City of Burlington Update to Ontario Land Tribunal Ruling on Lakeshore Inc. – 2069-2079 Lakeshore Rd.

"I know this will be very disappointing news to residents who wanted us to challenge this decision. Council deeply considered all options and the best long-term interests of the community in making this difficult decision. I know that all of council will continue to do what we collectively believe is best to protect our community’s interests and vision for the downtown now and for the future. We also know the Minister’s decision and its effect in grandfathering certain applications as not subject to the adjustment of the Urban Growth Centre boundaries downtown has made our task more challenging. But we will continue to advocate that the vision of our staff, council and the community as outlined in our city and regional official plans, and in provincial decisions, be respected by developers and be considered at hearings before the Ontario Lands Tribunal.” - Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

*Please see below a news release issued by the City of Burlington.Burlington, Ont. — Nov. 30, 2021 — After significant discussion and consideration, including of the impact of the Minister of Municipal Affairs’ Nov. 10, 2021 approval of Regional Official Plan 48, Burlington City Council has determined that it will not seek a review of, or appeal from, the Ontario Land Tribunal’s decision of October 27, 2021.Council is disappointed and continues to disagree with the Tribunal’s decision, however, Council has determined that the most effective course of action is to focus its time and resources on pushing forward with the approval of the City’s new Official Plan, which is currently under appeal at the Tribunal.Once the new Official Plan has been approved, Council expects to be in a stronger position to require that significant growth occur only in the areas of the City that Council has planned for such growth.

"I assure community members that the commitment to advocate and advance our downtown planning vision and values remains steadfast. Planning matters that far exceed the planning vision for downtown and especially the waterfront continue to be an incredible concern amongst residents city-wide. We know the community expects Council to take the time to do the additional diligence that examines legal options to lessen impacts of the unfavorable decision delivered by the Ontario Land Tribunal for 29 storeys at Lakeshore Road and Pearl Street. So at this time, the best path forward for our community is focusing on having our new Official Plan in place. We look forward to defending and implementing our new Official Plan, so we can properly manage the growth in our downtown and beyond." -- Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns, City of Burlington

RELATED LINKS:

•  Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) decision regarding a 29-storey tower at Lakeshore and Pearl
• City of Burlington Looks to Challenge Ontario Land Tribunal Ruling on Lakeshore Inc. – 2069-2079 Lakeshore Rd.
• Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – Nov. 8, 2021 – Why did the OLT Approve the 29-Storey Tower at Lakeshore & Pearl?
• Media Release - City of Burlington looks to challenge Ontario Land Tribunal Ruling on Lakeshore Inc. 2069-2079 Lakeshore Rd.
• Media Release – Update from the City of Burlington on Minister Clark’s decision on Burlington’s Downtown Growth
• Media Release - Halton Region Notice of Decision approving the new Burlington Official Plan
• City of Burlington Official Plan
• Downtown Urban Design Guidelines

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist