A public high school was long planned for the northwest corner of Neyagawa Boulevard and Dundas Street, next to Oakville’s new Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. But in 2021, school board trustees walked away from the area due to safety concerns with nearby radio towers.
Now a cluster of seven condo towers, ranging in height from 15 to 28 storeys, is proposed for the same land – thanks in part to the planned removal of those radio towers.
The density of the proposed development – which would bring more than 2,000 housing units to the corner – has stunned nearby River Oaks residents.
On Tuesday night, March 18, residents packed town hall to hear discussion of the plan.
About a dozen delegates outlined concerns about the development’s impact on traffic, stormwater, local schools and other infrastructure.
"This type of extreme intensification may make sense for Toronto but not for north Oakville,” said resident Anthony Spadaro, who described it as “an irresponsible project."
Milton-based developer Neatt Communities is seeking permission to build the seven towers in three building blocks, separated by internal roadways.
Towers are proposed to be 15, 18, 24, 25, 26 and 28 storeys, including a base or podium of five to eight storeys.
While Dundas Street has long been identified as an area for urban growth and intensification, the permitted maximum height for the property is 8 storeys.
Josh Neubauer, a professional planner who addressed Oakville council on behalf of the developer, said construction would be phased, with full build out taking about 15 years.
The 3.75-hectare property would eventually provide 2,278 new apartments, with 70 per cent planned as one-bedroom units. The remainder are planned as two-bedroom units.
One parking space per unit is to be provided underground, while ground floor podiums will contain retail spaces.
Neubauer said the development will add “a relatively affordable” style of housing to the area. New residents can enjoy the recreation and green space of the nearby parkland, while using existing and future bus routes for transportation.
"It’s a development that’s meant to diversify the area with new kinds of housing, retail and open spaces," he told councillors.
But local residents say it is too dense for the area’s existing and planned infrastructure.
"I’m concerned, shocked and very disappointed with this development," said local resident Barbara Ferrone, noting the proposed density of 607 people per hectare is "excessive and unacceptable" in an area planned for a density of 200 residents and jobs per hectare.
Grade 3 student Lexy stole the show when she told town councillors that there were only six portables at Oodenawi public school when she started in kindergarten. Now 16 portables crowd the blacktop and make it hard to find a place to play.
Traffic congestion is also a concern for residents, with several arguing that the developer’s traffic analysis takes an overly optimistic view of the likelihood that people will walk or use transit to get around the area.
While the "mega-sized project" relies on a future bus rapid transit (BRT) line planned to run along Dundas Street between Hamilton and Toronto, that project is still many years from completion, noted resident William Yu.
The "timeline mismatch" could create a "significant gap in public transportation availability for the area," he said.
Resident Sean Dent argued that a midrise development would be more appropriate for the area.
"I am not against development, but in recent years we have seen a troubling trend – developers repeatedly submitting applications that far exceed established regulations, demanding significant increases in building height, density and land use beyond what the zoning allows and what our infrastructure was designed to accommodate," he said.
He also shared a "visual perspective" of the proposed development in relation to the rest of the community.
Town council will make a final decision on the development application in the coming months, following a review by town planning staff.
And what about that high school?
School board trustees eventually opted to locate the badly-need North Oakville high school on a site at Sixth Line and Burnhamthorpe Road.
A school board spokesperson said "construction will be starting soon," with the new school anticipated to open in Sept. 2027.
Students from across Ward 7 are currently being sent to White Oaks and T.A. Blakelock high schools.
The town is also currently considering a development that would remove the radio towers and bring 142 detached and town homes to that property.