By Staff
August 31st, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The 104 acres on Kingston Road in Ajax that was taken out of the Greenbelt so that housing could be built on the property is now going to go back into the Greenbelt because the people who bought it attempted to flip the land they bought for $15.8 million on June 18, 2018 — less than two weeks after Ford’s Tories were elected.
Robert Scott from Lennard Commercial Realty, who is the co-operating broker for the marketing of the Ajax property, said they’re currently marketing it as an agricultural land with a potential to be developed for other purposes such as residential or industrial.
The listing did not include an asking price, and said the realtors would be taking in offers up until Sept. 14.
Scott said the company marketed the property through a Chinese agent who has a listing agreement with the owner, whom he’s never met.
Land was taken out of the Greenbelt – provincial government moving to put it back in.
In its statement the provincial government said:
“The government’s intention in amending the Greenbelt boundaries has always been to increase the supply and affordability of homes by building at least 50,000 homes quickly, while also expanding the overall size of the Greenbelt.
“Any attempt to sell these lands or otherwise profit from this decision without building the homes Ontario residents rightly expect runs contrary to the government’s intentions and will not be tolerated.
“To ensure that construction on the remaining lands proceeds without unnecessary delays, the government will inform the remaining proponents that they are required to notify the Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator of any potential transactions or actions regarding these lands. Any actions that stand in the way of building homes quickly on these lands will not be tolerated.
“The facilitator continues to work closely with proponents at these sites to ensure the government’s criteria regarding these lands are met. These criteria include making substantial planning progress by the end of 2023 with shovels in the ground no later than 2025 and that proponents cover the cost of community benefits, such as housing-enabling infrastructure, parks and green spaces, as well as other amenities that will result in complete communities.
“If these expectations are not met, the lands will be returned to the Greenbelt.”
That raises a bunch of questions. Will the ownership of the property revert to the people who sold it?
There is going to be a lot of financial pain for someone when this is settled.
So many unknowns on this Greenbelt file. Re the lands in Ajax that will be put back into the Greenbelt raises questions for me. This developer bought this parcel of land in 2018 when it was Greenbelt Land. (Or was it?). So why would a developer buy it when they can’t build on it? And secondly, who will now own this land? And thirdly, does the Ford Government have to buy it back at an escalated price from what it was worth in 2018? At this point, there are still alot of unanswered questions.