Council Planning

8:18All right, good evening everyone.

8:20It is Tuesday, June the 11th, 2024 at 6 o'clock.

8:24I'm going to call the meeting to order for

8:25our City Council planning meeting.

8:28Thank you very much for joining us and right off the top.

8:32If you can stand, if you're able,

8:34please to recognize our national anthem.

8:36Great. Thank you.

10:03And just a moment of silent reflection.

10:16Thank you. And for our territorial acknowledgement,

10:18as we gather, let us take time to reflect on

10:20our privilege to live and work here in Guelph,

10:22a city built over rich indigenous histories.

10:25We're guests here and we should reflect upon

10:28the responsibility to care for this land

10:30and the people who live here today

10:31and the generations to come.

10:33If our actions today can move us towards reconciliation,

10:36we should take pause and make those decisions

10:38with intention and gratitude.

10:40This place we call Guelph has served as traditional lands

10:42and a place of refuge for many peoples over time,

10:46but more specifically, the Aniwaterok and the Honolenshoni.

10:50This land is held as the treaty lands and territory

10:52with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

10:55And Guelph lies directly adjacent to the Haldeman tract

10:58as part of a long-established traditional hunting ground

11:01for the six nations of the Grand River.

11:03Many First Nations, Inuit and Métis people

11:06who have come from across Turtle Island

11:08call Guelph home today.

11:11And with that, is there any disclosure of pecuniary interest

11:14or any general nature thereof?

11:19Okay.

11:21Not seeing or hearing any at this time.

11:25And we have on the consent agenda,

11:28408 Willow Road, which is notice of intention to designate.

11:34Bear with me here, a few addresses to go.

11:36100 Queen Street, notice of intention to designate.

11:40211 Silver Creek Parkway South,

11:44which is again, notice to designate.

11:48167 Suffolk Street West, the same and 14 Neve Street,

11:54which is again the same, notice of the intention

11:57to designate.

11:58And then we also have a request for an extension

12:01of the draft approval for 55 and 75 Cityview Drive.

12:07And we also have a letter from me to the Premier.

12:13And I'll just read that one out,

12:14that the Mayor sign and send a letter to Doug Ford,

12:17the Premier of Ontario and Michael Ford,

12:19the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism,

12:23on behalf of the city council,

12:24requesting subsection 2716 of the Ontario Heritage Act,

12:29be amended to extend deadline for the removal

12:32of non-designated properties

12:34from the municipal register of cultural heritage properties

12:37for five years from January 1st, 2025,

12:41instead to January 1st, 2030.

12:44That is what we have on consent.

12:48Is anyone need any of that to be pulled?

12:53Not hearing or seeing any,

12:54would someone be willing to move that for me?

12:56All right, I'll go Billings and Gawler.

13:01And with that, it looks like I'll call the vote,

13:04so is anyone against that consent?

13:08That's nobody and that's unanimous, so thank you so much.

13:12We are going to head into the one and only public meeting

13:17to hear applications under section 1734

13:20and 51 of the Public Planning Act.

13:23This is specific to 601 Scottsdale Drive,

13:27which is a proposed official plan

13:29and zoning bylaw amendment.

13:31It's in Ward 5.

13:32We're gonna start with a presentation from our own staff

13:36and then someone on behalf of the proponent

13:38will come up as well.

13:40And so let's turn it over to our staff.

13:43Lindsay, welcome and I'll turn it over to you.

13:50Good evening, Mayor Guthrie, members of council,

13:53staff and members of the public who are present

13:56in council chambers tonight

13:57and those watching from home.

13:59My name is Lindsay Sula-Tickey

14:01and I'm gonna be presenting the statutory public meeting

14:04report for 601 Scottsdale Drive.

14:12So applications for an official plan

14:14and zoning bylaw amendments have been received

14:16for the subject property from MHBC Planning Limited

14:19on behalf of Forum Asset Management

14:23to permit the development of two seven story

14:25residential buildings containing 489 residential suites

14:28geared to students attending the University of Guelph.

14:31So tonight is the statutory public meeting

14:33and no decisions are gonna be made

14:35on the applications tonight.

14:38The subject property is located on the west side

14:41of Scottsdale Drive between Janefield Avenue

14:43and Stone Road West, east of the Hanlon Parkway.

14:48The subject property is approximately 2.2 hectares in size

14:51with approximately 122 meters of frontage

14:56along Scottsdale Drive.

14:58The subject property is partially developed

15:00with an eastern portion, sorry,

15:04the subject property is partially developed

15:06with an eastern portion occupied

15:07with a former hotel building

15:09that was converted into a residential building

15:11containing 164 residential suites geared to students

15:15as part of the phase one development.

15:17And phase one was approved

15:18through previous planning applications

15:20and is currently occupied.

15:31The applicant is proposing two seven story

15:33residential buildings connected by a single story

15:36indoor amenity area with 489 units.

15:39A one level parking structure is also being provided

15:42and the proposed structures are part of the phase two

15:44development of the lands to create

15:46a student residential complex.

