“I’m really impressed with the city planning department and the length they’ve gone to really educate us and do some pretty professional work here to show us what these things could look like and to facilitate the process as well to try and get us converging on something,” Mr. Colbert said. “I would vote for something medium because I’m concerned about the environmental impact of dropping 2,000 new people on the edge of the brow.”
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By Mark Newman
Mountain News
Residents living near Chedoke hospital have until midnight Dec. 31 to vote on-line for one of six public development options for the brow lands.
City planning staff and a subcommittee of residents originally came up with five options after community input in October. One of the options for medium- low development has since been split into two sections, one calling for the use of some existing buildings on the brow lands and the other would see those buildings torn down.
At a Dec. 13 public information centre at the Nash auditorium, residents were given the option of voting for one of six options ranging from no development to medium development.
A vote in person and on-line following a Nov. 13 public meeting indicated the residents’ two preferred options were either no development or limited development with 26 single family homes. But many of the neighbours noted that vote was done without knowing unit numbers, traffic flow numbers and population density estimates that city planning staff provided at last week’s meeting and requested all the options be opened for a final vote.
Some residents also noted many neighbours were unable to attend the Dec. 13 meeting and requested they be given the opportunity to vote on-line.
City senior project manager Brenda Khes said Chedoke area residents who were unable to attend the meeting can vote on-line via www.hamilton.ca/brow lands up until midnight Dec. 31.
Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead told last week’s meeting his office will print a few hundred flyers notifying Chedoke area residents of the final on-line vote if some of the neighbours agree to deliver them.
Many of the residents who attended last week’s meeting voted for their preferred option by placing a red sticker on one of six diagrams outlining each proposal.
Option number one – no development- garnered five votes. Option number two – limited development with 25 single detached homes – drew 16 votes. Option 3a – medium low development with 234 units drew eight votes. Option 3b – featuring 122 units, 68 of which would be in existing buildings, received four votes.
Option four – mixed use medium development with 256 units – attracted eight votes and Option five – the most development with 469 units – garnered two votes.
The residents’ input, which began with the first of four public information centres in September, will be used by the city to develop a modified secondary plan for the area which the residents hope will control the size and scope of future development on the brow lands.
Last spring, Deanlee Management of Mississauga purchased the brow lands from the Chedoke Health Corporation and in June submitted a proposal to the city to build 750 high-end condominium units on the site. The developer is also looking to close Sanatorium Road north of Scenic and make it a private condo road. The road closure process is expected to go through the public process in the coming months.
The city’s economic development and planning committee will consider both the modified secondary plan developed by the residents and Deanlee’s proposal in March or April. Planning staff also have the option of recommending to the councillors a proposal that incorporates some aspects of both proposals.
“We’ll prepare a report that includes all the information,” Ms. Khes said. “Everything Deanlee submitted, all the community consultation that we’ve done and we end up with a planning option and we justify what approach we are taking in that planning option. We provide a planning rationale for it.”
Barry Colbert, one of the Chedoke residents who has been part of the public planning process since the beginning, commended city planners for involving the residents in the process.
“I’m really impressed with the city planning department and the length they’ve gone to really educate us and do some pretty professional work here to show us what these things could look like and to facilitate the process as well to try and get us converging on something,” Mr. Colbert said. “I would vote for something medium because I’m concerned about the environmental impact of dropping 2,000 new people on the edge of the brow.”
Deanlee will hold a public information meeting about their proposal Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m. in the Nash auditorium. The developer is also offering to host a tour of Deanlee projects in the Toronto area, similar to the one being proposed for the brow lands, on the same day.
About Tech
Mark:
The attached article has incorrect information reported.
The 2 preferred options were
Number 1. No Development
Number 2. Mixed Use Development
The vote was opened up again because of the new information
regarding density and traffic flow and how it would impact the “Mixed Use Development”. These stats/numbers were not available to the community for the original vote.
Please report the facts correctly.
re: development of Chedoke heritage lands?
From: darlene mcilveen (darlenemcilveen@msn.com)
Sent: November 29, 2007 1:58:48 AM
To: mayorfred@hamilton.ca
Mayor Fred:
I voted for you because of your professed concern for development within Hamilton and surrounding areas.
I don’t know if you are aware of the development concerns regarding the Chedoke Browlands.
The stewarts of the Chedoke lands inheritance have over the last 10 years sold off this inheritance to support programs in health care facilities other than the west Hamilton Mountain area. (This heavily populated community has been told that area health care for the west Mountain is not a city priority; and that funding must be redirected to other areas.) Consequently, the assets of this community have been redirected away from this community to meet the needs of other Hamilton Health Care Facilities. Many members of this community do not believe that this was the intention of the Chedoke inheritance, and that a covenance should be honoured.
Developers have purchased the Chedoke Browlands. Three years ago, the stewarts of these lands promised that Hamilton zoning laws would protect the development integrity of these lands. “The lands are zoned as Agricultural AA/S-1353 District.” (City of Hamilton, “Public Information Centre”, September 11, 2007.) At the community meetings, we were told that because of city zoning the development could not exceed any existing structures. Thus, these regulations dictated that development structures could not exceed the existing Chedoke Continuing Care Centre. Additionally, the development structure(s) could not exceed a three story building, and the existing ground base.
I attended several meetings where the stewarts (sellers) reassured the community that the existing city zoning would protect these lands. Any purchaser of these lands would need to abide by these city zoning restrictions.
Subsequent community meetings have demonstrated that these reassurances were premature, and, frankly, deceptive. City representatives informed community members that the City of Hamilton is hostage to provincial “Intensification” planning. Thus, the existing zoning regulations are at risk.
West Hamilton Mountain has experienced excessive development. Businesses and home owners no longer invest in older communities, instead gobbling up undeveloped lands for development.
City and area health care facilities have benefited from the Chedoke lands inheritance, resulting in a variety of housing developments, long term health care structures, arena facilities, and the expansion of the Columbia International schooling structures, etc. These developments are costly, as existing older infrastructures decay at the expense of implementing the needs of newer developments. (Why would anyone invest in older communities as homeowners or as developers?)
Is it not possible to protect one small section of these lands as dictated by city zoning? “Keep It Scenic” is not a reactionary NIMBY response. This community has been responsive to the needs of the greater Hamilton-Wentworth area. The development of the Chedoke Browlands, however, is too costly for this community, and for the City of Hamilton.
Mayor Fred, I am appealing to you to become involved. Can you help this community? Does the city of Hamilton have any interest in protecting the escarpment from developers? Should we who invest in older homes and communities be secondary to the newer developments that temporarily add to the city coffers?
I am discouraged and disillusioned. I perform my civic duty by attending community meetings, paying taxes, and by voting for representational government. I also support and endorse the socio-economical programs vital for a caring Hamilton community. I don’t, however, want to attend any more meetings where I am lied to, or given presentations by City of Hamilton employees who seem to have a subversive hidden agenda. It has been proven to me that zoning laws and the community development vision is too easily subverted.
The Chedoke Browlands are in the trust of all Hamiltonians to guard for future generations, and these lands should be protected against development.
Your support and response to this concern would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
D. B. McIlveen