Nov 16, 2007

Community-generated options range from no development to modest residential housing

Residents living near the Chedoke brow lands have been given five development options for the west Mountain property. The options range from no development to a modest plan for residential housing north of Scenic Drive.

The options were presented to about 100 residents at the third public information centre organized by the city’s planning and economic development department in the Ewart Auditorium at the Chedoke Hospital campus Nov. 13.

Each of the options were presented by members of a citizens sub-committee that was formed last month to mull over and try to find common themes from 12 general development plans that were put together by Chedoke area residents at a public information centre at Mohawk College Oct. 11.

The citizens’ input is being used by city planning officials 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 9.6 hectare (24 acres) 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.

It’s expected the city’s economic development and planning committee will consider both the modified secondary plan developed by the residents and Deanlee’s proposal early next spring.

Eric Soberg, who grew up in the area and his mother still lives on Scenic Drive, presented the first option that calls for no development. He urged residents to fight against any development on the property and preserve it for future generations.

“This is a crown piece of property,” Mr. Soberg said. “Chedoke Health Sciences has sold us out as a community.”

The second option calls for limited development, with single detached homes no more than two and a half storeys high on the north-west side of the brow lands and some

similar homes on a pocket of land at the north-west corner of Scenic Drive and Sanatorium Road.

“Everything else we’d like to leave as green space,” said Colleen Morrison, who presented the proposal. “This is what I see as a good option.”

Option three calls for medium-low development with low-rise four storey buildings behind the former continuing care building on the north-west side of the land and a low rise building on the west side of the site near the wood lot and Long and Bisby building.

“We’re looking at development around existing buildings,” said Bart Brosseau, who presented the option.

The plan also calls for two blocks of three storey townhouses on either side of Sanatorium Road just north of Scenic Drive. Green space is proposed along the majority of Scenic as a buffer to the interior development.

Barry Colbert, who presented option five, which calls for mixed-use medium development, noted the property has a healthcare history and he would like to see that maintained in any new development.

“Let’s make this a wellness-themed, mixed use development,” said Mr. Colbert, who noted that could mean a nursing home or some other kinds of wellness facility.

The option calls for four storey terrace buildings near the former continuing care building with wellness services on the ground floor and residential units above. Single homes are proposed along Scenic Drive (west of Sanatorium) with rear access lanes. Townhouses are proposed on either side of Sanatorium north of Scenic and a four storey building is suggested for the middle of the property on the west side of Sanatorium. The Long and Bisby building would be converted for mixed public and residential use.

The fifth option contains the most development of the five proposals.

“The intent here is to provide heavier development within the centre area (of the brow lands),” said presenter John Norris.

The option proposes to retain the former continuing care building and develop six storey (mid rise) terraced residential buildings on the south side of the facility. Parking will be inside the buildings or screened from the roads. A six storey building is proposed near the Long and Bisby building with two low rise (three and four storey) buildings on either side of Sanatorium, north of Scenic. A row of townhouses facing Scenic with rear lane access are proposed for the west side of the site.

“It allows us to get as much green space as possible,” said Mr. Norris, who estimated the plan could include as many as 400 units, 350 less than Deanlee’s proposal.

Mr. Norris said he believes the option is defendable should the developer take the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board.

After the proposals were presented, the residents voted for their first and second preferred options.

City senior project manager Brenda Khes said Chedoke neighbours who were unable to attend the meeting can vote on-line until Dec. 3.

Several residents complained it was difficult to pick an option because the proposals did not come with a number of units attached.

“We don’t have a unit count on them yet because there’s a lot of work that has to be done to figure out units,” Ms. Khes said.

Ms. Khes said planning staff will tally the votes and bring back the community’s preferred option to the next public information centre on Dec. 13. At that time planning staff will also have an estimated number of units for each option.

“If the votes are really close, then we have to decide whether or not are we going to combine the two types of options or are we going to come back with two preferred options,” Ms. Khes said.

Residents will have one final chance to comment on and make adjustments to the preferred option next month before it is incorporated into the modified secondary plan and sent to the councillors.

