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.