15:48While the current conceptual plans show 653 total units

15:52for phases one and two, the requested density

15:54of 300 units per hectare permits flexibility

15:58to accommodate an additional 12 units within phase two

16:01within the proposed building envelope

16:03should the interior composition of the buildings change

16:06through detailed design.

16:07And these additional 12 units would bring

16:09the total number of units on the site to 665 units.

16:20And so I just put up the proposed conceptual site plan

16:23which shows phase one and phase two

16:25and the proposed two seven story buildings.

16:28And I know the applicant's gonna be getting

16:30into more detail with regards to the concept plan.

16:39The subject property is designated

16:41as mixed use corridor one in the official plan.

16:44This designation is intended to serve both the needs

16:46of residents living and working within the corridor

16:49in nearby neighborhoods and employment districts

16:51and the wider city as a whole.

16:53Permissible uses within this designation include medium

16:56and high density, multiple unit residential buildings,

16:59institutional uses, hotels, commercial uses,

17:01retail and service uses.

17:07So the applicant has applied for an official plan amendment

17:11and the to add a site specific policy

17:14to the subject property that would permit a maximum

17:16net density of 300 units per hectare

17:18from multiple unit residential buildings

17:20within the mixed use corridor one land use designation.

17:24And the maximum net density would reflect

17:27both the existing and proposed development on the site.

17:30The applicant has applied for a zoning bylaw amendment

17:34as well.

17:35And so they've applied to the 1995 zoning bylaw

17:38and the 2023 zoning bylaw.

17:41The subject property is currently zoned

17:43a specialized service commercial zone

17:46in the 1995 zoning bylaw.

17:52And the purpose of the zoning bylaw amendment

17:55is to establish site specific zoning regulations

17:58in the 1995 zoning bylaw

18:00through a specialized service commercial zone.

18:06And specific specialized regulations are requested

18:10to facilitate the proposal.

18:12Specifically in the 1995 bylaw

18:15to permit a maximum net density of 300 units per hectare

18:18to align with the proposed official plan amendment

18:21to permit a minimum interior side yard setback

18:23of 13.8 meters.

18:25Whereas the zoning bylaw requires a setback

18:28of one half the building height, which would be 14.5 meters

18:32and to permit a parking rate of 0.28 spaces per unit

18:35inclusive of visitors, visitor parking.

18:38Whereas the site specific specialized service

18:41commercial zone currently requires one parking space

18:43per unit plus 0.1 spaces for visitor parking for unit.

18:56So the existing 2023 zoning bylaw zones this property

19:03as a site specific mixed use quarter

19:06with a parking adjustment and holding provision

19:08according to the 2023 zoning bylaw.

19:14So the applicant is asking for a site specific

19:16zoning regulations in the 2023 bylaw.

19:26And I'm just gonna read them quickly with regard

19:29to the specialized zoning regulations requested.

19:32The first one is to remove the H12 holding provision

19:35from the subject property.

19:37Whereas section 17.1.12 requires municipal services

19:42to be adequate and available prior to development

19:44of the lands to permit a maximum density

19:47of 300 units per hectare,

19:52to permit an angular plane of 58 degrees

19:54for a small portion of the lands

19:55abutting the institutional use along the northerly line,

19:59to permit a buffer strip of 1.4 meters

20:02along the North property line,

20:04to permit a common amenity space

20:06of 6.8 square meters per unit.

20:08Whereas the site specific zone requires a minimum

20:11common amenity area of 1300 square meters for the property,

20:16to permit a parking rate of 0.28 spaces per unit

20:19inclusive of visitor parking spaces,

20:22and to allow for an electric vehicle

20:24parking provision of five spaces,

20:27to allow for a designed electric vehicle parking space

20:32provision of 20 spaces,

20:34and to allow for a bicycle parking rate

20:36of 0.57 spaces per unit.

20:48So the review of these applications

20:49will address the following evaluation of the proposal

20:53for conformity and consistency with the Planning Act,

20:56evaluation of the proposal for conformity

20:58and consistency with Provincial Policy

21:00and Statement and Legislation,

21:03evaluation of the proposal's conformity

21:05with the Official Plan,

21:06including a review of the proposed Official Plan Amendment,

21:08and evaluation of the proposal's conformity

21:11with the Zoning Bylaw,

21:13and including the review of any site-specific regulations

21:16requested.

21:17So once staff have done a full review of the application,

21:20we'll bring forward a recommendation report to council

21:23at a later date.

21:24So if there's anyone who wants to stay informed

21:28on any revisions or future decisions on the applications,

21:32I would ask that you send an email to planningagwelf.ca

21:35and we can add your name to the interested parties list.

21:38So that concludes my presentation,

21:40and I'd be happy to answer any questions if there are any.

21:46Well, thank you, Lindsay, appreciate it.

21:48And, you know, maybe there may be a few questions

21:50after our next delegate for sure,

21:52but thank you very much.

