LONDON — A significant development at 1901 Jalna Boulevard, the site currently occupied by White Oaks United Church in south London, has received approval following a Municipal Council meeting on November 7, 2023.
The developer, United Property Resource Corporation, represented by Zelinka Priamo Ltd., applied to rezone the property from a Neighbourhood Facility (NF) Zone to a Residential R8 Special Provision (R8-4(_)) Zone.
The approved development plan includes the construction of a six-storey, 100-unit apartment building and ten two-storey townhouses distributed across two blocks, with approximately 30% of the units designated as affordable housing.
The subject site covers an area of approximately 0.84 hectares, with frontages of 92 metres on the western side along Jalna Boulevard and 98 metres on the southern side, also along Jalna Boulevard.
The site is within the White Oaks Planning District, a neighbourhood characterized by a mix of low to medium-density residential uses and some commercial and office spaces along Southdale Road East.
The development will contribute to the area’s residential density, with a planned maximum density of 132 units per hectare (uph).
The approval of the zoning amendment includes several special provisions. These provisions allow a maximum building height of 22 metres (six storeys), a minimum front yard depth of 6.0 metres instead of the required 8.0 metres, and a reduction in the north and south exterior side yard depths to 2.0 metres from the required 8.0 metres.
Additionally, the developer received permission for balconies to encroach 1.5 metres into the north exterior side yard, where typically, a minimum setback of 3.0 metres from the lot line is mandated.
The approved development also includes community centres as an accessory use to the apartment building, with a maximum gross floor area of 300 square metres.
Furthermore, the amendment permits standard townhouses to be used on the site.
Parking provisions for the development were a point of contention. The developer initially requested a special provision to allow parking in the south exterior yard along Jalna Boulevard and to increase the maximum driveway width to 4.6 metres from the required 3.0 metres.
However, this request was recommended for refusal due to non-compliance with The London Plan’s City Design policies and the Neighbourhood Place Type policies.
The approved parking ratio is 0.69 spaces per unit for the apartment building and one space per unit for the townhouses, which results in a total of 79 surface parking spaces.
Additional design considerations have been recommended for the site plan approval process.
These include enhancing the architectural design of the apartment building to address its corner location better, providing additional visual screening for surface parking, and relocating short-term bicycle parking stalls to ensure they are fully on private property.
The recommendations also suggest adjustments to the lay-by access to improve accessibility and to ensure that driveways for the townhouses meet the required width and are distinguishable from adjacent walkways.
The approved zoning amendment paves the way for the construction of a new residential development that will significantly increase the housing density in the White Oaks Planning District.
Although several of the developer’s requests, particularly those concerning parking and setback reductions, raised concerns about compliance with existing policies, the approval allows the project to move forward with the specified conditions.
The Municipal Council’s approval on November 7, 2023, marks a critical step in advancing this development, which is expected to bring much-needed affordable housing to the area.
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