The School Board’s making it official tonight with the final vote to expropriate Scott Park and to give staff direction to seek a by-law variance to allow Scott Park to become Scott Park Parking Lot.
They will also approve routine policies and financial updates.
Live coverage starts after 6pm when they return from closed session.Watch Livestream | Agenda
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AGENDA (Download) 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of the Agenda 3. Declarations of Conflict of Interest 4. O Canada 5. Resolution Into Committee of the Whole (Private Session) 6. Meeting Resumes in Public Session 7. Verbal Report of the Committee of the Whole (Private), November 11, 2013 8. Confirmation of the Minutes of Meeting Held: a. October 28, 2013, Regular Board b. November 4 2013, Special Board Action Items: 9. Expropriation of 1055 King Street East (Scott Park) 10. Report from the Standing Committee, November 4, 2013 • Naming of the Combined Dundas Secondary School (Item 4) • Policy Committee Report – October 24, 2013 (Item 5) o Volunteer Policy Scoping Document o Visual Identity Policy o Recruitment and Selection Policy Scoping Document o Accommodation of Staff Policy o Staff Progressive Discipline Policy o Boundary Review Scoping Document o Property Disposition Policy • Finance Committee Report – October 24, 2013 (Item 6) Information Items: 11. Student Trustees’ Report A. Local Activities B. Ontario Student Trustees’ Association Report 12. Chair’s Report 13. Director’s Report 14. Ontario Public School Boards’ Association Report Communication Items: 15. Petition, Hill Park 16. Gabriel F. Sékaly, Assistant Deputy Minister 17. Clayton Ferguson, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board 18. Adjournment
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Scott Park Parking Lot
The Board’s planned new lower city high school on the current Parkview/King George site will be the smallest by acreage in the City and with a soccer field on the back portion, not large enough to accommodate the parking the Board is required to provide teachers under the collective agreement, nor the parking required by the Hamilton Zoning By-law 05-200.
They, instead, plan to provide the parking on the current site of the former Scott Park High School, seeking a zoning exemption in the process.
The new Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Section 5 (Parking) of the Zoning Bylaw allows for parking to be off-site, within 300 metres, when “parking is not possible, or not practical” on the main site.
The Board will claim that the new high school site cannot provide for parking and the exception is needed.
If the City chooses to oppose this exemption, the City can cite that the current presently houses two schools (one closed) parking for those two school sites.
It can be argued that the placement of a soccer field, instead of parking, is a choice and means that parking is both possible and practical in the view of the City.
Full Background on Zoning, UHOP, Committee of Adjustment, Planning Act, and how they effect the Scott Park Parking Lot Plan: Scott Park and Parking – HWDSB can’t have surface parking, but can have a parking structure
The Board’s move represents the first major challenge of surface parking regulations under the new Official Plan.
The next move is to apply to the City for a zoning change or variance – I’ll let know you when they are filed.