Category: Development - Rockwood Homeowners' Association

City Approves Forest Park

5/9/2016

On Monday, March 21, 2016, the City Planning Committee heard all the arguments against the Forest Park Development Plan, and then voted 7-2 to approve. Councillor Chris Fonseca and Councillor Karen Ras voted against the application. The Mayor left the Council Meeting before the vote was taken.

The bottom line was that, since the City Planners had already approved the plan, the developer indicated that they would take the City to the Ontario Municipal Board. In essence, the Council would be reversing the decision of its own staff. The legal council for the City, when questioned by Councillor Carolyn Parish, advised that fighting the decision at OMB would cost the City upwards of $200,000.

On these grounds, and faced with the fact that their track record was not good when fighting OMB, Council approved the development, with some conditions. The conditions included a list of upgrades to the existing buildings and removing paid parking prior to moving forward with the final plans.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2016 issue of the Rockwood Homeowners' Association quarterly newsletter, The Rockwood Times.

Forest Park Study Concerns Ignored

3/17/2016

On January 13, Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca invited residents to a meeting using the subject line "Re: Forest Park Circle - Capacity Study Community Meeting". Residents packed the auditorium at Tomken Arena in expectation of the City’s comment on the status of the proposed Forest Park development.

The audience was walked through a presentation by various Planning Department members that basically concluded that Ward 3 has sufficient capacity to add additional new development and that, as a result, the City is actively looking at opportunities to intensify properties within Ward 3. To this end, the expectation was that attendees would act as a focus group for visioning of future development and stakeholders were being encouraged to participate in a steering committee.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2016 issue of the Rockwood Homeowners' Association quarterly newsletter, The Rockwood Times.

Audubon community meeting

1/6/2015

An important community meeting regarding the current development proposal for 1715 Audubon Boulevard has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 7th, 2015 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre, Forest Glen Program Room (West). The agenda will focus on discussing a settlement offer proposed by Beverley Homes substituting 20 semi-detached homes, in place of 30 town homes originally planned for the parcel of land. All Rockwood Village residents are invited to attend this important meeting.

Business development continues to grow

4/26/2014

The Sobeys new regional office building

Author: Steve Pascoe
President, Rockwood Homeowners' Association
Our close proximity to Canada’s largest airport has resulted in tremendous business growth in our area. A few years ago the land just north of us was forest and farmland. Since then there has been a steady stream of new offices and related businesses built on this land for some very well-known, large corporations which include: TD Bank, Bell Canada, and Blackberry. There are hundreds of other businesses in commercial spaces both north and south of Eglinton, too numerous to list. To accommodate the business travelers, the Marriott hotel chain built two hotels under the Courtyards and Residences brands at the north-west corner of Creekbank and Eglinton.

Currently under construction at the corner of Tahoe and Eglinton is the new Sobeys regional office building. Sobeys is Canada’s second largest grocery retailer that operates stores under the Sobeys, Freshco and IGA brand names. Construction of the 200,000 square foot, six-story building started in July 2013 and is scheduled for completion in October 2014. With thousands of people commuting to and from work each day we have all experienced a dramatic increase in traffic. Improvements to public transit in Mississauga are definitely needed and the Bus Rapid Transit route under construction should go a long way to ease the commute for many people once it is operational.

Business development is beneficial to all of us by providing employment, prosperity and increased tax revenue for the city. Being in such close proximity to these employment centres will improve the desirability of our neighbourhood, resulting in continued growth in our property values which are currently very good relative to comparable properties in Toronto.

*Please note this article was originally published in the Summer 2014 edition of The Rockwood Times.

President's Report

4/26/2014

Hello, everyone!

It’s been a busy two months for RHA, attending many community events.

Late March, a delegation of RHA Directors and residents attended the City of Mississauga’s Planning and Development (P&D) Meeting to make a deputation on the proposal made by Beverly Homes for the lands at 1715 Audubon Blvd., requesting P&D make an amendment to the Mississauga Official Plan to change the Area Designation from Parkway Belt West to Residential Medium Density. In addition, they were asking to change the zoning for the land from Parkway Belt to allow 30 townhomes.

It was a long-awaited decision as our item on the Agenda did not go in front of the Committee until midnight. We had to wait, as the Committee listened to speakers discussing another development proposal on the Agenda for close to two hours! Residents from Audubon, Claypine Rise and surrounding Rockwood streets sat patiently in attendance. Both Councillor Fonseca and Ed Sajecki, Commissioner of Planning and Building for the City spoke to the City’s rezoning efforts to keep the lands zoned for Low Density Residential, Single Detached Dwellings.

