within the prescribed time frame or if the
owner of the land is not satisfied with any conditions or requirements, including the dedication
of road widening, and the provision of landscaping, fencing, walkways, access ramps, etc.
CONCLUSION:
The current site plan approval process is working well. The process is efficient and streamlined
and provides a good service to the community. As with any system, on rare occasions there
may be issues which require more work to resolve.
Recommended by:
Approved by:
~'~
Alex Herlovitch, Director of Planning & Development
Ed Dujllavic, E~cutive Director of C
Respectfully submitted:
unity Services
onald, Chief Admin
Officer
A.Dilwaria:mb ~'
S:\PDR\2008\PD-2008-32, Site Plan Approval Process.wpd
COMPARISON OF SITE PLAN APPROVAL PROCESSES
STAFF APPROVAL
(TIME FRAME : 2-3 MONTHS)
'Site Plan Application Submitted
Site Plan Reviewed By
Site Plan Technical Committee &
External Agencies
Comments
Revised Plan Submitted
1
'Final Plan Submitted)
1
No Comments
Site Plan Approved By
The Director of Planning & Development
Execution of Agreement
Submission of Postponments & Letter of Credit
1
Site Plan Agreement Registered
Signed by Owner, Mayor & City Clerk
l
'Issuance of Building Permits
If Disapproves
COUNCIL APPROVAL
TIME FRAME : 3-4 MONTHS
'Site Plan Application Submitted
Site Plan Reviewed By
Site Plan Technical Committee &
External Agencies
No Comments
Comments
Revised Plan Submitted
'Final Plan Submitted k
1
Turnaround Time 4 Weeks Minimum
Staff Prepares Report
Site Plan Report Forwarded To Council
Approval
Site Plan Signed By
Director of Planning & Development
Execution of Agreement
Submission of Postponments & Letter of Credit
Site Plan Agreement Registered
Signed by Owner, Mayor & City Clerk
'Issuance of Building Permits