21:53And speaking of delegates,

21:56so Trevor Hawkins is here from Form Asset Management

22:01on his way down to the microphone.

22:03Trevor, thank you for coming.

22:07And just so you know, and if anyone's listening,

22:10that might want to call in on this issue too,

22:13it's no more than 10 minutes,

22:15and you'll hear a chime at nine minutes and 30 second mark

22:19as your 30 second warning,

22:21and then you get me at 10 minutes cutting you off.

22:24So I don't want to do that.

22:26So if you could keep within the timeframe,

22:28that would be great.

22:29And then stick around if there's any questions

22:30as a follow up for this proposal.

22:32Okay, so I'll turn it over to you.

22:33You go right ahead.

22:34Thank you, Mayor Guthrie.

22:36Here on behalf of Forum,

22:38I'm Trevor Hawkins from MHBC Planning,

22:41and with me this evening are the architects

22:44from Sweeney Architects as well.

22:50Here we go.

22:51Lindsay's gone through the location,

22:52but we just wanted to highlight a few

22:54of the other attributes of the site.

22:56It's well situated in terms of commercial amenities

22:58in the area, of course, the mall across the street,

23:01but numerous commercial uses within walking distance,

23:04transit routes, all of the students

23:06who would be attending the university,

23:08of course, get transit passes with their tuition,

23:11and would be able to take transit

23:12to not only the university, but downtown Guelph

23:15and many other amenities in the community.

23:17So it's a very walkable area,

23:19very accessible area for transit as well.

23:23Just to the north of this property,

23:26we can see on the smaller image down on the bottom right,

23:29there's two uses, one, an approved development

23:32for residential building, 10 stories in height,

23:34and then immediately sort of in the south,

23:37or the northwest corner of the site

23:39is an institutional use with a community garden at the rear.

23:45Council may be familiar with the first phase

23:48of this development, which came through

23:50for approval during COVID.

23:53It's now fully occupied, fully leased.

23:56It was a renovation of a former holiday inn.

23:59Encourage council to visit the building.

24:01It's a beautiful building.

24:02We can see some of the interior shots.

24:05The intent of this phase, the first phase,

24:08as well as the second phase,

24:09is to create a purpose-built housing for students

24:13at the University of Guelph with a unique set of amenities

24:17both inside the building,

24:18and then as part of the combined phase one and two,

24:20outside the building as well.

24:21So it's a very unique concept.

24:24It's different than apartment buildings

24:26that may be marketed or advertised to students.

24:31This is a different type of product

24:33that is purposely designed for students at the university.

24:37The lands are owned by the university.

24:39So there's a lease agreement between Forum and the University

24:42to provide these units for students

24:45who are attending the university.

24:49The Lindsey, again, has put up the slide.

24:51We'll just walk through some of the main components of it.

24:54There's a single access proposed from Scottsdale.

24:56So the site, when it was a holiday in, had two accesses.

25:00They've been merged into a single access response

25:02to comments from city transportation.

25:05So the entryway is on either side of the first phase,

25:08providing access to the rear of the site,

25:09which is currently either occupied by surface parking

25:12or is vacant.

25:14And that is where the new two buildings will go,

25:16both seven stories linked by a single story indoor amenity area.

25:20And then as folks who are familiar with the site

25:23would know, there's hydro lines go through

25:26sort of the middle of the site.

25:27They're showing them next to that sort of dotted blue line.

25:32And there's amenity areas proposed,

25:34outdoor amenity areas proposed within that space.

25:37So they're accessible for tenants of phase one and phase two.

25:41And they're intended to create sort of a campus,

25:44an off campus, campus like feel,

25:46or community for students who are attending the university

25:50in terms of sharing those amenities

25:52and the social interaction that would go with that.

25:57This is a rendering that shows us the first phase

26:00in the bottom right and the second phase

26:02to the left of the image looking sort of north

26:05along the Hanlon Expressway to the north parts of the city.

26:09Lindsay's indicated 489 units proposed in the second phase,

26:13653 if we add the first and second phase together,

26:17with a mixture of suites, sort of studio suites,

26:21as well as some two bedroom suites.

26:25The next image will show us a sort of zoomed in look

26:27of the amenity area.

26:28So this is if we're standing sort of towards the rear

26:31of the first phase looking towards the second phase

26:33and towards the Hanlon, this is the link

26:36that joins the two buildings and offers a combination

26:39of programmed outdoor and indoor amenity areas.

26:42So four season environment for the students.

26:45Parking would be hidden underneath the buildings

26:48because of the way the property slopes.

26:50And there would be both vehicular parking as well

26:52as bicycle parking, secure indoor bicycle parking

26:55for the students of both the phases.

27:02Here's another image looking sort of from Stone Road.

27:05We can see the first phase of the building

27:08in the prominent sort of closer to Stone Road.

27:11And as you go around the building towards the rear,

27:13the two seven story buildings.

27:15So this site in the city's official plan

27:18is planned for 14 stories.