RHA VP Joe Silva made a deputation to P&D Committee, and the good news is that the P&D Committee passed a motion that City Council should direct the City’s legal staff to defend the City’s
position of opposing the 30 Townhomes development as the proposal is set to be heard in April at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Early April, RHA VP Joe Silva spoke on behalf of residents regarding 1715 Audubon at the pre-hearing for the OMB. A hearing date has been set for January 12, 2015 for 10 business days. RHA will update you as soon as more information is available.

Recently TRCA (The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority) held a seminar at the Burnhamthorpe Library on “Greening Your Grounds” and how to landscape your property in an eco-friendly way. Great to see RHA Directors and residents attend this informative night.

We invite you to attend this year’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 8. Come meet your local Councillor, hear from Peel Regional Police, get an update on the Bus Rapid Transit project behind Rockwood, and give your input to TRCA on environmental projects you want to see within the Burnhamthorpe SNAP (Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan). Thanks to Class Productions for offering free tickets for a draw in their upcoming performances of “Goody Two Shoes” in May at the Maja Prentice Theatre. Please plan to attend-- you may just win!

I would like to thank our Board of Directors who have attended various meetings, run the organization, managed the newsletter, promoted RHA’s communications on the web and provided great insight and perspective into the issues we deal with affecting our Rockwood community. Your commitment to serving this volunteer organization is truly appreciated!

As always, we welcome your comments, questions and concerns. Reach us at rha.executive@gmail.com or through our Facebook and Twitter pages.

~ Simi Kapur, Rockwood Homeowners' Association President

*Please note this article was originally published in the Summer 2014 edition of The Rockwood Times.

City to Oppose Audubon Development

4/26/2014

It was a long evening for Rockwood residents who waited to be heard by the Planning Department on the issue of the Beverly Homes plan for development on the Audubon Boulevard lands.

Beverly Homes has applied for a change in zoning to allow 30 town home units to be built in the vacant land on Audubon. The land is currently zoned for low density, residential, single-detached
dwellings.

RHA was represented by its Vice-President, Joe Silva, a local resident. A neighbourhood case was made that the current zoning should be upheld by the City. Councillor Fonseca and Ed Sajecki, Commissioner of Planning and Building for the City, also spoke in support of the neighbourhood voices.

It was well after midnight when the Committee passed a motion that City Council would direct the City’s legal staff to defend the positions of the residents and Councils to oppose the townhouse development and maintain the current zoning.

While the first battle has been won, this is far from a done deal. Beverly Homes has already filed several appeals with the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board). The next step will be preparing for the preliminary OMB hearings. Ultimately, OMB will have the final say on the zoning of these lands.

*Please note this article was originally published in the Summer 2014 edition of The Rockwood Times.

President's report: Spring 2014

3/4/2014

Author: Simi Kapur
President, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

In what has been termed one of the coldest winters of the last few years, I wish you good health and positive spirits as we move on from a year of tumultuous weather with the expectant vision of spring flowers to come!

In November, RHA attended the meeting at the GTAA offices for CENAC (Community Environment and Noise Advisory Committee). NAV Canada made a presentation on their Airspace and Services Review focusing on safety in the airspace as well as improved tracking procedures for flights. In December 2013, GTAA launched WebTrak, an online tool that provides near-real time and historical flight data so residents can investigate aircraft operations from any computer with internet access. It’s accessible 24/7 and is now more convenient to register a noise complaint. Try it at www.torontopearson.com/webtrak All CENAC meetings are open to the public. Details of upcoming meetings are listed in the Calendar of Events, found on the back page.

In response to a Rockwood resident’s request earlier this year, for a 4-way stop at the intersection of Corkstone Glade/Rowntree Court and Fieldgate Drive, City of Mississauga’s Transportation and Works Department conducted a feasibility study on traffic volume in that area. In conclusion of the review, Transportation and Works Department did not recommend the installation of an all way stop at this intersection. Driver compliance in stopping, zero collision history in a three year period as well as the immediate signal lights located within 250m from the suggested intersection were some of the factors which resulted in the decision that a 4-way stop at that intersection was not warranted. The Traffic Safety Committee has been requested to provide information to parents of Sts. Martha and Mary School about using caution when crossing the street while walking children to school.

In the past 10 years, Mississauga has seen much of its available land developed. With building sites becoming scarce, developers are looking for infill and smaller tracts of land for development or expansion. Currently Rockwood is the target for several developments. Two years ago, a plan was approved for a new Condominium project at Rathburn and Boughbeeches. This year Forest Park has approached the City to develop a large project on its land at Ponytrail and Rathburn. Yet another development is potentially about to be reviewed at Audubon and Fieldgate. All of these proposed projects are for either apartment buildings or multiple family dwellings.

It is important to note that in order to move these projects forward, the developers need The City to approve changes to the zoning to either change current usage or the density or both. If the City is too slow to react, or the developer does not like the decision rendered by the City, they can appeal the decision to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board).

