For your protection please do not post personal information (address, phone number, etc…) on this website. Use the email link to cast your vote.(email:Kirsten McCauley)

(Information below is from the City Of Hamilton Website)

If you were unable to attend the Chedoke Brow Lands Public Information Centre #3 and you would like to vote on the different community development options, you may vote by doing the following:

1. Send an email to Kirsten McCauley with your name, address and first Preferred Option and second Preferred Option choices indicated (please note that if your name and address are not provided your vote will not count).
2. If you wish, you may also fill out a comment sheet providing rationale for your choice.

Option #1 – No Development
This option means that no new development occurs on the brow lands. This is the standard ?Do Nothing? option.

Option #2 – Limited Development
This option contemplates minimal development by removing the existing Continuing Care Centre, Annex, East Pavillion and Mooreland Building and constructing single detached dwellings in this area. Single detached dwellings are also proposed between the stormwater management facility and Sanatorium Road. This option preserves the maximum amount of green space with the least amount of development.

Option #3 – Medium-Low Development
This option contemplates moderate development around the Continuing Care Centre and Mooreland Building and proposes to preserve the existing buildings where appropriate and feasible. Low rise buildings at a maximum of 4 storeys with a green courtyard are envisioned for this area. Two blocks of row housing (street townhouses) are proposed to the east and west of Sanatorium Road north of Scenic Drive. A low-rise building is proposed in proximity to the Long and Bisby building. Green space is proposed along the majority of Scenic Drive as a buffer to the interior development.

Option #4 – Mixed-Use Medium Development
This option contemplates a mix of ?community wellness? uses with residential uses. The Continuing Care Facility should be preserved as a public mixed use building (such as an art gallery or community centre) with low rise (4 storey) mixed-use buildings proposed in the area south of the Continuing Care Centre. Single detached dwellings are proposed fronting along Scenic Drive with rear access lanes. Green space buffers the low rise buildings from the single detached dwellings. Townhouses are proposed west and east Sanatorium Road north of Scenic Drive with green space proposed in this area.

Option #5 – Most Development

This option contemplates the highest level of development. This option proposes to retain the Continuing Care Centre and develop mid rise 6 storey terraced residential buildings to the south in the central area of the existing buildings. This area has no mixed use proposed and will require parking in buildings or screened from roads. A 6 storey mid rise building is also proposed adjacent to the Long and Bisby building with two low rise buildings at the west and east corners of the intersection of Scenic Drive and Sanatorium Road (3 storey along Scenic Drive with an additional storey stepped up). Townhouses are proposed to the west fronting on Scenic Drive with rear lane access. Green space is proposed south of the woodlot and to the west of the stormwater management facility.

Chedoke Brow Lands – Community Development Options

Answers provided by the CHC Planning Consultant to Questions raised at the June 14, 2007 meeting:

a. Was the land ever offered to the City for $1?

The City staff and Chedoke Health Corporation are not aware of brow lands being offered to the City for a dollar. CHC discussed transferring ownership of the woodlot to the City but it was decided that the entire brow lands should be planned as one unit and the woodlot may be transferred to the City as part of the overall subdivision approval.

b. How much land is CHC retaining for the purposes of health care?

The Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is working on a final master plan which will determine the lands HHS wishes to retain from the present long term lease. CHC is proposing to transfer title to HHS of the requested retained lands. The HHS is seeking to retain approximately 15 acres. If the Children?s Hospital decides to develop more children?s programs at Chedoke there may be a need to retain an additional 7 acres on the east side of Sanatorium Road (around the Patterson Building).

c. How much of the land was sold for St. Peters, Arena, YWCA, Brow trail?

St. Peters received a donation of approximately 5 acres from Chedoke Health Corporation and they purchased an additional 2.2 acres of which they have returned 1.2 acres. Therefore, 6 acres have been transferred in total to St. Peter?s.

The City of Hamilton received approximately 8 acres of land from CHC for the Arena in exchange for the City assuming the responsibility for upgrades to Chedmac Drive as warranted. When the intersection of Chedmac and Rice Road was reconstructed the City received a further ? acre to the parcel.

The YWCA has not received any lands as of yet. CHC is awaiting a decision by the YWCA to locate a facility at Chedoke. The size of the land has yet to be determined. If there are some synergies between the YWCA and HHS the facility may be integrated into the HHS campus master plan.

