Town council topples tall tower Midtown plan

In the face of widespread public opposition, town councillors have backed away from a plan that would have brought dozens of 35- to 50-storey towers to the area around the Oakville GO station.

Instead, 12 of Oakville’s 15 members of council agreed to a "reset," explained Mayor Rob Burton, in a surprise announcement to kick off a public meeting this past Monday, April 22.

The reset – spurred by a petition from Ward 3 councillors Janet Haslett-Theall and Dave Gittings – directs town planning staff to develop a new vision for the Midtown area. Building heights are to be mixed, with the area planned for 35,000 people.

A new concept plan is to be delivered at a meeting scheduled for Monday, June 3.

"I think it’s important to acknowledge that the public was heard," explained Haslett-Theall, to the audience that filled council chambers for the meeting. "You have done a phenomenal job of bringing to our attention the critical importance of the future of Oakville to all of you."

Over the last year, residents and residents’ associations have been criticizing plans to house at least 50,000 people in a dense collection of high-rise towers surrounding the GO station.

Read more here: Residents' associations spearheading opposition to Midtown development plans

Midtown – the land between the QEW and Cornwall Road, and the Sixteen Mile Creek and Chartwell Road – has long been slated to receive the town’s densest growth.

But concerns with the area’s planned density, building heights, green space, traffic and environmental impact have been expressed by hundreds of people in meetings, workshops and surveys.

Repeated presentations from numerous residents’ associations criticized the livability of 40-plus storey towers and called for "human scale" development of the area.

An online petition launched by the Oakville Community Association and signed by more than 1,100 people warned that the proposed development plan would have "significant and devastating long term negative effects" on the town.

"The public is standing up and saying this needs a rethink," said Haslett-Theall, in an interview following the meeting.

"This is an opportunity to course correct – to let us do something recognizing that 43 hectares should not take that volume of people."

But the Ward 3 councillors emphasize that the rethink isn’t anti-development. Rather, it’s about creating a high-density urban neighbourhood that fits into the space, uses today’s green technologies and has the amenities people and families need.

"We want Midtown to be successful – to be a place where people want to live," said Gittings.

For the meeting on June 3, town staff have been directed to prepare:

• Information that will allow council to consider the town’s population distribution over the next 30 years;
• A new vision for Midtown, based on a maximum population of 35,000 people and jobs;
• Details on how to incorporate a mix of building heights, unit sizes, affordable housing, sustainable construction and green development standards into Midtown;
• A transportation report, including potential phasing of transportation infrastructure;
• Estimations of Midtown’s infrastructure costs and the expected contributions from various stakeholders.

The full version of the petition prepared by Haslett-Theall and Gittings is on MidtownOakville.ca, the website they launched last spring.

Supporting the petition were: Mayor Rob Burton, Councillors Haslett-Theall, Gittings, Sean O'Meara, Jonathan McNeice, Cathy Duddeck, Ray Chisholm, Allan Elgar, Peter Longo, Jeff Knoll, Marc Grant and Nav Nanda.

What comes next?

An agenda and materials for the June 3 meeting are expected to be posted on the town’s website by May 23.

A public meeting will also eventually be scheduled, to allow comment on the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) that will provide the legal and planning roadmap for Midtown development.

An updated OPA could come before town councillors for approval in mid-August.