Burlington Council Unanimously Approves Semi-Detached, 2-Storey Development at 336 Appleby Line
At our Feb. 13 meeting, Burlington City Council unanimously approved zoning changes to allow a semi-detached, two-storey development at 336 Appleby Line.See the approved full motion from Council, My Take, and the associated staff report and supporting documents below -- as well as additional background information further down this post.
APPROVED MOTION:
- Approve the Zoning By-law Amendment application for the property located at 336 Appleby Line to permit one (1) semi-detached dwelling of two (2) storeys in height fronting onto Cottonwood Drive; and
- Approve Zoning By-law 2020.468, attached as Appendix D to Report PL-07-24, which amends the zoning of the lands located at 336 Appleby Line from ‘R2.4’ zone to ‘R4-533’; and
- Deem that the amending zoning by-law will conform to the Official Plan of the City of Burlington and that there are no applications to alter the Official Plan with respect to the subject lands.
MY TAKE:Thank you to everyone in our community who shared their feedback and concerns on the proposed zoning changes to 336 Appleby Line. I listened carefully to residents’ concerns and take them all seriously, whether it is one person or 100 people who raise them. My focus is on the substance of the concerns and how these can be mitigated and addressed with the proposal.In this case, residents brought up the potential loss of trees – a concern I very much share. I was encouraged to hear from City staff that they are putting a holding provision to ensure the area trees are secured. Another concern that was raised, and one I also share, is the issue of flooding and storm water management. We heard from staff that water is required to be retained on the property, so as not to impact surrounding neighbours.We also heard about the displacement of four people renting the property. Addressing these types of “renovictions” is something already on the radar of our staff. A potential solution implemented in other municipalities is a bylaw to protect renters.Regarding concerns raised over community engagement, I believe there was some constructive feedback offered by the community and there is room for improvement on our end at the City.With all of these matters considered, and the concerns of residents addressed, I believe this is an appropriate development zoning for the area and will enhance the community. For that reason, I supported the zoning bylaw amendment.
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To read the staff report and related supporting documents, please click/tap the links below:
- Staff report: PL-07-24 - Statutory Public Meeting and Recommendation Report for 336 Appleby Line
- Appendices:
- Staff presentation: PL-07-24 Staff presentation.pdf
BACKGROUND:On November 28, 2023 the City received a complete application from Johnsson Studio requesting a Zoning By-law Amendment on behalf of Mithal R-Abbas to permit a development at 336 Appleby Line consisting of a semi-detached dwelling of two (2) storeys in height fronting onto Cottonwood Drive.The purpose of the staff report is to provide an overview of the application, an outline of applicable policies and regulations, a summary of technical and public comments that have been received and staff’s recommendation with respect to this application.Description of the Subject Property and Surrounding Land UsesThe property municipality known as 336 Appleby Line (the “subject lands”) is located in the neighbourhood southwest of the intersection of New Street and Appleby Line, more specifically located at the southwest intersection of Cottonwood Drive and Appleby Line (as shown on Appendix A – Existing Zoning Plan). The subject lands have an area of approximately 0.07 ha (approximately 749.59 square meters) and currently contain a single-detached dwelling.The subject lands are surrounded predominantly by low-density residential uses including single detached dwellings.Furthermore, the subject lands are also near commercial uses and residential medium-density uses to the north towards the intersection of New Street and Appleby Line which is approximately 250 metres north from the subject lands. North of the subject lands is Cottonwood Drive and across is the property 346 Appleby Line which is zoned as R2.4 and contains a single-detached dwelling. Similarly, to the east is Appleby Line and across are the properties 337 & 333 Appleby Line which are zoned as R3.3 and contain two (2) storeys single-detached dwellings. To the south is the property 328 Appleby Line which is zoned as R2.4 and contains a new two (2) storey single-detached dwelling and to the west is the property 4524 Cottonwood Drive, which is zoned as R2.4 and contains a single-detached dwelling.The subject lands are located directly on Burlington Transit Route 10 (New-Maple) which runs along Appleby Line. Additionally, the subject lands are approximately 130 m away from Night Route 50 (Burlington South) which runs between the times of 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. from Monday to Saturday. Route 10 connects to the Burlington GO station, the Downtown Terminal and the Appleby GO station while Route 50 connects to the Burlington GO and the Burlington Downtown Terminal.Description of ApplicationsOn December 11, 2023, planning staff deemed complete the application that had been received as of November 28, 2023, for a Zoning By law Amendment at the subject lands. The purpose of the application is to amend the Zoning By-law to allow for the development of a semi-detached dwelling of two (2) storeys in height fronting onto Cottonwood Drive.A subsequent consent application would be required to sever the proposed lots (as shown on Appendix B – Concept Plan). Furthermore, the development includes two (2) parking spaces per unit and a density of approximately 28.57 units per net hectare.Staff’s analysis of the application for the proposed Zoning By-law amendment has considered the applicable policy framework and the comments submitted by technical agencies and the public. Staff find that the application is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement and conforms to the Provincial Growth Plan, the Regional and City Official Plans, and the Zoning By-law 2020.It is therefore recommended that the proposed zoning by-law amendment to facilitate the creation of a semi-detached dwelling and proposed amending by-law, be approved subject to a holding provision to ensure the resolution of outstanding matters.