Recommended for approval at Community Council:
I spoke last night with a Waterfront Toronto rep at a public consultation, and asked her what the status is of the OBC amendments necessary to get some of these tall timber projects underway (given that the height limits don't permit this and some of the other CLT proposals). She said there are a few different avenues being pursued simultaneously.
First, there is a process underway to increase the maximum allowable OBC height to a height associated with "somewhere around 12 storeys", but she was unsure of how long that process is likely to take.
Second, there are site-specific exemptions that can be (and are currently being) negotiated directly between the individual project proponents the city and province -- essentially, staff would make approval contingent upon a wood material engineering-specific review. It looks like that may be encapsulated in 3 a and c of this report:
3. Before introducing the necessary Bills to City Council for enactment, City Council require the Owner to:
a. Provide the results of fire hydrant flow testing and a comparison of calculated domestic and fire demand with available flow and pressure from the water system based on results of hydrant tests;
b. Provide a revised Functional Servicing Report to clearly indicate that the proposed development will have no negative impact on downstream sanitary sewer capacity and that no downstream sanitary analysis is required, to the satisfaction of Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services; and
c. Pay for and construct any improvements to the municipal infrastructure identified in the revised Functional Servicing Report, to be submitted for review and acceptance by the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, should it be determined that improvements to such infrastructure are required to support this development.