27:21So these two seven story buildings

27:23are more or less about half of the permitted height

27:26in the official plan and sort of offer a gentle increase

27:29in height as you go from phase one towards the Hanlon.

27:41The official plan amendment is very straightforward.

27:43It's a request to increase the density from 250 to 300

27:46units per hectare.

27:47These units are smaller than a typical apartment unit.

27:51So there's more of them.

27:52And as a result, the density increases

27:55from a metric perspective.

27:57And that is the basis for the request.

28:00Because the submission was made in sort of that gray area

28:03where the city had two zoning bylaws,

28:05the request reflects relief from both bylaws

28:08from the 1995 bylaw to recognize a reduced setback

28:12from the North Lotline parking as well as the density.

28:16And then from the city's new zoning bylaw,

28:19some of the site specific requests

28:20relate to the angular plane requirement.

28:23So that pertains to the interface with the church property.

28:27The church building is set way towards Janefield.

28:30So it is a technical request.

28:33But it doesn't really impact the usability

28:35of the church property.

28:37The parking request is really to reflect the unique use

28:40and the unique aspect of this development.

28:43It doesn't require a lot of parking.

28:45The take up of parking in the first phase

28:47has been quite low.

28:50And the request for phase two and the overall site request

28:53reflects both the take up and the demand for parking

28:56in the first phase, but also forms experience

28:59with other student buildings that they've built all

29:01across Canada for other universities.

29:04So they have a fair bit of experience

29:06in catering to this market and a fair bit of data

29:09with which to draw upon as well.

29:14A number of studies were submitted

29:16to the city as part of the review.

29:18And I understand, of course, that those studies

29:20are being reviewed and we'll get comments.

29:23So we've looked at all matters related

29:25to engineering of the site, noise because of the proximity

29:28to the highway, environmental assessment,

29:31landscape plans, arborist reports,

29:33and of course the traffic study and the parking study,

29:36all of which we expect will be reviewed

29:38and we'll certainly work with staff

29:40to address any comments that they may have.

29:44So we've sort of wound our way through the process

29:48from the pre-submission, the neighborhood meeting,

29:50through the formal submission,

29:51and now we're at the statutory public meeting,

29:54looking forward to working with staff

29:56to bring this back before council

29:58for a positive reception and to provide the housing

30:03that the university needs and the community needs.

30:08I think I kept within my 10 minutes

30:10and thank you, Mayor Guthrie, for the time.

30:12I didn't hear a chime, so you're good.

30:14Thank you.

30:17Appreciate it, thank you for your presentation.

30:19Is there anyone with a follow-up question

30:20for our delegate at all?

30:22Okay, I'll go Gibson and Katen and then O'Rourke.

30:27Thank you, through you, Mr. Mayor,

30:28just actually just a point of interest for me.

30:31I noticed phase one and phase two of environmental assessment.

30:34I'm pretty commonly familiar with the phase one

30:37on a site that's been used,

30:38but can you just expand on why the phase two?

30:43Oh, the property was previously used for commercial use.

30:46So when you go from a commercial use to a sensitive use,

30:49it triggers a record of site condition

30:51in almost every single scenario.

30:53Okay, that's great, thank you.

30:56Thank you, Katen.

30:58Thank you, through you, Mr. Mayor.

31:00I was just, again, more about an interest question.

31:05Are there any units that are gonna be accessible

31:08to wheelchair users?

31:11The, through you, Mayor Guthrie,

31:12the building will be barrier-free accessible.

31:15It'll be designed to meet all accessibility standards.

31:18Thanks to the mayor, but will the unit speak?

31:21I know that people will be able to get into the building,

31:23but are there gonna be residences for people or students

31:28that have the need of a wheelchair?

31:32Let me just turn to the architect.

31:34I know there's a percentage.

31:38We know what the percentage.

31:41They're like, the legislation does require

31:43a certain percentage of the units.

31:4615% of the units would be designed

31:48for barrier-free accessibility.

31:50Great, I'm super glad to hear that.

31:53That is all, thank you.

31:54Thank you, Anna Rourke.

31:58Thank you, Mayor Guthrie, through you to our delegate.

32:02I just had a couple of questions around parking,

32:05so I'm happy to hear that parking in phase one

32:07was not fully utilized.

32:10I just wanna ask you about the decreasing

32:13the electric vehicle parking space provision.

32:16Just in light of the fact that by 2035,

32:18you won't be able to buy a gas-powered vehicle.

32:24Do you have a conversion plan then so that,

32:27if you have this now, but really in 10 years,

32:30you're gonna be staring down the barrel

32:31of most people having an electric vehicle.

32:34So I'm just wondering why you need to reduce

32:37that electric vehicle parking.

32:39If so, if you have a plan to convert in an easy way later.

32:43Through you, Mayor Guthrie, it's a very good question.

32:47As an EV driver myself,

32:49I certainly did ask that question as well of Forum.

