A massive residential development in the Boyne neighbourhood has been approved by Milton council, despite opposition from some area residents and councillors.
The Mattamy Homes project will see eight mixed-use and residential buildings — ranging in height from 12 to 15 storeys — towering over the landscape in the northwest corner of Britannia Road and Regional Road 25.
With more than 1,500 apartment units planned, resident Gokhan Haskan was one of two public delegates at the May 13 meeting who urged council to pause and defer the process, citing concerns about traffic and over-capacity in local schools.
“It’s not good for us, it doesn’t serve our best interest,” Haskan said, adding that roughly 200 residents have signed on in staunch opposition. “As town council you now have the opportunity to push back or at least call for a pause, ask for more time, demand a better proposal — not just one that satisfies the bare minimums.”
Oliver Clarke brought up traffic and parking space issues, as well as construction noise and debris that could affect neighbouring homes and areas.
“We are close enough that when it gets windy, it's our backyards that will be covered with concrete dust. That's not good. It's not right,” Clarke said.
In detailing staff’s position, Jill Hogan, commissioner of development services with the Town, stated they have worked with the applicant to address several concerns, including reductions in unit count — from 1,912 to 1,571 units, changes in building heights, and increased open space. There will be one underground parking space for each unit, as well as 346 visitor parking spots, a staff report says.
The Town has also worked to alleviate worries surrounding traffic, parking, and construction impacts.
“We will be requiring a construction management plan, which will look at everything in relation to the construction and mitigation of potential impacts on residents,” Hogan said.
The commissioner emphasized there’s “a significant distance” between the proposed buildings and the existing homes.
“This has a 27-metre setback to the buildings from the natural heritage system and then the natural heritage system corridor itself is 57 metres,” she said.
As for noise, Hogan said, “Mattamy must conform to our noise bylaw in terms of timing of construction during the day.”
Hogan touted the changes that have been made to the proposal, calling the project “very livable.”
“The amount of open space is very positive and the way it's coming forward, we're very confident that it will integrate well into the community,” Hogan said. “This is not a back-of-the-napkin proposal, it's gone through many iterations. It fully conforms to the secondary plan and we're recommending approval on that basis.”
Still, some councillors voiced reservations about the adequacy of infrastructure to support the project.
Coun. Sarah Marshall said she’s troubled with “a development of this size,” given the characteristics of the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Marshall is also not convinced that there will be enough school spaces to service the community, despite assurance from the school boards.
“My understanding is that most of those schools are already at their limits and also already have a lot of portables,” she said.
This was echoed by Coun. Colin Best.
“We're bringing in, from my estimates, 3,300 (new residents) on top of what we've already got in that area, so I can't support this,” Best said. “I understand where staff are coming from… but we really have to put the pressure back on the province… if you want growth, you're going to have to come up with a provincial infrastructure to support it.”
The majority of council members voted to endorse staff’s recommendation.