By Staff
May 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Land Tribunal that is hearing the application from the owners of the Waterfront Hotel who want to erect two 30 storeys plus towers on the site.
David Faletta, the planner for the developer, will be examined today by lawyers for the developer and lawyers for the City.
The examinations are expected to take up most of the day; perhaps longer.
The decision is critical in terms of what the downtown core will eventually look like.
Rendering of the proposed development on Lakeshore Road between Brant and Elizabeth.
Traffic on the portion of Elizabeth Street that runs south of Lakeshore Road will be close to unmanageable if the development proceeds. The street is the east side boundary for the development that will have to encroach on some city owned land if it is approved in its current form.
Parking outside the Pearle Hotel, on the east side of Elizabeth, isn’t working for anyone.
The way in which dedicated parkland space has been assembled is a bit of a joke. Bits and piece here and there are added together to arrive at a total that is required. That phrase ‘linear pathways’ gets used to describe a stretch of land that is a pathway – yet included as parkland.
Lawyers for the City have, so far done a good job of pulling out what the developer proposes to do.
One issue that has been given a lot of time is the parking needs of the Pearle Hotel and Spa that is on the east side of Elizabeth.
If a fire department aerial ladder truck, at its maximum, usually extends to the 13th floor or 137 feet, and there is a fire on floors above, how will residents/visitors on the higher floors be extricated in the event of a fire? If someone experiences a medical emergency, and, according to medical experts, you need to provide life-saving care within four minutes to prevent serious medical complications or death, what happens then? And, where do fire, medical and police services stage in an emergency if, due to overt congestion, there is no available space nearby?
I sure hope someone at the City is thinking about these type of real-life, practical issues because I’m damn sure the developers aren’t! Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!
We are so lucky to live in a City with a beautiful waterfront. Not many cities are this lucky!!
And then the money hungry developers come to our City and ruin our Waterfront and then go home!!
So disgusting!!!!
These ugly towers ought to remind everyone of the success of the Burlington Pier
Stay strong Burlington; don’t give in to those developers. We don’t need more downtown condos, that is, what is left of downtown. Follow Oakville’s example. There is enough congestion on the roads as is.
Too late. They are coming despite promises to the contrary. Tons of highrises coming regardless of how many storeys they get here.