By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 3, 2012 Late Thursday afternoon is becoming Thursday evening as Ken Dakin sat with Matt Jaecklein, Principal, Mayrose Tycon Group waiting for their item to come up on the Conservation Halton agenda. They waited more than an hour and a half – then theirs came up: Item 7.5
It started with the demolition of the Riviera Motel – the Bridgewater project that will see a 22 storey building soar into the Burlington skyline. Five years from now you can celebrate the New Year in the four star hotel that will be on the site.
Burlington’s Councillor John Taylor spoke to the matter said about 65 words and that was it: Approved, the Bridgewater project had cleared another hurdle and the project that will get built on the shores of Lake Ontario was closer to reality.
The Approval given at the Conservation meeting wasn’t as crystal clear as engineers like things to be but as long as they construction proceeds the meeting was told, there shouldn’t be any difficulties. Continuous progress is something however that has be-deviled this project.
The view from Lakeshore Road – looking out over the lake. A Delta four star hotel is on the right. A seven storey condo will be to the south of the hotel. The city will never be the same.
However, the hurdle was cleared – what’s next. Project plan Ken Dakin set it out for us. The site, which lies between Lakeshore Road and the edge of Lake Ontario, is a collection of lots that have been assembled. Part of the land used to be home of the Riviera Motel that is today just an old illuminated sign that no longer lights up. The motel was demolished. In the weeks ahead the site will be “remediated” which in the language of the lands use planners means removing pollutants and contaminants from a plot of land.
First step is to get the current H zoning designation lifted. H stands for holding which is just a place marker the planning department uses while a property is readied for new development.
The H designation stays in place until the site remediation is done. The Planning department knows that has been done when the Ministry of the Environment make an entry in its Site Condition records. The developers will have tested the soil and determined what has to be done.
Next is another go at the “site plan”. That site plan required some variances to meet the zoning by-law the property would fall within. The developers were asking for 15 variances – all were granted.
Mayrose Tycon is now moving on two fronts: getting the draft site plan approved which means having the file move from department to department at city hall getting approvals. Roads gets a whack at the file, hydro will get its turn to go through the document in detail: literally every department takes a detailed look and signs off on the draft site plan.
All this is working towards final site plan approval, issuance of a Zoning Certificate and approved site plan drawings. With all that in hand the developer can march over to the Building department and ask for a building permit –for which they will pay a handsome sum of money.
THEN, they can put a shovel into the ground. And about four years from now we will see whoever is Mayor, cutting a ribbon to open the project.
That is a lot of paper work. The fees the developer will pay to the various government departments and agencies during the process will be staggering.
