CONCLUSION
Colliers International (Applicant), on behalf of Centennial Shopping Centre Ltd. (Owner), proposes to develop a Public Self Storage Facility within an existing building in the Warehouse District (former Sears Clearance Centre warehouse), located at 1230 Broad Street (Subject Property). In order to accommodate this development, the Applicant is applying for:
· An amendment to Regina Zoning Bylaw No. 9250 (Zoning Bylaw) to include Public Self Storage Facility as a discretionary use within the Designated Shopping Centre Zone (DSC Zone), which is the zone that applies to the Subject Property and several other shopping centre properties throughout the city.
· A discretionary use approval - Public Self Storage Facility at Subject Property.
Administration recommends approval of the applications for the following reasons:
· Public Self Storage Facility is deemed to be compatible with other land-uses allowed in the DSC Zone.
· The Amendment will provide Council with greater flexibility to consider, on a case-by-case basis, additional opportunities for land-use diversity and commercial investment.
· The Subject Property is deemed suitable for use as a Public Self Storage Facility.
· Within the new proposed Zoning Bylaw the subject property would be located in the MLM – Mixed Large Market Zone. Within that zone Storage, Personal (Public Self Storage Facility) would be a permitted use if the gross floor area is 750 m2 or less per lot and a discretionary use if the gross floor area is greater than 750 m2 per lot.
The applications are being considered pursuant to the Zoning Bylaw; Design Regina: The Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2013-48 (OCP) and The Planning and Development Act, 2007.
BACKGROUND
The intent of the Applicant is to convert the former Sears Clearance Centre warehouse building, located at 1230 Broad Street (Subject Property), from its current use as a Retail Use to a Public Self Storage Facility. The former warehouse space is largely vacant; however, part of the main floor is currently used to accommodate craft and antique retailers. The building wing extending from the east side of the former warehouse space currently accommodates a number of existing retail commercial and service commercial uses (e.g. Value Village; Dollarama) and will continue to operate as Retail Use.
The Warehouse District, historically, accommodated warehouse/distribution, wholesale, light industrial and manufacturing land-uses. The area is in a state of transition and includes historic uses, as well as residential and commercial. The former use of the Subject Property, as the Sears Clearance Centre, was typical for the area; however, these types of uses are receding, over time, and are sometimes left vacant or replaced with residential or commercial retail/service uses.
DISCUSSION
Zoning Bylaw Amendment
The proposed amendment to the Zoning Bylaw would, if approved, add Public Self Storage Facility as a discretionary use to the DSC Zone and would, therefore, provide Council with the discretion to consider this land-use on a case-by-case basis where the DSC Zone applies. Public Self Storage Facility is currently prohibited in the DSC Zone.
The Administration has assessed the proposed amendment to the Zoning Bylaw and concludes that Public Self Storage Facility is deemed to be compatible with other land-uses allowed in the DSC Zone. Public Self Storage Facility is defined, in Part 2C of Zoning Bylaw 9250, as:
“a building or buildings containing separate secured indoor storage units each of which unit is no greater than 75 square metres in area, designed to be rented or leased for private storage of personal goods, materials and equipment, household goods, furniture, general merchandise and vehicles, excluding: (a) highly flammable materials, chemicals, odorous, explosive or other inherently dangerous or noxious goods; and (b) hazardous materials as defined in this Bylaw.”
Similar to other typical uses within DSC Zone, such as commercial retail/ service uses, customers would, generally, drive to the facility, park and withdraw or deposit goods. As per the definition noted above, goods would generally be safe and no off-site impacts would be expected. In some cases, the proposed land-use may be compatible with commercial retail/service uses, where it can be demonstrated and legally arranged that shared parking is appropriate. Inclusion of this land-use in a DSC Zone is also consistent with other mixed-use zones, such as the D – Downtown Zone and MAC3 – Major Arterial Commercial Zone, which identifies Public Self Storage Facility as a discretionary use.
Furthermore, as the DSC Zone is found in many contexts throughout the city, Administration recognizes that there may be locations, such as the Subject Property, where a Public Self Storage Facility may be deemed appropriate. Including this land-use as a discretionary use in the DSC Zone, therefore, will provide Council with greater flexibility to consider potentially appropriate locations on a case-by-case basis, which may support:
· Enhanced land-use diversity
· Additional opportunities for commercial investment
· Adaptive re-use of older/vacant buildings
Discretionary Use Application
The Applicant has also submitted a discretionary use application to develop a Public Self Storage Facility. The self storage component is intended to be located within the former Sears Clearance Centre warehouse building and the Applicant is also already operating an accessory retail/vehicle rental operation within a section of the tenant space facing Broad Street, which is a permitted use in the zone. This application is contingent on the aforementioned Zoning Bylaw amendment being approved.