32:53There are a number of surface parking spaces

32:55associated with the development,

32:56which could certainly be converted

32:58into EV charger-type spaces in the future

33:01if demand justifies it.

33:05So it's certainly something that can be retrofitted

33:08rather than tearing up a certain parking structure.

33:12It would be easier to retrofit

33:13those surface parking spaces in the future.

33:15So there is some ability to expand on that

33:18with the demand that warrants it.

33:21Okay, great, thank you.

33:22So through you, Mayor Guthrie,

33:23my other question is about the bike parking rate.

33:26What's the bike parking rate in phase one right now?

33:30The bike parking rate in phase one,

33:32if I recall, the structured or the secure bike parking

33:35was in the neighborhood of 30 spaces inside the building

33:38and then there were spaces outside the building

33:40that were covered, but they were so around 30 spaces

33:46for 164 units in the first phase.

33:49The rate in the second phase will be substantially higher.

33:54So there will be an ability for,

33:56if there's bike users in the first phase

33:59who want a space, a secure space,

34:02and don't have one in that building,

34:04there'd be an opportunity to secure it in the second phase.

34:07Okay, so through you, Mayor Guthrie,

34:10just to, so I understand how the bike parking is gonna work,

34:13you want bike parking rate of 0.57 spaces per unit.

34:18So that's like half a bike per unit.

34:23Well, I'm just thinking if the assumption is

34:25that people won't drive

34:27because they can transit or bike to the university,

34:30do you have sufficient bike parking?

34:33And I think it's too, well, in the Alma currently,

34:36it's two people per room, right?

34:39In the new second phase,

34:41there'll be a lot of single person occupant units.

34:44Okay, so again, I'm just wondering whether

34:46that 0.57 bike space is per unit is sufficient overall,

34:52right, because you would only have one bike per two units.

34:59It's a fair comment, and that's something

35:00that we can take away and consider.

35:03I think it's based somewhat on the demand of phase one,

35:07and perhaps that was influenced by the supply,

35:09and that's something that we can take away

35:10and see if there's an opportunity to augment that number.

35:15Thank you, so through you, Mayor Guthrie,

35:16just two more questions.

35:19You're looking for, I'm just trying to understand

35:21the way that the common amenity space

35:24is presented in the report.

35:26So it says common amenity space of 6.8 square meters per unit

35:31is what's required, and then it says,

35:37whereas the two zone requires 1,300 square meters

35:41for the property.

35:43So I just can't compare the square meter per unit

35:48to the request for the square meters for the property.

35:54So what's the shortfall?

35:57So thank you for the opportunity to answer that.

35:59The site-specific zoning that was passed

36:02for the development of the lands,

36:06which enabled the first phase,

36:08applied a 1,300 square meter amenity area calculation

36:11to the lands.

36:13So a strict reading of the bylaw would say

36:15the lands require 1,300 square meters of amenity area.

36:20The development itself, the combination of phase one and two

36:23is providing almost three times that amount.

36:26So the request technically is to amend

36:30the site-specific zoning, which requires 1,300

36:33to make it higher than 1,300.

36:37Okay, well, I'm happy with that.

36:39So just last two, sorry, Mayor Guthrie,

36:43I just not get an extra one there.

36:45I just wanna confirm that these buildings,

36:48they're not administered by the university, correct?

36:50You have a land lease, but you're a private company,

36:53privately administered, not through the university's,

36:56a lot of re-system or anything like that, is that correct?

36:58That's correct.

37:00The forum has a land lease with the University of Guelph.

37:04So forum would build and operate and manage the building

37:06as they have the first phase.

37:08But through that arrangement and that agreement,

37:11the units have to be made available to students

37:13at the University of Guelph.

37:15Okay.

37:16All right, and then my last question is,

37:17what's your timeline?

37:20Well, certainly we're anxious to proceed.

37:24Obviously there are other approvals,

37:27including Council's approval of the planning instruments,

37:30and then following those approvals, full speed ahead.

37:34Okay, thank you.

37:38I guess I just have one question,

37:39and then either you're all done,

37:41is the angular plane,

37:46is that a requirement in our zoning

37:47or is that a you thing doing that?

37:49Because there's a lot of talk about

37:51how angular planes are, they take away units.

37:57That's what they do, really.

37:58So I'm just wondering about why the angular plane,

38:01is that a mess thing or is that just a design feature

38:03on your end?

38:05Well, it is a you thing in the fact

38:08that it is in the zoning bylaw,

38:09if you have an institutional property it applies.

38:13So there's one corner of the site,

38:15which happens to be the lowest part of the site,

38:17that abuts an institutional property,

38:19so it applies that regulation.

38:21Yeah, so we do need relief from that regulation

38:24for that one piece of the property.

38:27Okay, okay.

38:30That's an us thing then.

38:31We'll leave it to us to discuss another time.

38:35Thank you very much.

38:36Seeing nothing further, we appreciate it.

38:40Council, it is back to, no, it is not yet back to us.