Ms. Khes said a final meeting may be required in January to complete the process.

She told the residents the time and effort they’ve spent on the secondary planning process will carry have a lot of weight before city council and the OMB.

Mark Newman, Mountain

Sep 21, 2007)

Residents living near the Chedoke browlands are hoping a document from 1935 will force a Mississauga firm to de-intensify plans for browland development.

Deanlee Management is looking to erect 750 units in a combination of low rise and townhouse condominiums on 9.6 hectares (24 acres) of browland property north of Scenic Drive that it purchased last spring from the Chedoke Health Corporation. The sale is expected to close in December, 2008.

After pouring through a large pile of title search documents supplied by Deanlee, city officials recently came across a land transfer document dated Aug. 31, 1935 regarding the sale of a piece of browland property to the Hamilton Health Association (forerunner of the Chedoke Health Corporation) for what appears to be $1,200. The sellers were Hamilton lawyer Cecil V. Langs, his wife Edith Langs and a New York City resident.

According to a photo copy of the faded document obtained by the Mountain News, the sellers put in some covenants or restrictions that the property be used for “park and/or residential purposes only” and that no buildings other than single family residences worth more than $6,000 shall be built on the site.

If the document still has any legal application to the property it could affect Deanlee’s plans for development.

Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead has asked the city’s legal department to see if the covenants can be enforced.

“Do we have a legal recourse to ensure the covenant is adhered to and not lifted and does the Chedoke (Health Corporation) have a moral responsibility to let the (public) know there was a covenant in place and do we have a moral high ground in pressing them to abide by the spirit of the covenant that was in place,” Mr. Whitehead said.

The councillor said his staff are trying to track down descendants of Edith Langs to see if there are family members who wish to pursue the land restrictions or have an agent (such as the city) do it on their behalf.

“It’s another piece of the argument in the context of trying to push or force Deanlee to understand the concerns of the community,” Mr. Whitehead said.

Colleen Morrison, one of a group of area residents opposed to the proposed development, is hopeful the document will help them in their battle.

“I believe it does, saying that this land was intended for parkland or single family homes and when you say single family homes, to me I think of individual houses, I guess that is open to interpretation,” Ms. Morrison said.

Other browland area residents remain vehemently opposed to the development.

“I’ve always regarded (the browlands) as a park,” said Willi Wald. “All of a sudden it has been sold to a speculator to build vertical slums in there.”

“The project proposed for this area goes against every common sense,” said Constatin Lacatus. “Destroying such a beautiful area here doesn’t make any sense.”

Chris Robertson, who is running for the Progressive Conservatives in Hamilton Centre (which includes part of the west Mountain), said he supports the residents in their opposition and urges Hamilton Health Sciences (a beneficiary of monies from the Chedoke Health Corporation raised through land sales) to do what it can to ensure the browlands becomes parkland or only detached single family homes are built on the site.

Deanlee director Ron Starr said the old land document has no bearing on the proposed development.

“As far as we’re concerned it doesn’t apply.” said Mr. Starr, who noted that under the land registry system, restrictions like the ones in the document expire after 40 years.

Mr. Starr said Deanlee would not have gone to all the trouble and expense of purchasing the land and making development plans for the property if there was anything that would have stopped the project from moving forward.

“We’ve done our homework,” said Mr. Starr, who noted no one from the opposition group has come to the company with an alternative development proposal.

Mr. Starr said he was going to discuss the matter further with Deanlee lawyers this week and send a letter to the city and the community in the coming weeks to clarify the covenant matter.

Chedoke Health Corporation planner Don May also said the 40 year rule applies to the browlands.

“Our lawyers are satisfied (the document) has no status,” Mr. May said.

He added the parcel of land the document refers to is about an acre in size on the west side of the browlands.

GRIDS – Planning For Smart Growth Over The Next 30 Years

HAMILTON’S VISION 2020

PLACES TO GROW

Growth Backgrounder.pdf

Not Referenced, but worth a look:

Infrastructures and Potential Urban Futures

Thanks for taking a look.

Colleen