By Pepper Parr
July 17th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a bus that runs along Dundas Street – many of the residents at Georgina Court feel their city council threw them underneath that bus when they made a decision to approve a development they feel is going to change the community they live in.
In their application to the city for changes to a development that was going to add semi detached homes and town houses to the single detached dwellings.
It is a community of safe streets where the children can play and neighbours can gather. The only park is more than a km away.
The file goes back to a pre-application consultation meeting that was held on December 7, 2016
Weston Consulting is the planning consultant for Bloomfield Developments Inc, the owner of the lands located at 5219 Upper Middle Road, 204 Georgina Court, 205 Georgina Court.
The density and the type of housing is what has the neighbours upset. They don’t feel the form fits the existing community. And the traffic issues are a major concern.
They were retained to provide planning assistance and coordinate the submission of development applications for the subject property to permit the construction of 22 residential dwellings including eight (8) semi-detached freehold units and fourteen (14) condominium townhouse units. The proposed development will provide two parking spaces per dwelling unit (one driveway, one garage) and five (5) surface visitor parking spaces for the condominium component. At this time, we are pleased to submit an application for a Zoning By-law Amendment to permit the proposed development.
There were a number of issues about this development. The biggest was traffic and the impact that would have on the families already settled in a development that started in the late 1990’s, with the very first home being occupied in 1997.
But there was another issues – and that was whether or not the development was suited to the existing single detached homes
What was being proposed was semi’s and town-homes and that didn’t seem to fit right with the residents.
Councillor Rick Craven (Ward 1 – Aldershot) told a city council meeting Monday evening that townhouses and semi-detached homes were the new norm – people should get used to them.
When the development application was submitted there were cheques for $33,155, $950, and $4,300, payable to the City of Burlington and Region of Halton, respectively.
The developer assembled several parcels of land to create the site
The debate and the delegations Monday evening were sound and sincere; people saw major changes taking place in the way they would live their lives and raise their families.
The residents thought there was a solution. Open up a road that would take traffic on to Upper Middle Road. Seemed sensible but the rules that govern what can be done with Upper Middle is a Regional issues.
During the debate the residents expected their city Councillors to work for them and get the road opening they felt was fair.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman
Before voting for what the developer wanted ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman said they had asked the Region to allow the road and were told that there was a bylaw preventing just that and that Regional Staff would not support such an application.
Changing by laws is something municipal government do all the time.
The Sharman answer struck this reporter as pretty limp.
Let’s take a closer look at this one.
“At this time, we are pleased to submit an application for a Zoning By-law Amendment to permit the proposed development.”
Careful when copying and pasting from a legal document into a news article.
This is another example of the need to clean house in October. Too many councillors are well past their “best before” date.
Really? Local residents want an outlet there onto Upper Middle, essentially right next to the existing outlet on Quinte?
This is the exact mistake that was made over and over in Milton, and has resulted in ridiculous traffic problems on roads there like Thompson. Every little cross street has a stop light, and the region’s ability to time them properly is suspect at best. The last thing anyone should want is more stoplights on main arterials like that section of Upper Middle. Unless you like having to stop at red lights every 100m or so.
Sorry, but the region is correct here. There’s no good reason to put an outlet onto Upper Middle there, and the traffic increase is going to affect, what, 2-3 homes on Georgina and a handful on Quinte (who are already on a higher traffic street so likely won’t notice much difference). I feel for the home owners on Georgina, but that’s why you should always be careful buying a home near greenspace.
I find that with every council meeting Sharman et al hit a new low and Monday’s was certainly no exception. I think Burlington could also be the #1 city for most shameful displays by Council members towards the public and a colleague they disagree with. We can do better than this and we can elect decent and honest and respectful people in all wards in October and we can elect a mayor, Marianne Meed Ward, who can lead us in a new and fresh direction. We had better, because we can’t sink much lower. We shouldn’t feel embarrassed and outraged when we watch our city council members.
There was never any objection to building townhomes, all we ever asked for was they be accessible from Upper Middle Road, our Councillor Paul Sharman did nothing to help and was deaf to our objections, the Orchard will speak loud and clear in replacing him in the upcoming election
Paul Sharman representing Paul Sharman over representing the residents of Ward 5.
Time for an election. We (residents) did not oppose the townhomes just the access point to the development with logical arguments to tweak the development and achieve the density objectives. Our city counsellors totally let us down, and in the process were disrespectful. I have lost all faith and confidence in our city government (with the exception of counsellor Marianne Meed who I respect greatly and would elect her Mayor).
Furthermore our city staff are a complete and utter waste of our tax dollars….they should all be fired. If they are to just rubber stamp the development then do so and skip all the process and eliminate these jobs. You are wasting our tax dollars. Counsellor Sharma…you should be ashamed of yourself. You Sharma should resign your post as you are unfit for role. We look forward to the next election and rallying Orchard Community for anyone but you.
Andrew
It is worth noting that the development preferred by BOTH the developer AND the residents was with the access off of Upper Middle not impacting Georgina Court or Rome Crescent.
Re: “Councillor Rick Craven (Ward 1 – Aldershot) told a city council meeting Monday evening that townhouses and semi-detached homes were the new norm – people should get used to them.”
That’s the kind of attitude that makes me glad he is not running for re-election. Good riddance!
Think municipal election and vote.