38:43I forgot, I gotta give three to four minutes or so

38:47to see if anyone wants to call in on this.

38:49Does anyone else in the audience

38:50need to speak their mind on this issue, give opinion?

38:54No?

38:56So I will go to the phones, I will yell out the number here.

39:00I remember the 519837 part, there it is, 5603.

39:05519837, 5603.

39:10We'll just give a three to five minute break

39:12and we'll see if anyone wants to give their opinion on this.

39:15Thank you.

41:48Okay, I'm gonna call the meeting back to order.

41:53And there is nobody in the building

41:56that wishes to talk about this,

41:58and there's no one on the phone that wants to talk about this.

42:05All those neighbors on the hand line

42:07don't have an opinion, I guess.

42:08All right.

42:12I've been told that Councillor Boussatile

42:15would be happy to move receipt

42:17and Councillor Richardson would be happy to second that.

42:21So it's at least tabled.

42:22And I'm gonna start with any questions

42:25to our staff with Councillor Boussatile, please.

42:29Thank you.

42:30To the staff, just very curious why in the motion,

42:34it explicitly says geared to students.

42:37I was wondering, is there a planning category for students

42:40and why the motion says that?

42:43While I respect that there is a contractual arrangement

42:46between the university and the developer,

42:49I'm just curious why it's in our motion.

42:55Through the mayor to the councillor,

42:58that is the way they applied.

43:00And since you are correct,

43:01this is geared towards the University of Guelph,

43:05there is a site-specific definition

43:07that came out of phase one with regards to,

43:11I believe it was residential suite,

43:12so it was very specific for the site,

43:15which was for students and they were,

43:19didn't have their own kitchen facilities

43:22or anything like that.

43:23So it was more to say that it's the same type of unit type.

43:27It's not technically an apartment

43:29with like own kitchen facilities and everything like that.

43:31It's specific for the unit type, it's geared to students.

43:34We don't people's own,

43:35but the site itself is geared to students

43:39with the lease between Forum and the University

43:46for renting to students.

43:47So that's why it's specific in the recommendation.

43:50Thank you, just a follow-up through the mayor.

43:53I understand the residential suites

43:55and I just don't understand the geared to students.

43:58Are they entwined or is it residential?

44:01I know we had a long discussion about this at the time,

44:04residential suites, I understand,

44:06but it could be congregate seniors living,

44:08it could be something, is that a definition,

44:11residential suites?

44:13And I guess I'm feeling geared to students,

44:16I'm not sure if that needs to be there or if it's combined.

44:21Through the mayor, geared to students

44:22is because it is geared to students,

44:25they have an obligation to lease

44:28to the University of Guelph students.

44:32Okay, thank you.

44:34Thank you, Ororak, please.

44:36Thank you, Marigha, three through you,

44:37along the same vein.

44:42So an apartment building wouldn't be able to say

44:45they're only leasing to a certain group of people, right?

44:49So how are they constrained to only renting to U of G students?

44:55So they wouldn't rent to Conestoga students,

44:56they wouldn't rent to students who are commuting in somewhere else?

45:02How does that work?

45:05We can provide more detail in the final decision report,

45:09but I think the applicant, as part of his presentation,

45:12did explain that there's a long-term lease with Forum

45:16and the University,

45:17because it is technically University-owned lands,

45:19University of Guelph-owned lands.

45:22So I believe they are required to specifically lease

45:27those lands to the University of Guelph students,

45:30but we can provide some clarity in our decision report,

45:33and I'll follow up with the applicant

45:35just to get some appropriate wording.

45:37Three, Marigha, thank you.

45:38I think that is really important,

45:41because we had another proponent come

45:45and ask for the name of the zoning,

45:49to be private, post-secondary residential.

45:56Council did not move forward with that,

46:00and the reason it's important

46:01is there are significant financial implications.

46:04So when I go to the financial implications paragraph

46:10for phase one of this project,

46:12there's a submission to request an exemption

46:14for property taxation on that part of the building.

46:18Now I understand that's working its way through.

46:21So our report tonight for phase two says,

46:27we will basically, we will bring you the financials.

46:30Its financial implications will be reported

46:32in the future staff recommendation report to council.

46:36So I don't see a similar paragraph in this report,

46:40so I will be looking for it in the next report,

46:43and I think it's critically important

46:45that we understand it's a private company

46:48that's going to, yes, build student rentals,

46:50which we desperately need, which is great,

46:53but it's a private company.

46:54This is not the university funded with taxpayers' dollars

46:58that is requiring this type of exemption.

47:00So just through you, Marigha, through your staff,

47:03I'll be looking for that financial implications paragraph

47:06when the decision report comes.

47:10Thank you, is there any other questions?

47:13No?

47:14All right, any quick comments

47:15before I call the vote on just receiving?

47:18No?

47:20Okay, I will call the vote then to receive.

47:24Is there anyone against?

47:27Nobody, so that's unanimous in receiving.

47:30Wishing you all the best.

