Our Project file: TPI-2017P Highway 27, Vaughan, Proposed Restaurant, Parking Justification Study Letter Response to Study Peer Review

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1 13 February 22, 2018 c/o Ms. Nicole Sampogna Associate Planner Evans Planning Inc Keele Street, Unit 12 Vaughan, Ontario, L4K1Z7 Our Project file: TPI-2017P004 Re: 9732 Highway 27, Vaughan, Proposed Restaurant, Parking Justification Study Letter Response to Study Peer Review TRANS-PLAN has prepared this addendum letter to supplement our Parking Justification Study, dated February 20, 2018, and to respond to the Peer Review completed by Nextrans Consulting Engineers, dated February 13, Comments from the Peer Review are provided below (bolded and italicized) with our responses following each comment: Section 2.0 Parking By-law Requirements Comment: The designated maximum (seating) capacity was not identified in the report. Response: It is noted that the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law identifies the parking requirements for an Eating Establishment and Tavern to be the greater of 1.0 parking spaces per four persons or 16.0 parking spaces per 100 sq.m. of GFA. Based on the proposed GFA of approximately 300 sq.m., the subject site requires 48 parking spaces. The seating capacity for the proposed restaurant has not been confirmed. From a review of the proxy site restaurants, which have a similar building GFA, the seating capacity for the Boar N Wing restaurant and Sharks Sports Pub restaurant is 120 and 130 persons, respectively. Using the By-law rate of 1 space per 4 seats, this parking requirement would be 33 spaces. The parking requirement of 48 spaces, based on the building GFA, is therefore, considered to be the higher or more critical value. Section 4.0 Proxy Site Location Concerns Comment: It is our opinion that these surveys should have been conducted for a single-tenant type parking area as it is unclear how the exact parking numbers were accounted for, as groups of customers entering the eating establishment may have taken multiple cars. Response: Trans-Plan conducted a thorough review of suitable proxy site restaurants within Vaughan and the surrounding area; however, there were no suitable locations noted containing an individual building with only a restaurant use and a self-contained parking lot. The two proxy locations were chosen due to similar 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRANS-PLAN TRANSPORTATION INC. 1

2 characteristics (i.e. building size, hours of operation, restaurant type), being located in Vaughan and also not being part of a notable chain of restaurants. To account for the shared plaza uses, Trans-Plan staff remained on-site for the entirety of the parking surveys (i.e. from 4pm to 12pm each day) conducted at each proxy site. We noted which vehicles were parking for the restaurant use and tracked the customer entries and exits going to / from their vehicles in the parking areas. Comment: In addition, staff were not accounted for in the parking utilization surveys, or how the baseline was evaluated and accounted for i.e. patrons / staff already in the restaurant at start of the survey. Response: At the start of each parking survey, Trans-Plan noted the number of parked vehicles in the vicinity of the restaurant and counted the number of patrons and staff in the restaurant. We assumed a ratio of two persons for every vehicle parked and assumed that each staff person arrived by vehicle. It was also noted that staff typically parked in the rear of the restaurants, which further allowed us to match up staff with parked vehicles in the plaza. Comment: We also feel that a daylong survey should have been undertaken that would examine peak lunch time activity. Response: Although there may be lunchtime peak, the dinnertime peak is typically higher than the lunchtime. To further support our proposed survey times, Attachment 1 provides the popular times for each restaurant proxy site location, obtained from Google location services. The data provided shows that each proxy site sees the most traffic later in the evening, with minimal traffic during the early afternoon. It is important to note that the surveys completed on Friday October 23, 2015 was the night of a Toronto Blue Jays elimination playoff game, starting at approximately 8:00pm and ending after midnight. Comment: Boar N Wings Sports Grill is located approximately 94 meters (about a 1-minute walk) from the Highway 27 & Innovation Drive bus stop with York Region Transit service. The subject site located at 9732 Highway 27 allows for no Transportation Demand Management or alternative transportation mode options. The subject site is situated in a rural area and most, if not all of the patrons will be driving to and parking at the site. Response: During our parking surveys, we noted little or no transit trips (about 5 or less) for the 8-hour survey durations at each restaurant. When comparing the proxy sites to the subject site, Sharks Sports Pub has good access to transit, with TTC Bus Route 60 that runs along Steeles Avenue. However, the Boar N Wings restaurant is mainly serviced by YRT Route 7, which has limited transit services in the evenings. It only operates hourly after 8:00pm, whereas the restaurant peak occurred at about 10:00pm. In addition, as there is currently no transit service within the vicinity of the subject site, transit users may opt to visit other restaurants in Vaughan that provide more frequent transit service ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRANS-PLAN TRANSPORTATION INC. 2

3 Section 5.0 ITE Parking Generation Manual Comment: In reviewing the Peak Period Parking Demand derived from the information contained in the Parking Generation Manual, 4 th Edition published by ITE for Quality Restaurant (LUC 931). The parking demands for Friday and Saturday are shown below in Table 5.1. Table 5.1 Average Peak Period Parking Demand On a: Rate Requirement Friday vehicles per 1,000 sq.ft. 53 spaces Saturday vehicles per 1,000 sq.ft. 53 spaces The documented 16.4 vehicle parking supply per 1000 sq.ft. (17.65 spaces per 100 sq.m.) is generally in keeping with the City of Vaughan By-law rates. Response: In our opinion, the subject site does not fit the definition of a Quality Restaurant. A Quality Restaurant may not serve lunch, may be considered fine dining and typically requires a reservation. By contrast, the proposed restaurant is envisioned to be more of a casual walk-in restaurant that serves comfort food / meals from fixed menus and would have TV screens. Furthermore, IBI Group recently completed a review of parking standards within the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law, dated March 2010 (which is more current than the City s Zoning By-law). The review applies current parking standards, based on a review of other municipality requirements and restaurant parking survey results. The summarized findings for eating establishments is provided in Attachment 2, with the results shown below in Table 1. Table 1 Site Parking Requirements, Based on Review of City of Vaughan Parking Standards by IBI Land Use Gross Floor Area Parking Requirement Rate Proposed Restaurant with Outdoor Patio Indoor: 241 sq.m. Patio: 55 sq.m. 10 spaces / 100 sq.m GFA Parking Required (spaces) Parking Supplied (spaces) Based on the IBI Group findings, the recommended parking rate for eating establishments and outdoor patios is a minimum of 10.0 spaces per 100 sq.m. of GFA (for sites near infrequent transit), in comparison to 16.0 spaces per 100 sq.m. of GFA, as stated in the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law. Utilizing the rates from the Parking Standards review, 30 parking spaces are required for the subject site, which is met by the proposed parking supply of 32 spaces. The IBI Group findings also recommend that the parking requirement for outdoor patios be removed. No other municipality parking standards noted in the IBI report specified requirements for outdoor patios. It was noted that indoor seating is often less occupied when outdoor seating is available for seasonal use. Removing the 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRANS-PLAN TRANSPORTATION INC. 3

4 outdoor patio from the parking requirements would result in a parking requirement of 24 spaces for the proposed restaurant, which is also met by the proposed parking supply of 32 spaces. Summary As per the responses provided above, Trans-Plan believes that the parking demand surveys conducted at the two proxy site restaurant locations review are sufficient to demonstrate that the proposed parking supply of 32 parking spaces is adequate to support the subject site. I trust that this letter addresses the concerns noted in the Peer Review by Nextrans Consulting Engineers, dated February 13, Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Anil Seegobin, P.Eng. Partner, Engineer Trans-Plan Transportation Inc. Transportation Consultants Attachment 1 Proxy Restaurant Popular Times Attachment 2 Review of City of Vaughan Parking Standards, IBI Group 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRANS-PLAN TRANSPORTATION INC. 4

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8 IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT CITY OF VAUGHAN REVIEW OF PARKING STANDARDS CONTAINED WITHIN THE CITY OF VAUGHAN'S COMPREHENSIVE ZONING BY-LAW: FINAL REPORT Exhibit 4-12: Observed Parking Accumulations for Quality/Casual Restaurants (Spaces/100 m 2 ) Fine/Casual Dining Family Restaurants Weekdays Saturdays Weekdays Weekends Study days Range th Percentile Average Recommended Ratio Source: Urban Land Institute and International Council of Shopping Centres, Share Parking 2nd Edition, 2005, PROPOSED STANDARDS Exhibit 4-13 presents the proposed eating establishment parking standards and proposed adjustment factors follow. Exhibit 4-13: Proposed Parking Standards for Eating Establishments Use Category Existing Standards Base High-Order Transit Hubs Proposed Standards (spaces/100m 2 GFA) Local Centres Primary Centres and Primary Intensification Corridors Eating Establishment Take-Out Easting Establishment Outdoor Patio Min Min Max Min Max Min Max Equal to main eating establishment In addition, it is recommended that the parking requirement for outdoor patios be removed. Outdoor patios are seasonal and while they do increase the capacity of the establishment, indoor seating is often less occupied when outdoor seating is available since customers may relocate outdoors rather than significantly increasing parking demand. In addition, outdoor patios encourage street life and contribute to the pedestrian environment, which is desirable. Assessing a parking requirement on patios discourages the building of patios. 4.4 Office Uses ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS Office parking serves employees as well as visitors, such as contractors, couriers, and clients. The office land use can be subdivided into several categories for the purposes of parking standards. The most common category, general office, refers to standard work offices where the majority of parking demand comes from employees. Parking demand for offices is subject to a variety of considerations outlined below: March 2010 Page 48