Elmdale Community Plaza Existing Conditions

Legend800m Distance

School Property

Comparison to City MedianLesser than City Median $54876

Higher than or equal City Median $54876

Subject Site

Legend

800m Distance

DistributionLow

Moderate

High

Demographic Analysis

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68%

32%

74%

26%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Owned Rented

St. Thomas

Sub Site

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

St. Thoma

Sub Site

Legend

Subject Site

Bu�er 800m

RailwayLand Use Area(ha) 800m Radius

67.89 ha Residential

17.41 ha Railw ay Industrial

45.53 ha Open Space

69.89 ha Natural Heritage

12.18 ha Hazard Land

5.43 ha Commercial

(32.0%)(31.1%)(20.8%)(7.9%)(5.6%)(2.5%)

1:7000

Legend800m Distance

School Property

DistributionLow

Moderate

High

Total Population Distribution

Housing Distribution

Median Income Analysis

11

21

3

4

5

6

6

6

7

8

9

10

1

2

3

4

5

8

9

10

12

Former Elmdale Public School

Adjacent Homes

Vacant Lot North of School

Pinafore Park and Open Space

Potential Brown Field Remediation

St. Thomas Community Arena

The Armoury Heritage Building

John Wise PS Student Relocation

Vacant Parcel Port Stanley Terminal Railway

11

12

13

6

7

Surrounding Cemetery Open Space

Elgin County Trail Link

13 Waste Management Plant

Sunset Drive

Elm Street

Wilson Ave

Glenbanner Street

Income AnalysisThe median income of the population within 800m of the site is approximately 61,000 which is signi�cantly higher than St. Thomas ($54,876) and approximately 60% of the population has an income level higher than the city median value. This is an indicator that the Elmdale neighborhood consists of a generally higher income community demographic in compari-son to the rest of St. Thomas.

HousingThe existing houses within 800m of the site are analyzed for the tenure and housing type and compared with the City. This is an indicator that the Elmdale neighborhood consists of a generally moderate to high distribution of housing in conparison to the rest of St.

Population AnalysisThe subject site is located at the SW corner of the city St. Thomas. The total population of the city contains approxi-mately 36000 (Statistics Canada 2006), of which approximately 1664 (4.6%) resided within 800m of the subject site. To provide context, the demographics data is compared with the City as whole.

GeographyThe subject site is almost a �at terrain at the elevation of 230 above mean sea level. However, a 30m elevation di�erence can be seen towards the west of Sunset Drive where the Elgin Trail located.

HistoryElmdale Public School was built in 1920 and was one of the oldest in the Thames Valley District school board system. The school was closed in summer 2009 due to less student count which was about 150 at the closing time. Most of the sta� and students were attached to a newly built John Wise public school located on the Collegiate Institute campus at Parkside Drive.

Site LocationThe subject site is located at the corner of Sunset Drive and ElmStreet, approximately 3km west of downtown St Thomas which is one of munici-palities in Elgin County. The site is adjacent to the Sunset Drive which connects Port Stanley at about 12km on south and London at about 30km on north. The 401 highway is accessible within 7km.

The site consists of two plots of lands to north and south of Elm Street. The property at north is approximately 0.32ha and bounded by Sunset Drive on west. The property at south which includes the former ElmDale public school has an area of 1.7ha and bounded by Elm Street on north, Wilson Avenue on east, Glenbanner Street on south and Sunset Drive and two private residential blocks on west.

O�cial Plan and Zoning DesignationsIt is necessary to consider the O�cial Plan Land Use designations in order to have a better understand of the

surrounding context of the site and the distribution of land uses within the walkability radius. The Land Use Analysis Map, See Map, displays the percentage of each land use designation and the total area of parcels within an 800m/10 minute walk-

ing radius.

1.0 Natural HeritageThe Natural Heritage designation is outlined in the St. Thomas O�cial Plan, where no land, building or structure

shall be used except for the purposes of conserving natural environment or management of wildlife, forest and �sheries. 2.0 Residential

There are a variety of housing types within the neighbourhood; however, single detached dwellings are the most prominent form of housing within the neighbourhood with some medium density dwellings and one high rise apartment building.

