November 9th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
What appears to be the last piece of land in the “football” has a developer who wants to put up 27 storeys.
The “football” describes the lands between Old Lakeshore Road and Lakeshore Road with Pearl on the west and where the two Lakeshore meet on the east end.
Lakeside Developments Limited is proposing a 27 storey mixed-use building with 195 residential units and at-grade retail along Lakeshore Road.
The development proposes 1- and 2-bedroom units. A 5-level below grade parking structure is proposed. An application for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment will be required to permit the proposed development.
A Pre-Application public consultation will take place virtually on November 25, 2024 – 7 – 9:00 p.m.
Developers seem to like the virtual approach – which means they don’t actually meet with people – it all takes place online.
The “football” a site that had huge potential as a focus point for community events was lost to developers when they began buying up what was originally more than 18 seperate properties.

The football-shaped location was once a collection of more than 18 properties. Now it is a collection of high-rise towers that won’t have a single unit of affordable housing.
In October of 2012, Former Toronto Mayor David Cronbie attended a Waterfront Advisory Committee and urged the city to pull together a citizens group to look at all the possibilities the site offered.
Then Mayor Rick Goldring never did find a way to take Crombie up on the idea. Prior to the pandemic, Emmas Back Porch was the go-to location for a decent meal on a balcony that overlooked the lake. It was a different Burlington in those days.
Related news story:
It was a coulda opportunity – but the opportunity got away from the city.

Wasn’t this exactly what MMW campaigned against????. Thanks for nothing. Perhaps she could get the money her developer friend claimed he paid me on the T5 he sent me, but didn’t pay up. Only to then claim bankruptcy. Time for us to decide which businesses and developers are an asset to burlington.
Eventually the “football” will have three near 30 storey buildings in a row across from three similar height buildings on the north side of Lakeshore Road heading to the west and Brant Street. These buildings will face the Bridgewater towers across the road to be someday joined by whatever towers get built where the Waterfront Hotel is today, right up to Spencer Smith Park. It will form a magnificent wind tunnel which is not necessarily a tourist attraction.
This is the vision of the Province as translated in Burlington by our Council and developers. I don’t think this was what we voted for provincially and locally the last few times around. But then so few of us vote as to make our concerns have any impact. We squander our democratic rights. Those who don’t participate really have no right to complain about the outcome in my opinion.
Does anyone know what is happening with Emmas Back Porch?