A Mississauga firm looking to develop the Chedoke brow lands remains hopeful an alternate plan can be worked out after its proposal was voted down by the city’s economic development and planning committee last week.

“We want to resolve this,” said Michele Starr, president of Deanlee Management Inc., after committee members voted 7-1 on Sept. 21 to refuse the developer’s bid to build as many as 700 townhouse and condo units on the 24-acre site along Sanatorium Road north of Scenic Drive. “Nobody wants to go to the (Ontario Municipal Board).”

City council was expected to reaffirm the denial at last night’s (Wednesday) meeting.

Committee members voted to deny the proposal after hearing from representatives from both sides.

Speaking for brow land area residents opposed to the development, planning consultant Jamie Bennett from the Thornhill-based MMM Group said Deanlee’s proposal is too intense for the site and not consistent with the city’s vision for future growth.

Ward 8 (west Mountain) Coun. Terry Whitehead said $4,800 of Bennett’s $5,000 fee was paid through the portion of his office budget, which provides for the hiring of consultants.

Whitehead said the expenditure was appropriate and approved by city staff.

“Nothing ties my hand from going out and utilizing my budget,” said Whitehead, who noted the consultant was hired in August with approval from the area residents before the city had established its position on the issue.

Under the city’s purchasing policy, expenditures under $5,000 do not require a request for proposals.

While city planning staff have supported Deanlee’s development proposal, Whitehead noted that with city council support Bennett will become the city’s planner of record on the brow lands issue and any future fees will be covered by the city.

The councillor said he’s “cautiously optimistic” an alternative development plan can be worked out between Deanlee, area residents and the city prior to an OMB hearing.

“I know there’s already been calls in from Deanlee to meet and see if they can find a mediated settlement,” Whitehead said.

Deanlee said in June it would take the matter to the OMB after committee members put the issue on hold to allow Whitehead to consult with the neighbours and gather more information on the matter.

Tim McCabe of the city’s planning department said Whitehead hiring a planner is not something that is done very often.

“I think it’s unusual for him to get a peer review of a report that has no council decision at that point,” he said.

The Ontario Municipal Board will ultimately decide if a Mississauga developer can build as many as 700 condominium and town house units on the Chedoke brow lands.

City planner Kirsten McCauley said the city received notice from Deanlee Management earlier this month asking that their proposal be referred to the OMB.

A date has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

Deanlee president Ron Starr said the company is appealing to the OMB in a bid to move the project forward. “I’ve been trying to work this out for four years and four months,” Starr said.

Under the Planning Act, a developer may appeal to the provincial body if council refuses or neglects to make a decision on their request within a prescribed amount of time depending on the nature of the request and section of the act after receiving the application.

McCauley said the city accepted Deanlee’s applications for development of the 24-acre site along Sanatorium Road, north of Scenic Drive, in the fall of 2007.

At a special meeting of the economic development and planning committee June 10, committee members agreed to put the issue on hold so that brow land area residents opposed to the development can put together an alternative plan that is expected to suggest a less intensive development.

“Most of us within the committee would like to see (the brow lands) as a park, but we know that’s not going to happen,” said Rod Priel, spokesperson for the steering committee the residents organized following last month’s committee meeting.

Priel said the group is in the process of hiring a planning consultant to help them come up with a lower number of units for the brow lands that the OMB will support.

They’re also looking for volunteers and to raise money to pay for a lawyer to represent them at the OMB hearing.

Steering committee member Jim Stewart said he wants to see the natural environment of the brow lands preserved including the 250 or so trees he says he’s counted on the site.

He’s also concerned about how the proposed development will affect local ground water, adding he hasn’t seen any reports addressing that issue.

While city planners are recommending city councillors approve Deanlee’s application, Starr did leave the door open to a possible compromise with the neighbours before the matter goes before the OMB.

“It all depends what the compromise is,” Starr said.

“We’re still negotiating,” said Ron Starr, president of development at Deanlee Management.

The company is looking at building about 650 condominium and townhouse units on the 9.6 hectares (24 acres) brow land along Sanatorium Road, north of Scenic Drive, that it purchased from the Chedoke Health Corporation more than three years ago.

As many as half of those units will be aimed at retirees with prices starting at about $250,000 and up.

The wood lot on the east side of the property has been deemed an environmentally sensitive area and will not be developed.

Starr said he feels the development plan needs a little more tweaking to satisfy city planners and he’s optimistic the project can go before the economic development and planning committee in June.