The Brow trail is approximately 1.5 acres and was transferred to the City in exchange for park credits.

d. What is the relationship between CHC and the HHS?

Chedoke Health Corporation is a separate non profit corporation from Hamilton Health Sciences. Mr. Southall?s (President of CHC) message in the 2001 CHC newsletter stated that CHC hoped to strengthen the relationship (support) with the new HHS. The majority of the donations made by CHC have been to HHS although there have been some significant gifts to other health care organizations such as St. Josephs and St. Peters.

Contact information for the Chedoke Health Corporation Planning Consultant:

Donald May, MCIP, RPP
ALMOST THERE INC.
3310 South Service Road, Suite 205
Burlington ON L7N 3M6
Tel: (905) 332-2324
Fax: (905) 681-2924

Information provided by Chedoke Health Corporation

Height of buildings will be lower than initial proposals

Mark Newman, Hamilton Mountain News

A diagram of the proposed development of the Chedoke browlands by Deanlee Management. The numbers indicate the number of storeys for each building.

(Aug 24, 2007)

There won’t be any skyscrapers, but development plans for the Chedoke browlands call for at least one eight-storey building and two other complexes that could reach the same height as part of the proposal to build 750 units on the site.

If each unit has two occupants, the new development will bring another 1,500 residents to the west Mountain community over the next several years.

The request for an official plan amendment and by-law amendment were submitted early last week by Deanlee Management of Mississauga, who purchased the 9.6 hectare (24 acre) property from the Chedoke Health Corporation last spring with the deal expected to close in December 2008.

According to a concept drawing included among the box of documents submitted by Deanlee, the developer wants to build an eight-storey condominium complex in the middle of the browlands north of Scenic Drive and two, four- to six-storey condominium buildings on either side of Sanatorium Road at Scenic. According to the diagram, two six- to eight -storey condos are planned within the footprint of the two smaller units further back from the intersection.

In addition, an L-shaped, four- to six-storey building is planned for the north-west side of the property and a couple of rows of two- to three-storey condo townhouse units are planned along Scenic Drive, west of Sanatorium.

Several residents in the area sounded alarm bells earlier this year when previous development options floated

by Deanlee included three or four 12- to 14- storey buildings near Scenic and Sanatorium.

Deanlee director Ron Starr said they backed off from the higher structures following public complaints.

“It’s medium density,” Mr. Starr said. “We listened to the folks in the area.”

Regarding the number of units planned for the development, Mr. Starr called the 750 proposal “a good number for the site.”

All of the units are expected to be targeted at the high-end market, selling for upwards of $300,000 each.

The former long-term continuing care building near the brow that dates back to 1917 will be incorporated as part of the L-shaped building. Mr. Starr said they are hoping to save part of the structure.

Most of the other buildings on the site are expected to be torn down although the Long and Bisby building will be maintained. Mr. Starr said the daycare service currently operating in the building will likely remain there for at least the near future. He added the building could become home to a social agency some time down the road.

Mr. Starr said the green belt near the middle of the property west of Sanatorium will be expanded and left open as a rain-water catch pond and the woodlot east of Sanatorium will be turned over to the city and public access to local trails on the browlands will be maintained.

Deanlee, Mr. Star said, has spent about $500,000 preparing its submission to the city. The submission was expected to contain a number of reports including: an environmental impact statement, traffic study, archeological assessment, heritage assessment, a planning justification report and a functional servicing report.

“Hopefully we don’t have to go to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board), but if we do, we’ve generated all the information we need to go ahead,” Mr. Starr said.

The developer is hoping to begin construction next spring, with the work being done in two or three phases, probably starting with the redevelopment of the former long-term continuing care building.

Mr. Starr said Deanlee has heard from about 12 area residents who have expressed interest in buying one of the units.

Brenda Khes, project manager of community planning at city hall, confirmed Deanlee’s application has been received.

She said the proposal will be reviewed by city planning staff to see if any issues need to be resolved. The proposal will also be sent to a variety of departments and community organizations such as the Niagara Escarpment Commission and Hamilton Conservation Authority for comment.

By late August or early September, the city will notify residents living within 120 metres of the site of the development proposal and provide a number to call for more information.

The next step would normally be for city staff to forward the proposal to the planning and development committee with a recommendation for or against approval.

