Some Burlington Residents Still Worried a New Development Will Hurt Their Community
Published January 25, 2019 at 4:40 pm
Back in September inhalton reported on a
Back in September inhalton reported on a GoFundMe page that had been set up by Maplehill Oakhurst Willow Lane Neighbours.
The GoFundMe page was set up in regards to the future of the Maplehill Drive neighbourhood, the Dynes community, in Burlington.
Some residents are concerned about a new development plan.
DiCarlo Custom Homes is proposing a redevelopment on the east side of the development site (607 Dynes Rd., in Ward 4). This new development would consist of 20 townhomes that would be accessed from Maplehill Drive, along with 10 visitor parking spots and a private road.
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Some residents in the neighbourhood, however, are concerned about the impact this development could have.
“Currently our cul-de-sac [a dead end street] is a quiet established low-density neighborhood,” Drew Garside, a Maplehill Drive resident said via email.
“In order to accommodate the plan, the by-law introduces medium density into this area. On top of that, numerous exceptions were requested to squeeze in the development and maximize the townhomes that could fit. Area residents do not believe the site can support such intensity, despite what the city has approved.”
Garside also noted the decision to allow the medium density zoning will forever alter the neighbourhood.
Since the initial proposal, members of the Dynes community have taken measures in hopes to have their voices heard. An appeal was submitted to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).
Furthermore, the initial GoFundMe page has since raised almost $10,000, a few families in the neighbourhood also held a garage sale back in October of 2018.
The money that was raised, and continues to be raised, will go towards the neighbourhood’s appeal (including hiring a lawyer and expert planner).
“The fundraising is by no means completed,” Garside said.
“At this time, it is hard to gauge what the expected cost would be because we are not sure how far this appeal will go.”
So, what’s next for the members of the Dynes community?
According to Garside, a Case Management Conference is scheduled for Feb. 7 at Burlington City Hall.
At this conference, all parties will meet and discuss the next steps in regards to hearings, in addition to filtering down the issues at hand.
“We would love to see the developers come back with a revised plan that would better suit this community, but my feeling is that this will not happen,” Garside said.
The developer, as noted by Garside,currently is not motivated to alter their plans unless the LPAT comes to a different decision after deliberating on the case.
Development has been a big issue in the City of Burlington as of recently. But in this case, development is not actually the main issue.
“Residents of this area are not against a development, we are appealing the intensity of the proposed development in the hopes a new plan can be drafted that would better fit with the community,” Garside said.
“Many of the residents are the original owners, and those who have moved here did so for the peaceful aesthetic provided by the Dynes community.”
Photo is courtesy of Drew Garside.
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