Burlington Council Unanimously Refuses Proposed 29-Storey Highrise at 1029-1033 Waterdown Rd.

At a Special Council meeting on April 12, we unanimously agreed with staff's recommendation and refused the proposed 29-storey highrise at 1029-1033 Waterdown Rd.In its report and analysis, staff noted the proposed development application by Infinity Development Group:

• is not consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement;
• does not conform with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe;
• does not comply with the Region of Halton’s policies; and
• does not satisfy the City of Burlington’s policies.

MY TAKE:I endorse the analysis and recommendations from staff on this file. This is very out of line with any of our planning documents -- old, new or emerging -- that speak to how we want to transition our Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) to our main streets, existing neighbourhoods and where this height should more appropriately go. This is not news to our community or development applicants -- this is the direction we've been on for some time now. The scale of this proposal is inappropriate for this site, but not for an MTSA. We have designated precincts for a reason to handle transitioning from GO stations outward towards our streets and established neighbourhoods so that it all fits together. I encourage all developers to place take our plans for our precincts seriously and submit applications that are more suitable for our City's vision for these areas.You can read the staff report and appendices below:

• Staff report: PL-35-22 1029-1033 Waterdown Road Recommendation Report
• Appendices:
  • Pl-35-22- Appendix C – Concept Plan
  • PL-35-22 Appendix D1 – Aldershot GO Recommended Preferred Precinct Plan – Dec 2021
  • PL-35-22 Appendix D2 – City of Burlington Major Transit Station Area – Area-Specific Planning Project – Interim Report Final – Dec 2021
  • PL-35-22-Appendix E – Aldershot Main Street Precinct
  • PL-35-22-Appendix F – Public Feedback

RELATED LINK:

• City of Burlington Staff Recommending Refusal of Proposed 29-Storey Highrise at 1029-1033 Waterdown Rd.
• Special Council April 12 Meeting Minutes: Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Apr12_2022