47:31Thank you very much, and working with staff

47:33and seeing when this comes back.

47:39I have bylaws, and they are bylaws 2024,

47:4520951 and up to 20953 to be approved to section 284.114

47:53of the Municipal Act.

47:55Would someone be willing to move those for me?

47:57I'll go Downer and O'Rourke.

48:01Is there anybody that needs to question those bylaws?

48:06No?

48:07I'll call the vote.

48:08Is anyone against?

48:11Nope, that's it.

48:14I have a mayor's announcement for tonight

48:20before we go to adjournment.

48:24So here we go.

48:27Scott Stewart.

48:30This is one of Scott's, this is your last, I believe.

48:35Council meeting.

48:37Yes, it is.

48:40I checked.

48:42I checked.

48:46So I get to talk as these wonderful pictures

48:50get to keep scrolling.

48:53As most of you know, Scott Stewart is retiring this summer

48:56and he'll be leaving behind an amazing legacy

49:00in the municipal public sector as a result

49:02of his 38 year career, as we all know,

49:05he started when he was 10 years old.

49:08A dedicated civil servant during his career,

49:11Scott worked at many Ontario municipalities

49:16including the cities of Guelph, Burlington,

49:20Hamilton, Mississauga and Brampton,

49:22as well as the region of Peel.

49:24But we all know that Guelph is his favorite.

49:28And his roles have included managing departments

49:31such as development and infrastructure,

49:34community services, public works,

49:37capital planning and implementation,

49:39waste and water sewer and road operations,

49:42as well as being a technician in waste and engineering.

49:46So he literally is a jack of all trades.

49:50And Scott started here at the city of Guelph

49:52in the role of deputy CAO of infrastructure,

49:56development and enterprise services in December of 2015.

50:00And then became our CAO in July of 2019.

50:05And during his time with the city of Guelph,

50:08Scott and I have seen eye to eye on many things,

50:11not all but many, except of course,

50:14when it comes to his belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs

50:16will actually win a Stanley Cup.

50:19And I just wanna highlight some key achievements

50:22and initiatives that our city has thrived with

50:27under Scott's leadership.

50:30So Guelph's first and now second strategic plan,

50:34the first plan entitled Guelph Future Ready

50:37spanned between 2019 and 2023.

50:41And it helps set Guelph up for success

50:43by establishing directions that helped us become

50:46a more modern, effective government

50:49while creating a foundation

50:51for our first multi-year budgeting and planning process.

50:54And that plan was a result of comprehensive consultation

50:58with staff and council, as well as input

51:00for more than 10,000 community members

51:03that was obtained through the Guelph's community plan.

51:06And the results of implementing these plans

51:09have led to the city's greenhouse gas emissions decreasing

51:13by 7.4% since the baseline was established in 2018.

51:19The city's credit rating being upgraded to AAA,

51:22the highest possible credit rating in 2022

51:25and it has remained there all through until today.

51:30Approving the Transportation Master Plan in 2022,

51:35which will create a sustainable

51:36and resilient transportation network

51:38over the next 30 years.

51:40And the city being named as one of Waterloo area's

51:43top employers by Canada's top 100 employers in 2022

51:48and in 2023.

51:50And building on that success,

51:52we've now got our second straight strategic plan

51:55entitled Future Guelph Set to Run Until the End of 2027.

52:01As Scott always says, it is our North Star.

52:04And this will run for the next four years.

52:07And it's responding to the city's changing needs.

52:10It serves as an evolving plan for Guelph's future

52:13and will help guide us even when Scott is no longer with us.

52:19Scott was instrumental in creating a public facing

52:24performance measurement and reporting process

52:27and online dashboard, which allows anyone to see

52:31how Guelph is doing with its key performance indicators.

52:35It also is the success of Guelph's Smart Cities Challenge

52:39through Scott and the resulting RFood Future Office,

52:43making Guelph a recognized leader

52:45in the circular food economy in Canada and around the world.

52:49The city's emergency control group

52:52throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,

52:54working closely with many local organizations

52:57to maintain essential city services.

53:00And please believe me, city, I really saw Scott,

53:08yeah, his leadership through the pandemic was unbelievable.

53:13Making the new downtown library and Baker Street a reality,

53:17which we broke construction on just this last summer.

53:21And of course, the long-awaited South End Community Center

53:24planned to open in 2026.

53:26And that is where Councillor O'Rourke and Chu go yay.

53:31He helped our economic development team

53:34with securing Conestoga College campus

53:38to the Guelph Downtown Core,

53:41which was bringing life to the old cooperators building

53:44and attracting thousands of new students into our city,

53:48supporting and expanding the work

53:50of the city's continuous improvement office

53:53and ensuring that city staff are trained

53:55in the lean processes to save resources,

53:58reduce repetition and streamline our processes.

54:02And also leading the building partnerships initiative,

54:04which helps businesses and builders try to get to yes

54:08as they navigate the process of moving a business to Guelph

54:12and applying for any of the planning

54:13and development approvals.

