By Pepper Parr
September 9th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The City is going to get what Council members have been pressing for – high-rise units with two and three-bedroom units that are not skimpy, small rooms.
Changes made from the original application are:
The number of one-bedroom units was decreased from 78 units to 21 units;
The number of two-bedroom units was increased from 24 units to 82 units;
The number of three-bedroom units was increased from 17 to 61 units;
In exchange for that, the developer will get an additional three stories in height. The original application was for 20 storeys.
The rendering shows the development looking east.
If what we heard at the Standing Committee on Monday holds through to the Council meeting on the 15th – the city will have avoided an Ontario Land Tribunal Hearing (OLT) hearing that they would have lost.
The site is in the western end of the football – a space that was at one time a serious hope for keeping some of the land in the core of the city open and available for some stunning development.
Where the height has been built in the downtown core.
That possibility disappeared when the Beausoleil and the Nautique were built on the north side of Lakeshore Road between Martha and Elizabeth streets.
The red part of the illustration shows where the city has given up some space to allow for wider sidewalks.
The sidewalks will be wider on the eastern end – there was some deft negotiation that made that possible.
There are some minor holds on the issuing of a building permit -but they don’t appear to be something that will result in an building where 80% of the units will be two and three bedroom units.
Parking will be slightly less than one space per unit.
The decision at the Standing Committee was not unanimous. Mayor Meed Ward said it was her view that building like this should be built in the MTSA xxx. She added that was the reason for moving the Urbangrowth Centres north and out of the downtown core.
Mayor Meed Ward on the right with Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns above.
The back and forth between the Mayor and ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns gave us a bit of an insight into what we will see should Kearns decide that she can take on Meed Ward during the 2026 municipal election and become the Mayor of the city. That is a very real possibility.
The graphic above shows where the height in the downtown core is located.
Something doesn’t add up. The original 20 story building had 119 units, comprised of 78 1br, 24 2br and 17 3br suites. Adding 3 stories,with less smaller units and more 2 and 3 br units somehow turned into 164 unit building.
one more time …..…. city hall and developers call this a “process” and “development” …. we all know it’s a “sellout”
How do we know if the 2 or 3 bedroom units won’t be “skimpy”? There is no mention of square footage in these units. Some of the 2 bedroom units in Beausoleil range in size from 742 square feet to less than 900 square feet. Not exactly roomy.
Having parking of less than 1 space per unit is absolutely ridiculous. Where are these owners going to park? Burlington’s pubic transportation does not allow for people to travel easily to parts of Burlington. Is the premise that all these people will be working in Toronto and taking the GO?
If I hear one more time that “Burlington is to become a walkable, and cycling community” I will once again have to remind the city that our climate does not really allow for this. I have yet to see any our council members only using public transit, or cycling, or walking to get to their local meetings and photo-ops.
Personally I find the rendition of what this building will look like very unappealing.
Can someone tell me if there is a POPS ( Privately owned Public Space) is part of this development?
I totally agree with the Mayor the downtown urban growth centre was moved and this should not be permitted. Of course by the time the council decided to un designate the area it was too late.
Mayor Meed Ward can say whatever she wants after the fact! But Mayor Meed Ward never followed thru with her promise to change the dowtown designation from John Street South to the Burlington Go Station, which caused all of the excessive downtown highrises and condos in Downtown Burlington. She did not act on the redesignation within the allotted time period! And missed the deadline.
The highrise going in at the eastern end of the football on Lakeshore East is as a result of Mayor Meed Ward’s inaction years ago. So why would she blame herself?
And now, here we are! Our downtown has been totally ruined forever!!