Throughout the planning process, residents are given a voice to speak via the Ward Councillor, Community Public meetings, Planning and Development meetings, written submissions and continuous dialogue. In the absence of strong communication from the community and the City, developers will take their plan to OMB, and in the end will probably be successful in getting the OMB to approve the project, forcing the City to allow the project.

The RHA is committed to listening to the concerns of our community, and communicating their expectations to the relevant parties. To this end, at a scheduled Board Meeting last November, Lormel homes requested and was permitted to address the RHA Board with regards to their proposal at Forest Park. It was an opportunity to speak frankly with the developer without the passion or emotion sparked from open forum meetings. We believe that further face to face dialogue with all stakeholders should continue and welcome any opportunity to connect and converse in various issues in order to maintain the integrity or Rockwood Village as a premium community.

Remember to save the date for our next AGM! Last year’s venue was enjoyed by all in attendance so we’ve booked it again at the Knights of Columbus Hall, adjacent to Sts. Martha and Mary Church. As always, we welcome your comments, questions and concerns. Reach us at rha.executive@gmail.com or through our Facebook and Twitter pages.

~ Simi Kapur, Rockwood Homeowners' Association President

*Please note this article was originally published in the Spring 2014 edition of The Rockwood Times.

Audubon zoning application goes before city

3/4/2014

The application for a zoning approval for Beverly Homes to move forward with a townhouse
development on Audubon and Fieldgate is scheduled to go before the City Planning Committee on March 24th. At that time, residents will have the opportunity to provide their input to the Planning and Development Committee. Councillor Fonseca, will be voicing her support of
upholding the current designated zoning for Residential Low Density housing. Beverly Homes
is requesting a zoning change that will allow the construction of 30 town homes.

If you would like to be heard at that meeting, contact Mumtaz Alikhan, Legislative
Coordinator at Mumtaz.Alikhan@mississauga.ca or 905-615-3200 x5425.

*Please note this article was originally published in the Spring 2014 edition of The Rockwood Times.

Beverly Homes Appeals to OMB

12/2/2013

The Beverly Homes proposal for the land at 1715 Audubon is now on appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Beverly had submitted an Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning application to Planning in May, 2013 to allow them to build 30 townhomes on the corner of Audubon and Fieldgate. However, Council did not adopt a position to amend the Official plan or Rezoning until June 4, 2012, and Beverly appealed to OMB citing that the City had failed to make a decision on the application within a reasonable time frame.

The City-initiated proposal, which was adopted on June 4th, was an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-Law Amendment that would only allow single-family homes on the Audubon Lands. Beverly Homes, the present owner of the land, subsequently appealed the City-initiated amendment, basically rendering changes approved by the City unenforceable.

We are expecting that the OMB will hold a hearing in Spring 2014. At that time the Planning Department will provide a defence of their position to OMB and will seek input from local residents and Councillors. Our Councillor, Chris Fonseca, and the RHA are opposed to the Beverly Homes development. Although our Councillor is not allowed to attend the OMB hearing, the RHA will make a presentation and local homeowners may also choose to voice their dissent at that hearing.

Information as to the dates for hearings will be posted on the RHA website at www.rockwoodvillage.ca

City Hall Update

12/6/2010

Author: Leszek Pisarek, Director, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

1315 BOUGH BEECHES | The City of Mississauga, Planning Department has advised the RHA that as of November 9, 2010 there is no new information and no site plan application has been received by the City of Mississauga Planning Department. We will be informed if and when any new information is received. In 2008 zoning was approved and the project was included in the City’s Official Plan, in spite of community efforts to block permission to amend the zoning. Under the revised zoning, the maximum number of units (existing and new) permitted on the site is 683 units. As there are currently 270 units on this site, the maximum number of new units will be limited to 413 units and represents a maximum floor space index (FSI) of 2.56.

If the developer submits the new application and plans requesting construction beyond what the current zoning states (either through minor variance or rezoning), a public notification and full hearing process would be required. However, should the proposed construction plan be within current City’s Official Plan and zoning, it will not require a public notification or hearing. Members of the public will able to view the plans upon request.

AUDUBON PARK | Earlier this year, the ORC (Ontario Realty Corporation) advised the City of Mississauga of their intention to dispose of an empty lot on the North-East corner of Audubon Blvd. and Fieldgate Dr. This parcel is currently being leased by the City for green space. As the City has the right of first refusal on the property, they were approached to purchase the land. The City has declined to purchase the land as green space, and the ORC has now removed the land from the “Parkway Belt West” plan leaving the City free to initiate an Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning to apply designation and municipal zoning to this land.

It is expected that City will recommend a similar designation and zoning as the surrounding residential area (Low Density Residential). However, this process will be subject to the public process and area residents will be notified. A public meeting will be held in the New Year.

