ADI revises application to 26 storeys; OMB hearing in March

ADI development group is submitting a revised proposal for 26 storeys (down from 28) when the Ontario Municipal Board hears the development application in March 2016. City staff and council have previously indicated to ADI the city does not support the original 28 storey application, and considers it "overdevelopment" of the site, at the corner of Martha and Lakeshore Road in downtown Burlington.Information about the revised proposal was conveyed via public witness statements released Dec. 21. Burlington's Assistant City Solicitor Blake Hurley released the following information to the public and the participants in the hearing regarding the revisioned proposal:"The parties exchanged witness statements on December 21, 2015. In ADI’s witness statements, its expert witnesses confirmed that ADI is seeking approval for a revised proposal that differs somewhat than what was proposed in its applications. The revised proposal:

• Reduces the height of the building from 28 to 26 stories;
• Reduces the residential unit count from 226 units to 192 units;
• Deletes the proposed encroachment of the building out over the city road allowance;
• Reduces the number of levels of underground parking from 5 levels to 4 levels;
• Reduces the floor area ratio from 12.5:1 to 11.1:1
• Reduces the number of vehicle parking spaces from 218 to 196

as well as a number of other technical and design changes.Given that the parties have not received any direction from the Board, and that the participant statements are due on January 11, 2016, the City has added .pdf format copies of the background documents and reports in support of these revisions to the 374 Martha Street update page of the City’s website. These further documents/reports in support of the changes noted above are found under the heading “Revised Supporting Documents”, and include a planning justification addendum, architectural drawings, a landscape plan, a traffic impact study, a servicing and stormwater report, and a parking study. The 374 Martha Street page of the City’s website is located at the following link:Revised Documents - ADI developmentIt is these revisions that will be before the Board for approval."My Take: The revisions do not address the major concerns of staff or residents regarding this development; 26 storeys is still significant overdevelopment of the site. I would welcome a revised application that respects the vision of the city's Official Plan for this site, which is four storeys, with ability to go to eight storeys with planning justification and provision of community benefits to offset the additional height.