“We do not want to go to the OMB (Ontario Mu n i c i p a l Board) on this,” said Starr, who noted the uniqueness of the project has led to numerous discussions and communications with city planners.

Starr said Deanlee Management has addressed capacity concerns about the on-site storm water management pond that was raised by the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

The Niagara Escarpment Commission also raised concerns about the 10-storey building slated for the middle of the site, but Starr said he feels the consultants report provided by Deanlee proves the building will not have a negative impact on the area.

The 64-year-old Starr is no stranger to municipal politics.

He was a city councilor in Mississauga in 1979-80 and has registered to run for a second time against former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish in Mississauga’s Ward 6.

Letters To The Editor – Mountain News
Nov 20, 2009
Re: Chedoke brow lands plan targets retirees (Nov. 13)

It seems to be a pattern in Hamilton whereby a problem arises, a mediocre plan is developed and neither side in the dispute is at all satisfied with the outcome

This pattern is soon to repeat itself with the “re-development” of the Chedoke brow lands.

Deanlee Management has submitted an official proposal to the city’s planning department that would see another exclusive, destructive and unsustainable development scar the face of our community, already in desperate need of a new attitude.

The units in this sprawling new development along the escarpment will start at $250,000, well out of the reach of a vast majority of the seniors in Hamilton.

Over 25 per cent of local senior citizens live in poverty, while countless others have trouble getting by on their dwindling pensions.

In a time of economic hardship, it is insulting to the people of this city to claim a new housing project will be “targeted to retirees” when, in reality, it fails to even make the appearance of inclusiveness.

Furthermore, this development will be ruthlessly destructive, carving through our community without regard for local heritage.

Deanlee’s plan will demolish the 92-year-old East Pavilion that was used to help rehabilitate soldiers returning home from the First World War.

Truly one of the saddest things about Hamilton is our seeming lack of respect for heritage buildings, especially ones with vibrant and often hidden histories such as this structure.

To destroy the East Pavilion would be removing it from our landscape and from countless generations to come that could have learned about their city’s magnificent past through it.

To simply add to the obvious problems with this development is the fact that it is single-use, adding nothing but extra traffic to an area already plagued by congestion.

No shops, theaters, parks, recreational facilities or institutional buildings such as churches and community centers will be part of this plan, and the addition of 1500 new residents will simply increase demand for all these services.

This entire development shows the same lack of foresight that has seen the rising prevalence of poorly accessible power centers fill the void in the community for desired services.

I strongly urge the planning department to study these facts and reject this proposal.

The expected $3 million in tax revenue will be eaten up in road maintenance, snow clearing and extra services the rapid influx of new residents will require.

The heritage of the area will be compromised, the exclusive nature of this program is appalling and the unsustainable development style will cause major problems.

If the planning department approves this proposal, I urge councillors to vote against it. If council accepts this plan, I urge the taxpayers of this city to show their disapproval to Deanlee Development, the city planning department and city council.

It’s not too late to save our community from another disastrous development.

Chris Erl, Hamilton Mountain

By Mark Newman

http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/news/article/142924

Sep 12, 2008

West Mountain residents who were hoping for no development on the Chedoke brow lands are going to be disappointed.

City planning staff, currently reviewing a revised plan by Deanlee Management to build upwards of 600 high end condominium units on the site, will be recommending some sort of development on the brow lands to the economic development and planning committee in the fall.

“We’re not suggesting no development at all,” said Brenda Khes, a senior project manager with the city. “What we’re trying to figure out is how much.”

Ms. Khes noted the lands are designated as urban and the Mississauga developer has provided justification for development to proceed.

City planning officials received the revised submission in late August and Ms. Khes said it will be circulated around to the various commenting agencies such as the Niagara Escarpment Commission for review.

In a Jan. 7 report the NEC raised concerns that Deanlee might be planning to build too many tall buildings too close to the Mountain brow.

Ron Starr, president of development at Deanlee, said concerns expressed by the NEC and other groups have been addressed in the updated submission.

“We’ve done what we feel is the best job possible to address the issues,” Mr. Starr said. “We’ve made changes, there’s a lot more green space.”

Mr. Starr said previously that Deanlee has backed away from its previous proposal to build 750 units and is looking at fewer but larger units.

City planning staff will consider Deanlee’s submission, comments from local groups and agencies and the secondary planning process for the area that was conducted last fall with input from Chedoke area residents before making a recommendation to the councillors, Ms. Khes said. They will also ready an official plan amendment and zoning bylaw amendment for the committee.