54:15And this work ultimately is really helping us

54:18with a more positive trend in all of our business interactions.

54:24And those are just a few of the highlights.

54:27There are so very many more.

54:30I obviously can't cover them all today.

54:34During all of this, Scott also took a lot of time

54:38to have fun.

54:39As you can see with some of these pictures,

54:42getting to know city staff initiatives,

54:45such as CAO on the go,

54:47which created relationships with staff,

54:50but also his ability to go into local businesses,

54:54institutions and community organizations,

54:57and to deal with upper levels of government.

55:00Plus he did this all without coffee.

55:04It was all powered by Scott's brave Scottish spirit of tea

55:09that he constantly has.

55:11I am truly grateful.

55:13And on behalf of city council, we are all truly grateful.

55:17And may I say on behalf of the entire city,

55:20we are all truly grateful that we've had Scott at the helm

55:25as Guelph CAO for the past five years.

55:28Scott has been a true champion for our municipality.

55:32And I and we will miss Scott's honesty,

55:35his professionalism and his guidance.

55:38And I wish him all the best in his retirement

55:41and this next chapter of his life.

55:43Thank you so much, Scott, for all your contributions

55:46to our Guelph community over the past many years.

56:03Well, thank you very much for that, Mr. Mayor,

56:06and all of you really.

56:07And please sit down.

56:08You're just making a fellow blush over here.

56:11I have a motion to adjourn, please.

56:13Oh, sorry.

56:15And I've just, I've got a couple of things jotted down

56:19over here, Mr. Mayor, just in case you were sneaky

56:21at some point and snuck this in.

56:23So I'm glad I prepared a little bit.

56:26And certainly, Cam, those were lovely thoughts

56:29and a fun little trip down memory lane.

56:32And yes, I would say Guelph was my favorite.

56:35So I'm not polishing your apple, it was.

56:37And one of these years, you know,

56:39the Leafs are going to win Laura Stanley's mug.

56:42That's not a doubt.

56:44I hope I'm still alive to see it, but it's without a doubt,

56:47I suppose.

56:48But just a couple of thoughts as I sit before you tonight.

56:50No, my heart is filled with a myriad of emotions

56:53as I bid farewell after a fulfilling career.

56:57And the journey we've shared has been nothing short

56:59of incredible, and I'd like to express my deepest gratitude.

57:03And first and foremost, I want to thank each one of you

57:06for the unwavering support, camaraderie,

57:08and shared moments that have made this professional voyage

57:12truly remarkable.

57:14The memories we've created together will forever

57:16hold a special place in my heart.

57:19Reflecting on the years spent here and reminded

57:21of the challenges we face, and Cam, you mentioned a few,

57:24the triumphs we've celebrated, and the invaluable lessons

57:27that we've learned collectively.

57:29The dedication and resilience of this team,

57:32and by that I mean Council and the executive team,

57:34have been a driving force behind our achievements,

57:37and I feel immensely proud to have been part of that.

57:41Your leadership, two-year leadership,

57:43thank you for providing guidance and fostering

57:46an environment of innovation and still in a sense of purpose

57:49in our work.

57:50Your vision has been that guide in light

57:53that propelled us, the staff, the city of Guam

57:56towards success, and you see them all the time now

57:58when we're doing the awards and recognitions at Council.

58:02And I'm forever grateful for the opportunities

58:04to contribute my own small way to our shared goals.

58:08And as I transition into retirement,

58:10I carry with me not only the skills and knowledge gained,

58:13but also the cherished relationships

58:15forged throughout my career.

58:18And it's the people, of course, each of you

58:20that has made this journey extraordinary.

58:23And while my time as an active member of this team

58:25concludes next week, my commitment,

58:29shared values and aspirations endure,

58:31and I'll leave with a heart full of gratitude,

58:33a mind enriched with experiences and the excitement

58:36of what the future holds for the city of Guam.

58:39And as I step into this new adventure called retirement,

58:43I carry with me nothing but fond memories

58:46of our time together, and I wish you all continued success,

58:49fulfillment, and joy in your professional journeys,

58:52and may our paths cross again when you're in Alberta.

58:55And until then, let's celebrate the past

58:57and embrace the possibilities that lie ahead.

59:01So thank you from the bottom of my heart

59:03for an incredible chapter of my life.

59:05Thank you very much.

59:13Well, thanks, Scott.

59:15Yeah, I tried to surprise you,

59:17but it looks like you're ready to go with something there.

59:20So that's good.

59:21Can't keep anything from the CAO's office.

59:23That's good.

59:26Thank you.

59:27That was a great moment.

59:28And we're looking forward to hanging out

59:30for the next week, for sure.

59:32So with that, for real this time, a motion to adjourn.

59:37Councillor Chew, Councillor Allt is going to second that,

59:43and I'm going to call the vote.

59:44Is anyone against adjournment?

59:46That's nobody.

59:47We're good to go.

59:48Everyone have a great rest of the night.

59:50Take care.