By Pepper Parr
April 3rd, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
It is now close to crystal clear that there will not be any exemptions to the Interim Control bylaw that froze all development in the Urban Growth boundary in downtown Burlington for one year and possibly two.
It is also crystal clear that when the Mayor is angry – she lets you know just how angry she is. That was something Cindy Prince learned yesterday afternoon at a Standing Committee meeting where the matter of allowing exemptions to the new bylaw was debated.
There are not going to be any exemptions approved by this council at this point.
None – even though there is at least one that has to be given a hard look if developers are to be treated fairly. The Molinaro development on Fairview has run into a snag related to site plan approvals for its five tower Paradigm project.
Site location: an awkward piece of land that was made usable when the co-op to the east was acquired. Project looked great – until the interim control bylaw froze everything within the Urban growth boundary – the development is on the very western edge,
Cindy Prince spoke for Amica, the retirement home operator that wants to build a rather large retirement home on the North Service Road where it intersects with Hwy 403 – right across from the Joseph Brant Hospital.
Amica made what they described as generous offers to the owners of the co-op units – that offer may not close.
The plan has been in the development stage for more than three years and started when Amica made an offer for the 56 residents at the co-op that is presently on the site.
The deal, which Prince described as a “premium + + +” offer to the residents over the market value at the time was to expire on May 17th. Amica is also reported to have paid the co-op residents a non-refundable deposit.
One resident called it a “warehouse” for older people”.
Amica doesn’t want to close on that deal unless it can be assured that city council is going to give them an exemption from the bylaw that has frozen development.
The owners of the co-op units just want to get on with their lives and have the deal close. Amica said they were prepared to make changes and that they had been meeting with the Planning department.
Ward 6 Councillor Angelo B asked if there were any drawings to show just what any changes might look like. No one seemed to be able to say that there were renderings of possible changes.
There was considerable public comment on the size of the development – one Burlington resident called it a “warehouse” for older people”.
Based on what the mood of Council was on Tuesday no one is going to get an exemption.
Mayor Meed Ward – not the lady you want to attempt to mislead.
Mayor Meed Ward was close to scathing in her comments. She said she felt Amica should not use the co-op owners as hostages while the the corporation works to get an exemption.
Meed Ward also took issue with the way Amica made statements in the Planning Justification report they provided when they found them useful and then changed direction when they found that the comments no longer served their purpose.
It has been some time since Burlington has heard very direct and pointed comments about both a development and the people behind the development.
If there is ever a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of a retirement home on the site – don’t expect the current Mayor to be a participant.
Councillor Sharman pointed out that the development freeze is highlighting a serious problem for the city. There is a serious shortage of space for seniors to live in when they get into their late retirement years. Sharman said that “intensification is not the issue” – the lack of space for seniors accommodation is the issue for the city. It is coming at us and we are not prepared.
Council was meeting as a Standing Committee where they voted 6-1 to take a pass on any exemptions. The matter goes to a city council meeting at the end of the month.
Just curious do all the folks that post here live in non-profit housing? I’m sure that most if not all of you live in houses or condo units built by the for profit builders. Are you suggesting that people should not have the same choice as you.These people that own these co-ops are normal everyday people not developers. They simply want to sell their properties for a fair price. Interim by-law sure wreaking havoc on a lot of peoples lives. They should prevent anyone who lives in the downtown area including the single family homes from being able to do anything with their properties including selling them. Then you will see how fast this nonsense comes to an end. This building is co-op ownership because when it was built nobody knew what condominium ownership was. The process to convert this building into condos. (individual ownership) Should be a matter of application and processed quickly so the owners could sell their units individually and not as a block. Thereby creating affordable housing without the uncertainty created by co-op ownership. Unfortunately this city lacks imagination and only pays lip service to facilitating reasonably priced housing and rental units. I also assume the Interim by-law would prevent the owners from converting to condos. Even though the building is not being changed in any way shape or form. These units would sell for more than $150,000 or more than they sell for now per unit if converted. The City appears to have declared war on these folks as well. To see the people of Burlington turning on each other instead of helping each other is pathetic.
Bravo Mayor BRAVO !!! stand your ground … and be very carful for Sharmen, as you know he will blow whatever way makes him look like a hero …
This comment has been edited.