During the secondary planning process, Chedoke area residents voted for limited development (25 single detached homes) on the lands on either side of Sanatorium Road, north of Scenic Road. The residents were told by city officials that zero development was not an option because it would likely be overturned by the Ontario Municipal Board.

The secondary planning process was undertaken by the residents in a bid to control the size and scope of future development on the brow lands.

Since planning staff have to review the revised submission and then circulate it for comments, Ms. Khes doesn’t expect the issue to go before the councillors until November at the earliest.

Mr. Starr is not pleased with the November timeline, noting that will make it a year and a half since the project was originally proposed. The developer was was hoping to see their proposal brought before the committee this month.

Deanlee purchased the 9.6 hectare (24 acre) brow lands from the Chedoke Health Corporation in the spring of 2007, with the sale slated to close in December. The developer is also looking to close Sanatorium Road north of Scenic and make it a private condo road.

Under the revamped proposal, Deanlee is looking to build an eight to 10 storey condominium building and a couple of six to eight storey buildings at the centre of the property. The four to six storey condo buildings proposed for the northwest side of the property and on either side of Sanatorium Road just north of Scenic are retained from the earlier proposal.

By Mark Newman
Mountain News Aug 08, 2008

When Deanlee Management submits its final draft plan for Chedoke brow land development to the city in the next few weeks it could contain fewer then the 750 units the Mississauga developer had originally proposed.

“It could vary any place from 600 to 750 (units), but we don’t think the 750 is something that we’re going to push simply because I think, given some of the market studies we’ve done, we’ve seen people want larger units,” said Ron Starr, president of development at Deanlee.

After reviewing comments from city planning officials and agencies such as the Niagara Escarpment Commission about the proposal that was given to the city in June 2007, Mr. Starr said Deanlee filed revised conceptual drawings of the proposed development north of Scenic Drive with the city’s planning department about three weeks ago.

Mr. Starr said the company is now in the process of refining those drawings after hearing back from city planners and some agencies and he expects a final draft plan to go to the city in the next few weeks. He’s hoping to get approval from the economic development and planning committee in mid September which would allow the development to go forward.

Deanlee purchased the 9.6 hectare (24 acre) brow lands from the Chedoke Health Corporation in the spring of 2007, with the sale slated to close in December. The developer is also looking to close Sanatorium Road north of Scenic and make it a private condo road.

Under the revamped proposal, Deanlee is looking to build an eight to 10 storey condominium building and a couple of six to eight storey buildings at the centre of the property. The four to six storey condo buildings proposed for the northwest side of the property and on either side of Sanatorium Road just north of Scenic are retained from the earlier proposal.

The two to three storey condo town houses planned along Scenic Drive west of Sanatorium Road have been reworked so it won’t look like row housing.

“It’ll look like a very, very large house, but with multiple units in it,” Mr. Starr said.

In addition, Deanlee is looking to build a three to five storey condo building in front of the wood lot on the east side of the site. The wood lot is expected to be turned over to the city for preservation.

The high end condos are expected to sell for upwards of $300,000.

Mr. Starr said the green space near the centre of the property that includes the storm water management pond will be expanded.

NEC concerns

In a Jan. 7 report responding to the city’s request for comments on the project, the Niagara Escarpment Commission said Deanlee did not submit enough documents to determine whether the development was acceptable under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act and recommended the city refuse the developer’s application until additional information to satisfy the requirements of the Act were submitted.

NEC planner Martin Kilian said the proposal must comply with section 1.7 of the Act which, in part, the states: “All development should be of an urban design compatible with the visual and natural environment of the Escarpment.”

Essentially, Mr. Kilian said, that means when someone looks up from the base of the Escarpment they will see natural features rather then tall buildings.

Mr. Kilian added the NEC is also concerned that Deanlee is considering too many tall buildings too close to the brow.

“We’re not saying they are, we’re saying they might be,” Mr. Kilian said.

The NEC has asked Deanlee to provide a visual assessment of their proposal. Mr. Starr said that has been done and that report is included as part of the revamped proposal that has been submitted to the city. It will be circulated to commenting agencies such as the NEC.

In its earlier comments the NEC said the 30 meter set-back (from the brow) proposed for the development should be the minimum setback should the existing brow building be demolished.

Mr. Starr feels Deanlee has addressed the NEC’s concerns. He noted the tallest building on the site will be at least 200 metres from the Mountain brow and the brown and green buildings they are planning to build on the property should blend in well with the existing landscape.

“From the ground you can’t see this project,” Mr. Starr said. “With…the visualization and the angle and the right facade treatment, I challenge people once the project is done to find it from many miles out.”