But, at the request of Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead and with input from local residents, the city has begun a modified secondary planning process for the area that is expected to govern the size and scope of future development on the browlands.

Ms. Khes said nothing will go to committee until after the secondary plan is done and the public comments gathered as part of that process will be taken into account when Deanlee’s proposal is reviewed.

Under provincial law, the city must respond to Deanlee’s proposal within six months of receiving the application.

“What are you going to do with all this traffic,” asked Scenic Drive resident Don Fawcett, who called the street “an express route”.

Mr. Fawcett said he counted 978 vehicles drive past his home between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on June 12.

Brenda Khes, senior project manager at the city, told the gathering Deanlee has yet to submit an application to develop the site.”

There is nothing we can do to stop them submitting an application,” Ms. Khes said.

She noted any application by the developer will have to include a numbers of items including an environmental impact statement, traffic study, archeological assessment, heritage assessment, planning justification report and a functional servicing report (what impact will the develop have on the local sewer system).“They have to basically justify (their development),” Ms. Khes said.

Mr. Whitehead said it should be the city not the developer that leads the planning process in the west Mountain neighbourhood and he asked the residents to join him in helping develop a modified secondary plan that will govern the size and scope of future browland development.

The councillor said he’s hoping the secondary plan will, with input from city planners, become the development blueprint for the site. The process is expected to run from September to December.“

At (the end) of that process we’ll have an understanding of what kind of densities, what kind of heights the community can live with,” Mr. Whitehead said.

The council also warned the residents that what ever plan for the browlands they agree to, it must be comprehensive, based on solid planning principles and be defendable at city council and at the Ontario Municipal Board.

He said simply denying Deanlee’s proposal is not an option for the community, because the developer would likely appeal that decision to the OMB.

“We’re going to spend lots of money at the OMB and we’re going to lose,” Mr. Whitehead said.

The councillor also noted the city has 180 days to respond to any application from Deanlee which is enough to complete a modified secondary plan process for the browlands.

Mr. Whitehead said he would ask his council colleagues to delay considering any site plan application until the modified secondary planning is completed.

Barry Colbert, a spokesperson for a group of Scenic Drive residents opposed to the browland development supported Mr. Whitehead’s call for a modified secondary plan.

“I’m happy with what I’ve heard here tonight in that it sounds like there will be a process for us to come together and put together some kind of proposal (for browland development),”

Mr. Colbert said.He noted the residents would prefer no development on the site and that adding another 2,000 new neighbours to the area would put added stress on the community.

Deanlee director Ron Starr stressed the drawings passed on to the neighbours earlier this month are merely concepts.

“Those are numbers that are not written in stone,” Mr. Starr said.

Mr. Starr said he is well aware of the public concerns about having 12-14 storey buildings near Scenic and Sanatorium and they are looking to “tone down” the development in that area, possibly going with three to six storey condo units near the intersection and 8-12 storey buildings on the interior of the property. He expects to have another draft proposal done in a couple of weeks.

Mr. Starr said while they are still looking at building about 700 condo units on the browlands, about half the property will remain “green” and the woodlot will be turned over to the city.

Deanlee is expected to file with the city in the next few weeks a request for an official plan amendment that will include information on the size and scope of the project. A site plan, including detailed drawings is expected to be filed by the end of July.

Mr. Starr figures Deanlee has spent about a half million dollars so far on project planning.

While Deanlee has hosted a series of open houses to publicize it’s plans for browland development, Mr. Starr said the company remains “amenable to ideas or changes” and he is willing to work with the neighbours to try and come up with some mutually agreeable design.

“I want to work with the people,” said Mr. Starr, who has had limited contact with the neighbours so far. “I want (the development) to work for the city of Hamilton.

“Mr. Starr noted the city is paralleling their efforts by working on a secondary plan while Deanlee is preparing to file it’s paper work with the city, adding the move will not stop the developer from submitting its proposal.

“Hopefully we can co-operate with each other,” Mr. Starr said.

The beginnings of Chedoke date back to 1905 when when local businessmen W.D. Long and George Bisby donated 40 hectares (98 acres) of farm land that was to be the site of the Mountain Sanatorium.

At last week’s city hall meeting, some neighbours questioned whether the Chedoke Health Corporation has the authority to sell the land to the developer.