Lucy, Mr Sharman voted not to allow for any exceptions to the ICBL. It was the Ward 1 Councillor who voted against this motion.
Yes, Penny that has been pointed out, already and I acknowledged my error. Considering the one vote in question came from Mr. Galbraith whose election campaign donors also included numerous developers as I noted below, still makes me feel uneasy about both of these Councillors. Will Mr. Galbraith and Mr. Sharman recognize and accept the legitimate concerns of residents regarding the over-development issues that influenced the results of the last election or will they feel an obligation to those developer donors? It will take more than just this one vote to convince me that Mr. Sharman is no longer chiefly representing the developers’ interests more than his Ward 5 residents., but I guess time will tell.
Lucy may have solid reasons for her beef with Councillor Sharman but she should check her facts before going to print. Councillor Sharman was one of the six who voted for the motion i.e. not to permit any exemptions to the ICBL. The one dissenting vote was from Councillor Galbraith.
Thank you Terry for correcting me on that error concerning this vote. However, I still remain concerned about Mr. Sharman’s record for approving developments that are excessive considering his past votes. I guess he is owned a ‘thank you’ on this one after all. It would be great to get support from him in Ward 5 to help us avoid the over-intensification of this part of the city but in the Lakeside Village proposal he thinks 720 units is acceptable, down from 900, which of course is still far too much for this smaller site. Many of us at this end of Lakeshore fear that the same errors of height and density that occurred downtown will reoccur here.
Recent health care policy at both the federal and provincial levels has focused attention on measures that enable seniors to live independently in their homes for as long as possible. That includes providing them with the necessary medical and personal support they need. When/if they need to go into long-term care hopefully it will be affordable. With that in mind I would submit there aren’t a whole lot of seniors on fixed incomes who can afford the lavish monthly rents Amica will be charging. At $5K+ per month it won’t take long to drain a senior’s RRIF or lifetime savings.
If we want to demonstrate concern for the well-being of seniors then let’s focus on providing affordable care options and stop pandering to a privileged elite.
Good for Mayor Meed Ward
Sharman may be right re the housing needed for seniors but Amica’s “warehouse” is not an affordable solution…it is a license to print money at senior’s expense..
Good for council, they did the right thing.
It does not surprise me that Mr. Sharman is once again siding with a developer with his vote. What specific statistics (since he supposedly has a reputation of being “the data guy”) can he provide that proves his statements regarding the shortage of space for seniors in the city? This Ward 5 Councillor is a hero to or a champion for the developers. Residents’ concerns are at the low end of the totem pole for this Councillor. After a close examination of his donor list in the 2018 election, it is very clear that Mr. Sharman is favoured by developers and his past votes show that he favours over-intensification. The only other newly elected Councillor who also had developer donors was Ward 1’s Kevin Galbraith, but not in the quantity of Mr. Sharman’s donors. The issue of over-intensification in the city has not vanished. This Council is to be applauded for the stance they have now taken with the Interim Control bylaw. Ward 5 has an upcoming Statutory Meeting for the Lakeside Village Plaza ‘monstrous’ development proposal next Tuesday, April 9th. This billionaire developer, an American absentee landlord, is number 7 on a top 10 list of worst landlords in the Crown Heights Area of New York where he owns over 3000 apartments. That should greatly concern the city considering the LVP proposal is obviously all about maximizing the developer’s profit and if approved would mean the over-intensification of yet another Burlington site. But I digress…Thank you Council, minus Mr. Sharman, for a firm, smart decision on this new bylaw. For your convenience here are the links to check out my info.
https://www.burlington.ca/en/your-city/2018-candidate-financial-information.asp
https://www.burlington.ca/en/your-city/resources/Elections/2018-Election/2018-Candidate-Financials/Ward-5-Paul-Sharman.pdf (Google names to find their development connections)
https://www.burlington.ca/en/your-city/resources/Elections/2018-Election/2018-Candidate-Financials/Ward-1-Kelvin-Galbraith.pdf
https://www.crownheightstenantunion.org/chtu-landlord-watchlist
Paul Sharman – this is not affordable or reasonable for senior’s housing – it is for developers for profit for profit for profit housing – the development freeze is not a problem as it is not city wide – Paul is councilor for Ward 5 – with issues on current development projects in Ward 5 – focus on the Ward 5