Staff don't support revised 26-storey ADI proposal; goes to committee Oct. 12

City planning staff don't support the revised 26-storey building proposal for Martha & Lakeshore Road, stating the changes made don't resolve or address all of the concerns originally raised about the proposal.

In staff's view, the revised proposal does not achieve compatible intensification, represents overdevelopment of the site and does not represent good planning.Though the proposal has been defended in the name of intensification, staff point out that the city’s intensification strategy is well positioned to meet the minimum density targets in the Growth Plan "without significant changes to the existing Official Plan policies and permissions."

Staff are seeking council endorsement of the staff recommendation to oppose the requested amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law, and direct staff to communicate council's opposition to the proposal to the Ontario Municipal Board. An OMB hearing on this application is scheduled for February 2017.Committee meeting Oct. 12, Council vote Oct. 24The staff report will be discussed  Wed. Oct. 12, 6:30 pm, at the Development & Infrastructure Committee. I encourage residents to attend. You can Register as a Delegation to share your views with staff and council.The recommendation from D&I will go to a special council meeting Mon. Oct. 24, 10am, for final ratification, so council's position can be communicated during a pre-hearing conference with the OMB scheduled for Oct. 27-28. Residents can also attend and speak at the council meeting. The OMB meetings are open to the public.Read the staff report: pb-69-16-public-meeting-374-and-380-martha-stSept. 8 Neighbourhood Information SessionOver 40 residents attended a Neighbourhood Information Session on Sept. 8 to hear about the revisions to the development proposal and learn how they can get involved. View the presentation and notes below.Sept-8-2016-Powerpoint-Presentation-Adi-neighbourhood-information-sessionNotes-Sept-8-2016-Adi-neighbourhood-information-sessionMy Take: This proposal is overdevelopment of a small site, and represents inappropriate intensification. Many of the deficiencies identified in the staff report could be addressed with a smaller building. I would support a development more in keeping with existing Official Plan and Zoning regulations on this site, which allow 4 storeys, with provision to go to 8 storeys if community benefits are provided.Your Take:Residents have already been making their views know about the project, and based on the communication I have received are overwhelmingly opposed. Between July and September 2016, staff received 40 emails, 22 letters and 1 phone call (63 total). The general themes of these comments are:

• General opposition to the proposed development
• Concern about the significant increase in density from the permissions set out in the Zoning By-law and Official Plan
• Concern about the proposed number of units / density
•  Poor location for additional density
•  Proposed development constitutes over-intensification
•  Concern about building height
•  Building height is not compatible with adjacent buildings and land uses
•  Proposed building height will cast significant shadows on adjacent properties
•  Concern about the development industry establishing heights/densities rather than the Official Plan
• Increased traffic volumes
• Turning movements
• Location and interaction of driveways on Martha Street
• Ambulance access
• Pedestrian safety
• Concern that this application will be precedent setting
• Inadequate parking spaces to accommodate residents and visitors
• Concern about length of construction period
• Concern about construction period overlapping with Bridgewater construction
• Urban design / streetscape impacts
• Concerns about impacts on views of the waterfront
• Concerns about architectural quality
• Privacy concerns

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Participate at the Ontario Municipal Board hearing:There are additional opportunities for residents to make your views known about this proposal through the Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Details and key dates are below. Anyone wishing to participate in the OMB hearing (no cost to you) must communicate your intent to the parties by Oct. 14. Details on how to do that are below.For background on this project visit my earlier article: ADI revised proposalSummary of Key Dates:

• Sept. 30: Staff recommendation report posted online. Visit the city's Calendar and select Oct. 12, filter your search for "city meetings."
• Oct. 12: Public meeting as part of  the Development & Infrastructure Committee meeting, 6:30pm, City Hall, 426 Brant Street, Council Chambers, 2nd floor.
• Oct. 14: Deadline to seek Participant status at the Ontario Municipal Board hearing.
• Oct 24: Special City Council, 10am, City Hall, 426 Brant Street, Council Chambers, 2nd floor. A special City Council meeting is being called to allow a vote prior to the OMB pre-conference hearing. The regularly scheduled council meeting is Oct. 31.
• Oct. 27 & 28: Pre-hearing Conference, 10 am City Hall, 426 Brant Street, Rm 247, 2nd floor. Open to the public.
• Jan. 23, 2017: Participant statements due to the Board, copy to each of the parties
• Feb. 21-March 6: OMB Hearing, 10 am daily, City Hall, 426 Brant Street, Rm 247, 2nd floor: Scheduled for two weeks beginning Feb. 21. Open to the public.

How to become a participant at the hearing:Oct. 14 is the deadline to seek Participant status at the Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Participants are allowed to provide comments to the Board about the proposed application. There is no cost to participate. Participant submissions are typically heard after all evidence is presented by the “parties” to the hearing. Those seeking participant status must advise the Board and all parties of their intent (including a written statement outlining the nature of their interest). The Ontario Municipal Board has a Citizen Liaison Office to assist residents to participate in hearings. Information about participating in a hearing is here: Participate in a HearingSend your statement and request to be added as a participant in the hearing to the following, quoting case #PL150274:Ontario Municipal Board:

1. SUSAN de AVELLAR SCHILLER, Vice-Chair, Ontario Municipal Board, Care of Environmental and Land Tribunals Ontario, 655 Bay Street, Suite 1500, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1E5, ontario.municipal.board@ontario.ca

Parties to the hearing:

1. Adi Development Group Inc,  4190 South Service Road, Suite 200, Burlington, ON L7L 4X5info@adidevelopments.com
2. City of Burlington, 426 Brant St., P.O. Box 5013, Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6, care of counsel: Blake.Hurley@burlington.ca
3. 6965083 Canada Inc. (Subsidiary of Sunlife Financial Inc.), 1800 – 181 BAY STREET, BROOKFIELD PLACE, TORONTO ON M5J 2T9, care of Counsel P. Devine, Devine Park LLP, 250 Yonge Street, Suite 2302, P.O Box 65, Toronto, ON, M5B 2L7 patrick.devine@devinepark.com 
4. 2145024 Ontario Ltd., care of Counsel S. Snider, Turkstra Mazza, 15 Bold St. Hamilton, Ontario L8P-1T3  reception@tmalaw.ca