CHC planner Don May said they have a variety of paperwork concerning the property, including several deeds from the early 20th century, and there are no wills or anything in writing that restricts the sale of land for residential purposes.

“We are not aware of any wills,” Mr. May said. “This is one of those urban myths.”

He noted Deanlee has paid for an extensive title search of the browlands and all that information was to be forwarded to the city’s legal department this week.Mr. May said proceeds from the sale of CHC land goes to support healthcare in
Hamilton.

(Jun 1, 2007) Residents living in and around the Chedoke hospital had one final chance to comment on a Mississauga firm’s plans for the development of the browlands earlier this week.

Deanlee Management Inc. was expected to have a variety of drawings showing design alternatives on display at a public drop-in session at Chedoke hospital May 30.

“We’re trying to zero in on the type of development the neighbours would like to see,” said Deanlee director Ron Starr, who noted the company will consider the public input from the open house before deciding on a final design in the coming weeks that will include a mix of high end town house and low rise (less than 10 stories) condominium units that are expected to range in price upwards of $300,000.

Mr. Starr said Wednesday’s open house was the fifth public consultation Deanlee has had with the neighbourhood since they agreed to purchase 9.6 hectares (24 acres) of browland property from Chedoke Health Corporation earlier this year.

While Deanlee had been looking at building any where from 600 to 900 units, Mr. Starr said they will likely settle on 700 to 750 units.

“It will provide more green space and a better balance of buildings,” Mr. Starr said.

Based on two occupants per unit, the population of the area along Sanatorium Road north of Scenic Drive, could grow by more than 1,400 people by the time the project, expected to be built in phases over the next two or three years, is completed.

While several of the existing buildings on the property will likely be torn down, the heritage designated Long and Bisby building (currently home to a daycare operation) will be maintained, possibly as a community centre. Deanlee is also looking at saving the ends and part of the front of the former continuing care building as part of a low-rise condo building. The building, near the brow, dates back to 1917.

In addition, Mr. Starr said the company is looking at providing a public walkway to the rail trail as well as a pavilion and picnic area in the woodlot where tennis courts are currently located.

Mr. Starr said the company will be making an application to the city to change the zoning of the area from agricultural (industrial-institutional) to medium density residential in the next few weeks. He expects the site plan will be submitted to the city over the summer.

“We want this to be an award-winning project for the city of

Hamilton,” Mr. Starr said.

The Storeys just keep changing…and I do mean Storeys.

The attached article is another from the Mountain News from April 27, 2007.

Mississauga firm looking at low rise development for browlands

Part of former continuing care building to be torn down

Mark Newman, Mountain (Apr 27, 2007)

Deanlee Management Inc. is contemplating as many as 600 high-end units in a series of mostly town house style, low rise buildings on the Chedoke browlands in the coming years.

The Mississauga firm recently completed an agreement with the Chedoke Health Corporation to purchase 9.6 hectares (24 acres) of CHC land along Sanatorium Road north of Scenic Drive.

Deanlee director Ron Starr said the company put together the proposal after after consulting with a committee of area residents on two occasions in the past six weeks.“Something that will blend in with the homes across the road (on Scenic Drive),” Mr. Starr said.The firm is looking at tearing down the middle section of the former continuing care building that faces the Mountain brow.

Mr. Starr said they are considering saving the ends of the structure that dates back to 1917, and including them as part of a three or four storey condominium development.

Heritage and cultural architects have been retained by the company to assist with planning future use of the building. A retirement or nursing home complex on the land is also being considered.

Mr. Starr said the 2.9 hectare (seven acre) woodlot on the site will be maintained as will the Long and Bisby building that carries a heritage designation. All other buildings on the browlands will eventually be torn down. Existing public walkways and pathways through the area will also be maintained, Mr. Starr said.Details of the proposal, including conceptual drawings, were to be presented at a public meeting at the Nash Auditorium of Chedoke Hospital last night (April 26).

Mr. Starr said the company will consider public input from last night’s meeting before coming up with a final development plan they hope to file with the city by mid May.

Demolition of some of the buildings on the browlands could begin in the fall.

Mr. Starr said the new buildings will go up in phases over a three or four year period.

The new condos and town house units are expected to sell in the $300,000 to $400,000 range.“Something that will blend in with the home across the road on Scenic Drive is the goal.”