3.0 Open SpaceThe Elmdale site exhibits it’s open space through the use of Pinafore Park and it’s natural amenities. In addition to Pinafore

Park, there are three cemetery’s all located within 400m of the subject site designated as open space. 4.0 Railway Industrial

The existing railway tracks run north-south through St. Thomas within the 400m or 5 min walking distance radius. The railway tracks and lots adjacent to the railway are designated as Railway Industrial.

5.0 Natural Hazard LandLocated heavily throughout the west, north and east vicinities of the Elmdale Site’s 800m (10 minute walk) bu�er are O�cial Plan Designated

Natural Hazard Lands. These premises restrict any building or structure, except for the purpose of natural environment conservation or wildlife management.

6.0 CommercialLocated north of the Elmdale site on the corners of Elm Street and Wilson Ave are Tim Horton’s, and a small strip mall consisting of M&M’s, Daisy Mart, a local café and

Herbal Magic. Located south of the Subject site are a few other commercial designations that consist of an auto-shop, café, drivers testing centre, and a hairdresser.

Land

Use

and

Exist

ing Features

Existing Site Features and Opportunities The Elmdale Public School Site has many opportunities to build and sustain a

lively and dynamic community. Examining the existing community and site context is helpful in understanding the potential that it has to o�er.

Former Elmdale Public SchoolBuilt more than 90 years ago, the former Elmdale Public School remains

a part of St. Thomas’s Educational Heritage. The original building structure is situated at 25 Elm Street between Sunset Road and

Wilson Avenue. The school held 150 students who were relocated to John Wise Public School; a new school built less than a

kilometer south of the site.

HeritageThe Elmdale Public School site is surrounded by a variety of

heritage elements including Memorial Park Cemetery, The Armoury and around 70 hectares of Natural Heritage

with a radius of 800m. These features are signi�cant to the cultural context of the Elmdale Site because they depict the past and present historical identity of St. Thomas. The new Elmdale Site shall provide a sustainable, connected and unique plan to empha-size the importance of the heritage of the commu-nity.

ConnectivityLocated 100m west of the Elmdale Public School site, are the existing railway tracks that run north-south and connect St. Thomas to Port Stanley. The railway as well as the municipal artery of Sunset Road, provides an opportunity to facilitate a unique destination ‘on the way to the beach’. There are 2 existing bus routes that run through the subject site. The new Elmdale site will augment the existing trans-portation network by integrating pedestrian oriented landscapes that connect the St. Thomas O�cial Plan Parks and Trails Master Plan from the east side Elgin Trail to the north entrance of Pinafore Park. Elm Street Corri-dor will serve as a dual functioning road that will allow for a Cycle laneway.

Parks and Open Space Built by the St. Thomas Street Railway Com-pany in the late 19th century, Pinafore Park is located within a 5 minute walking distance from the Elmdale Site. It o�ers a beautiful natural landscape and a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, cross-country skiing, and children amenities such as splash pads and accessible playground equipment. Pinafore’s

trails and paths connect the amenities as well as Lake Margaret. The new Elmdale site will aug-

ment the existing park and trails using the Elm Street corridor, new recreational trails and public

spaces to attract travellers to the surrounding park amenities.

OP Natural Hazard Lands Located heavily throughout the west, north and east

vicinities of the Elmdale Site’s 800m (10 min. walk) bu�er are O�cial Plan Designated Hazard Lands. These prem-

ises restrict any building or structure, except for the purpose of natural environment conservation or wildlife

management. These Natural Hazard lands are suitable locations to preserve the natural landscape for extending the

existing recreational paths and trails.

Former Railway LotThe Former Railway tracks ran north-east through the adjacent

parcel where the Tim Horton’s is currently situated. These tracks were removed and replaced by the railway connecting St. Thomas to Port

Stanley, leaving a large brown�eld site where the old railway turntable was once functional. The brown�eld has potential to augment the proposed site

and the surrounding community if remediation were to be considered. In addition, the Elmdale site will utilize the vacant parcel, where the former railway

once was, to build a space that creates a unique public space that pays tribute to St. Thomas’ train heritage.

Housing Types Census 2006

Housing Tenure Census 2006

Jordan Lorenzo,Graeme CoteKyle Regeling

Stephanie ChalmersJames Zink

Chandra LiyanageMark Wyatt

Jigisha Thakur