For more information please contact Diana Rusnov, Manager, Central Area Development and Design Div. Planning and Building Dept. 905.615.3200 ext.5534

*Please note this article was originally published in the Winter 2010 edition of The Rockwood Times.

Update: Redevelopment at 1315 Bough Beeches Blvd.

3/18/2010

Author: Leszek Pisarek, Director, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

In spite of rigorous opposition by the Rockwood Homeowners’ Association and local residents, plans to approve changes to the zoning and the City’s Official Plan in favour of the development on 1315 Bough Beeches was approved in early 2008.

The Rockwood community had been mobilized to oppose the application to construct more units at 1315 Bough Beeches Blvd. where 270 rental units are located in a 20 storey building that has been neglected and poorly maintained. The building is situated on a 2.37 hectare lot on the North East corner of Rathburn Rd. and Dixie Rd, and an bounded on the east side by Bough Beeches Blvd.

In effect the developer was given the approval to submit a plan of subdivision for a total of 683 units including the existing 270 units on this site. Although this contentious development was given the green light almost two years ago. The City of Mississauga Planning Department has advised the Rockwood Homeowners’ Association that as of February 2010, no site plan application has been received by the City.

The RHA will be informed by the office if any new information is received. If the developer submits an application and site plans, which adhere to the current zoning approval, development can move forward without public notification or hearing. Members of the public will be able to view the plans upon request.

If, however, the applicant chooses to submit a plan which would require additional amendments to the current zoning or a variance, a public process would once again be required. Stayed tuned..

*Please note this article was originally published in the Spring 2010 edition of The Rockwood Times.

Mississauga Urban Development: Imagine Mississauga in 10 or 20 years...what do you see?

3/18/2010

Author: Dave Airey, Vice President, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

Mississauga has come a long way since I first arrived from south western Ontario in 1973. I clearly remember the barn on the north east corner of Hurontario and Burnhamthorpe which has now been replaced by office towers.

Our journey from a group of small towns has created the beginnings of a city centre focused on comfortable high density residence, and business and shopping, surrounded by selected areas of high density nodes connected by effective transit. The former towns of Port Credit, Streetsville, and Clarkson, as well as neighbourhoods like Rockwood Village are distinct areas that could see a higher density focus.

Like me, many of you have been living day to day, while our city has been progressing, almost without our awareness. Yes, I have noticed the changes year by year but why the city made its’ choices was not on my radar. Imagine Mississauga in 10 or 20 years ... What do you see?

Building a city is a huge challenge and the next few years will be significant. Much of the large open space has been claimed, so filling in smaller development areas and redeveloping some existing areas will come into focus.

Many European, American, and Canadian cities have wonderful, people-friendly, urban areas. These areas create an atmosphere that feels like a comfortable balanced lifestyle created for business residential, and shopping with minimal need for commuting.

I remember being on vacation in Spain and walking to the grocery store, the bus and nearby restaurants. We spent an entire week without the need for a car. I am not going to tell you that a higher density urban area allows for practical rapid transit because we all understand it takes more people using transit to sustain a good system.

Many of us love the open spaces and big yards of our suburban homes but that also means roads, and highways and pollution.

Growing subdivisions use up our farm land. Higher density means living in smaller spaces. There are hundreds of concepts to trade off when considering how to develop a city.

How do you want Mississauga to be developed?

CONTACT: Sharon Mittmann, Urban Designer
Planning & Building Department 905.615.3200
ext. 5851 Fax: 905.896.5553
email: sharon.mittmann@mississauga.ca

*Please note this article was originally published in the Spring 2010 edition of The Rockwood Times.

Audubon Park may be Rezoned for Housing

3/15/2010

Author: Boris Swedak, Advisor & Life Member, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

The City of Mississauga is taking steps towards the rezoning of Audubon Park which is located in the North end of our Rockwood Community where Fieldgate Drive meets Audubon Boulevard.

Diana Rusnov at the City met with Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC) staff in October to start the rezoning process. The ORC will be submitting an application to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) to remove the lands from the Parkway Belt West Plan. A public notice in a local paper will inform Rockwood residents of the proposed change. Once the application is signed off by the Minister, the City will receive notice that the lands are no longer in the Parkway Belt West plan. Next, Mississauga’s Planning & Building [P&B] Department will undertake a City initiated Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning to designate and zone the lands in line with the abutting and surrounding area. While the ORC did mention that they would like some additional density for possible townhouses, Mississauga said that they would not support this but agreed to a single family zone the same as the R4 on the rest of Audubon. Finally, once the lands are designated in the Official Plan [OP] and Zoning By-law, the ORC will proceed to put the lands on the market. The successful purchaser will then need to make an application for severance to create the individual lots. This entire process is likely to take more than a year.

*Please note this article was originally published in the Spring 2010 edition of The Rockwood Times.