Richmond Hill Committee of Adjustment Approves 100 Westwood Lane Severance

Richmond Hill's Committee of Adjustment approved applications to sever 100 Westwood Lane into two residential lots and authorized the minor variances required for the severance. The proposed homes are intended to become Princess Margaret Home Lottery prizes.

The decision addressed lot sizes, neighborhood compatibility, tree removal, driveway access, a historical road realignment and the relevance of the charity connection to the planning applications. The approvals establish the lots and variances; they do not approve construction of the homes.

Topics Discussed

LOT SEVERANCE AND VARIANCES

The approved consent application would divide the existing property into two lots:

• Retained lot: 31.3 metres of frontage and 1,319 square metres.
• Severed lot: 60.8 metres of frontage and 1,315 square metres.

The requested minor variances concern minimum lot frontage and minimum lot area. The applicant said no variances were requested for front-, rear- or side-yard setbacks.

Member Gossi moved to approve consent application CN-26-0016 and minor variance applications MV-26-0027 and MV-26-0029, subject to the conditions in the staff report. In his motion, Gossi stated: "I'd like to make a motion to approve item 4.1 on today's agenda. Uh that is application CN-26-0016. Application MV-26-0027. Application MV-26-0029 at 100 Westwood. Subject to terms and conditions in the staff report."

The committee was told that the proposed lots could accommodate detached homes, but the designs would require further municipal approvals. As one participant explained, "approving the consent and variance tonight does not mean that committee has approved a dwelling on there." Any construction would still require zoning review and a building permit.

NEIGHBORHOOD COMPATIBILITY

The applicant said the proposed lots would fit the surrounding neighborhood, where nearby properties include frontages of about 24 metres and lot areas below 1,300 square metres.

Planner Mono Massudi said the requested variances appear larger partly because the current zoning bylaw refers to lot dimensions that existed before the bylaw took effect. Under the former 1979 bylaw, the lots would meet the frontage requirements and require approximately a 5% reduction in lot area.

A board member described the committee's role as assessing "whether the lot fabric is appropriate for the neighborhood and is the development of the additional home in that parcel appropriate." The member said the preliminary drawings and presentation provided "no reason to deny this application."

LOT HISTORY, CANOPY AND DESIGN

A resident representing 100 Westwood Lane said the town had previously acquired a 400- to 500-square-foot portion of the property to connect Westwood Lane with Pebble Lane Court. The resident asked the committee to consider how that road realignment affected the property's area and frontage.

Andrew Muller, a resident of 99 Westwood Lane, raised concerns about the triangular configuration of part of the severed lot, potential building setbacks and the loss of tree canopy.

Builder Roy Seagull said the plans called for a low-profile, single-storey bungalow shaped to fit the lot. He said all perimeter trees would remain except for one silver maple in the middle of the property.

DRIVEWAY ACCESS AND EXISTING EASEMENTS

Seagull said both new driveways would be located on Pebble Lane rather than Westwood Lane. He described Westwood Lane as "a main road" and said the proposed access would avoid disrupting it.

The committee chair said demolishing the existing home on the retained lot would resolve an existing driveway-apron issue and related easements between neighboring properties.

PRINCESS MARGARET HOME LOTTERY

Massudi said the two lots are intended for detached homes that would become Princess Margaret Home Lottery prize homes. The lottery raises funds for cancer research and care at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Seagull said his company has worked with the lottery organization for several years and is one of the builders involved in the program. He said the development would benefit the organization because "for the price of one, we're going to get two properties."

Member Gossi questioned whether the lottery arrangement was relevant to the land-use decision, saying the charity could purchase a home from the builder "just as well as they can buy anybody else's house." Seagull identified planned lottery homes at 19 Clarage and 31 Orland Crescent.

Motions

• Consent/severance application CN-26-0016 — Approved, subject to the conditions in the city staff report.
• Minor variance application MV-26-0027 — Approved, subject to the conditions in the city staff report.
• Minor variance application MV-26-0029 — Approved, subject to the conditions in the city staff report.

Member Gossi introduced the motion. It was seconded by Member Calbus and carried unanimously. The committee noted that the minor variances were required for the consent application to proceed.

Attendees

The provided meeting summary identifies the following committee members as participating:

• Member Gossi
• Member Calbus
• Committee chair — name not provided

Other identified participants included:

• Mono Massudi, planner, Kalin Planning Partners
• Roy Seagull, Seagull Custom Builders
• Andrew Muller, resident of 99 Westwood Lane
• A representative of 100 Westwood Lane