All of the existing buildings on the site, with the exception of the Long and Bisby building, currently home to a day care operation, will be torn down.

Mr. Starr said the Long and Bisby building may be used as a medical clinic in the future.

“We’re exploring all that,” he said.

Deanlee is also looking at possibly saving part of the former continuing care building near the brow which dates back to 1917 and has been empty for more than two years.

The revamped plan is unlikely to get approval from a group of nearby residents who have been adamantly opposed to the project.

“It seems like a bit of a shell game,” said Barry Colbert, a neighbour who feels the developer is just moving units around from one part of the site to another.”I don’t think any of the residents are going to be impressed by that.”

Mr. Colbert is concerned Deanlee’s development will result in more pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area, adding the move to reduce the number of units from 750 to somewhere around 600 is still no where near what the residents are seeking.

HamiltonMountainNews.com: News: Story: Brow land could see fewer units

Firstly, I would like to advise the community of some FACTS:

1. Deanlee is paying 5 millions for this property…I think that’s a steal

and a profit margin would be easily obtainable.

2. We have submitted a pettition to the City with approximately 600

names against this type of development. (note that these are

voting individuals in the community).

3. The community voted for the type of development they could live with,

The vote overwhelmingly opted for the single family homes. The

stats are posted on our site for your information.

In my opinion, the above outweighs the 14 individuals that have

expressed their interest in the type of units Deanlee is proposing.

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Brow lands development proposal not carved in stone

Developer willing to look at fewer units if return on investment not compromised

By Mark Newman

News

Feb 01, 2008

Deanlee Management is willing to look at fewer then the 750 units it has proposed for the Chedoke brow lands.

“It’s not carved in stone,” said Ron Starr, president of development at the Mississauga firm. “There’s flexibility in this process.”

Possible ways of reducing the number of units Mr. Starr offered, could include increasing the size of the single family homes, townhouses and condominium units proposed for the the site thereby requiring fewer of them or by adding luxury penthouse condos to the top of some of the proposed buildings, which would also reduce the total number of units.

Mr. Starr said Deanlee is willing to look at fewer units on the site if they can be shown to be financially viable for the company and there is planning support and justification for the change.

“Show us a solution,” Mr. Starr said. “We still haven’t seen any (alternative), we’re either had no development or limited development and we knew that from day one.”

In December, as part of the secondary planning process for the brow lands along Sanatorium Road, north of Scenic Drive, the majority of residents living near the site voted for either limited development that would see 25 single family homes on the brow lands or no development at all.

Mr. Starr said those two options are non-starters.

“It’s not even reasonable,” said Mr. Starr, who added Deanlee has been prepared since “day one” to go to the Ontario Municipal Board to seek approval for the project if a development agreement with the city and the neighbours cannot be worked out.

“I think the residents truly believe what they’re doing is the right thing, but I think they’re missing the opportunity to really come back to the owners (and) developers of the land to say this is what we’ll live with,” Mr. Starr said. “If somebody can give us some good ideas and there’s the ability to compromise and utilize the lands as we as builders think is a good compromise, we’re quite willing to listen.”

Mr. Starr estimated Deanlee will spend as much as $250 million on labour, materials and other costs to develop the brow lands. He expects most of builders and sub contractors they use will be from the Hamilton area.

“You utilize as many local people as you can because it’s cost-efficient,” Mr. Starr said.

In addition, Mr. Starr said the company expects to pay as much as $20 million in development charges and about $3 million a year in property taxes.

Mr. Starr said not all of the neighbours in the area oppose the development plans, noting Deanlee has received requests from as many as 14 people who live within “walking distance” of the brow lands to be put on a reservation list for the condos.

City planning staff are reviewing Deanlee’s proposal as well as information gathered from the residents during the secondary planning process and are expected to make their recommendation to the economic and planning committee in March or April.

On Jan. 17, Deanlee officials took a group of city planning staff and brow lands area residents on a bus tour of some developments in Toronto, Oakville and Burlington to give them an idea of the kind of buildings and surrounding landscaping they hope to construct and how some residential development has been merged with open space.

“I think some of the examples they showed us were very positive,” said John Norris, a brow land area resident and member of the group Mountainview Residents for Recreation of Hamilton.

Mr. Norris said the non-profit group is pushing Deanlee and the city to maintain as much open space on the brow lands as possible.