Additionally, in association with the permitted retail/vehicle rental operation, the site will have moving vehicle/trailer (U-Haul) storage/rental within the adjacent parking areas. As part of this specific use, the Applicant intends to park vehicles/trailers within stalls fronting Broad Street, for display purposes. In terms of on-site operations, the intent is that customers would pick up and drop off vehicles/trailers within the parking area along Hamilton Street and an employee will then take the vehicle back where rental products are stored or will take the vehicle off-site for maintenance.
The land use and zoning related details are summarized as follows:
Land Use Details | Existing | Proposed |
Zoning | DSC.F_0.86 – Designated Shopping Centre, Floor Area Overlay | DSC.F_0.86 – Designated Shopping Centre, Floor Area Overlay |
Land Use | Vacant Tenant Space | Public Self Storage Facility |
Total Building Floor Area | 24,363 m2 | 24,363 m2 |
Tenant Space Floor Area | 19,500 m2 | 19,500 m2 |
Zoning Analysis | Required | Proposed |
Number of Parking Stalls | 276 | 307 |
Minimum Lot Area (m2) | 750 m2 | 28,149 m2 |
Minimum Lot Frontage (m) | 25 m | 15 m |
Floor Area Ratio | 0.86 | 0.86 |
Site Coverage (%) | 65% | 46% |
The Administration has assessed the discretionary use application and considers the proposed land-use, at Subject Property location, as generally appropriate for the following reasons:
· As noted above, Public Self Storage Facility is deemed to be compatible with other land-uses allowed in the DSC Zone.
· The land-use is generally compatible with existing land uses on adjacent properties, which include: commercial retail/ service uses.
· The land-use is also not intensive in regards to parking and traffic and would be compatible with surrounding land uses.
RECOMMENDATION IMPLICATIONS
Financial Implications
The subject area currently receives a full range of municipal services, including water, sewer and storm drainage. The applicant will be responsible for the cost of any additional or changes to existing infrastructure that may be required to directly or indirectly support the development, in accordance with City standards and applicable legal requirements.
Environmental Implications
None with respect to this report.
Policy/Strategic Implications
The proposal is consistent with the policies contained within Part A of the OCP with respect to:
Section D5: Land Use and Built Environment
Goal 2 – City Centre: Maintain and enhance the City Centre as the primary civic and cultural hub.
7.7.4 Supporting the development of a mixed-use environment, with design and density emphasis adjacent to major corridors and public spaces
7.9 Explore actions necessary to convert vacant or underutilized properties to market-ready development sites to realize intensification in the City Centre.
The proposed development reflects a land-use that would have been typical for the historic purpose of the area as a centre for warehouse and distribution. Although the proposed land-use does not contribute to the residential aspects of OCP, Administration suggests that allowing the proposed land-use should not obstruct the transition of the site to a land-use more complementary with OCP objectives, should such a land-use present itself in future. Until factors (e.g. market conditions, etc.) support the transition of the site to an alternate land-use, the application will support the adaptive re-use of a substantially vacant and underutilized building and will support an employment opportunity and a commercial service.
Other Implications
None with respect to this report.
Accessibility Implications
The proposed development provides six parking stalls for persons with disabilities which exceed the minimum requirements by one stall.
COMMUNICATIONS
Communication with the public is summarized below:
Public notification signage posted on: | June 14, 2019 |
Will be published in the Leader Post on: | August 10, 2019 August 17, 2019 |
Letter sent to immediate property owners | May 13, 2019 |
Number of Public Comments Sheets Received | 20 |
There were twenty public comments received on this application. A more detailed accounting of the respondent’s comments and Administration’s response is provided in Appendix B.
A letter of support from a member of the Warehouse District Business Improvement District was provided with the initial application. They had the following comments:
“The opportunity for a major U.S. company investing money in the district and setting up their operations in Regina cannot be missed. The property itself will create jobs for the architectural and engineering industry as well as construction. The type of project is exactly why the Warehouse B.I.D. was created and we need to attract businesses to the area which will also help the City with its Railyard Revitalization project.”
The applicant had also submitted five letters of support from neighbouring business and have not been included in Appendix B as it was outside Administrations public notice process.
The applicant and other interested parties will receive a copy of the report and notification of the meeting to appear as a delegation in addition to receiving a written notification of City Council’s decision.
DELEGATED AUTHORITY
City Council’s approval is required, pursuant to Part V of The Planning and Development Act, 2007.
Respectfully submitted, | Respectfully submitted, |
Autumn Dawson, A/Director Planning & Development Services | Diana Hawryluk, Executive Director City Planning & Community Development |
Prepared by: Pam Ewanishin