Their proposals include: preserving the east side of the development at Scenic Drive and Sanatorium Road (a former baseball field) as parkland; installing a set of stairs from in front of the Long and Bisby building to the rail trail below and improving pathways around the water retention pond area in the centre of the brow lands to make it a more scenic walking corridor.

I shot a series of pictures: You can view the sets at Flickr.com by clicking here or you can quickly scroll through each set by clicking on the thumbnails below.

However, the aerial views on the ‘flickr site’ will aid in understanding the environmental framework within which these developments occurred and it is obvious that none are remotely like the Chedoke Brow area. For instance, all of the developments are located within close proximity to major road systems.
______________________________________________________________

	Fram Development- Lakeshore Rd and Hurontario Street, Port Credit	Old Mill and old Mill Terraces - Bloor St. east of Royal York Rd. And West Humber River	Health Street Condominiums - Health St. between Bathurst ST. and Spadina Rd.	Bedford Glen Residential Development

1. FRAM development Lakeshore Road and Hurontario Street, Port Credit
Note that the aerial view is an older picture of this development and the demolition of a city block / brown field site is evident in this image.

2. Old Mill Inn and Old Mill Terraces – Bloor St. East of Royal York Road and west of Humber River [singlepic=1,80,60,right]

Old Mill community also has lawn signs protesting development - check out their website at http://kingswayresidents.com/

3. High Rise Condominiums – St. Clair Ave and Spadina Rd
Same as #4

4. Health Street Condominiums – Health St. between Bathurst ST. and Spadina Rd.

5. Bedford Glen Residential Development – Avenue Rd. north of Lawrence Ave

I observed that all of the developments were built very close (a block or so) from major roadways (at least four lanes)and major high rise areas.

(On the FRAM development site was a very small plot of land that they had left behind as a natural area – you will see the sign posting in the picture.)

None of the areas we looked at were similar to Chedoke Brow, in terms of its beauty, location, heritage components or access routes. I did not see any evidence of development that preserved the natural setting for all residents.

I can’t speak for the planning staff, But from my perspective, I was significantly under whelmed and disturbed by what the developers are suggesting……

Public input will be considered as city planners grapple with development proposal for area north of Scenic Drive

If residents living near Chedoke hospital get their way, development of the brow lands will see only 25 single detached homes erected on the west-side of Sanatorium Road north of Scenic Drive.
The limited development option (option number two) was the overwhelming favourite of residents who voted at a Dec. 13 public information centre at the Nash auditorium or online prior to midnight Dec. 31.

Of the 224 votes cast by the deadline, option number two garnered 120 votes (104 by e-mail). Option number one – no development – drew 62 votes (57 by e-mail); option 3a – medium-low development with 234 townhouse and apartment units – received 10 votes (one by e-mail); option 3b – medium-low development with 122 townhouse and apartment units in new and existing buildings – received 14 votes (10 by e-mail); option four – mixed use medium development with 256 units, mostly apartments and townhouses and a few single family homes – got 12 votes (three by e-mail) and option five – the most development with 469 units comprised mostly of apartments and some townhouses – drew six votes (four by e-mail).

The unit numbers for each option are estimates provided by city planning staff as part of the modified secondary planning work for the brow lands that began with the first of four public information centres last September. Chedoke area residents are hoping the secondary plan will control the size and scope of future development on the brow lands.

The residents’ preferred option is in stark contrast to the plan Deanlee Management of Mississauga filed with the city last June.

Deanlee, who purchased the 9.6 hectare (24 acre) brow lands from the Chedoke Health Corporation last spring, is looking 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.

Planning staff are now pouring over Deanlee’s proposal, which includes a number of reports and studies including a planning justification report, environmental impact statement, heritage assessment, archeological assessment and a traffic study.

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.

City senior planner Brenda Khes said planning staff will consider the public input as part of the review process. Planning staff also have the option of recommending to the councillors an option that incorporates some aspects of both proposals.

Deanlee had planned to hold a public open house about the proposed development January 17, but company director Ron Starr said they had to cancel the meeting because they need time to review comments from a number of local groups and agencies that have come into the city’s planning department. Mr. Starr said a public open house will be rescheduled in the next few weeks.

After 224 votes, the results are in:

Please note that 5 votes were received after the cut off time and have not been factored into the above numbers:

• 2 votes for Option #1
• 2 votes for Option #2
• 1 vote for Option #5

Thank you for your participation in this process. Your input has been utilized to create the overall community vision for the Chedoke Brow Lands. The public consultation process and the final community plan will be incorporated into City staff’s planning report to Economic Development and Planning Committee on the development applications.