Town of Oakville
At least 100 new affordable housing units are among the town’s goals as it kicks off the redevelopment of its former public works property.
The vacant seven-hectare (17-acre) property on the west side of Trafalgar Road, just south of Dundas Street, has always been expected to be a key development area in the Uptown Core.
The land, previously home to the town’s public works yard, has sat vacant since it was declared surplus in 2000.
But town council has taken the first step toward redevelopment by transferring the property – and some goals for its eventual future – to Oakville Municipal Development Corporation (OMDC).
OMDC is a town subsidiary set up to market and manage surplus lands. It will act as a master developer of the property, bringing forward planning applications that will define the future of the property.
Town council will consider those applications as part of a public planning process.
Along with maximizing town profit from the property, council has set additional goals for OMDC, including ensuring that at least 100 affordable housing units are eventually built on the property.
Exactly what those units might look like is still vague, admitted Mark Meneray, the president and CEO of OMDC.
“As far as ownership is concerned, we’re hoping we’ll see a good mix of fee simple (conventional) ownership, rentals and any other kinds of relationships we can identify,” speaking at a May 29 town council meeting.
“It’s all about the negotiation process as we get to the development stage, but I can assure you that affordable housing at a minimum of 100 units is going to be front and centre and if it can be more than 100 units, it will be.”
Ward 3 councillor Janet Haslett-Theall said she was pleased to see affordable housing as part of the development plan and was encouraged by Meneray’s comments.
“We know that what’s going to get built in a lot of places is not really quote-unquote affordable and doesn’t really meet that affordable definition that the Halton Region has always used, and we only get a few opportunities to do better,” she said.
“And I would hope that’s the direction that we are giving: do much better.”
Housing is generally considered affordable if it costs less than 30 per cent of a household’s pre-tax income.
In its 2021 State of Housing Report, the region defined affordable housing as costing less than $480,700 to purchase or less than $2,300 a month to rent for an average household of 2.8 people earning a combined yearly income of $121,400.
The government subsidizes assisted housing to make it affordable for rent or purchase by households with low and moderate incomes.
Region of Halton
Ward 5 councillor Jeff Knoll said he hopes OMDC will be able to find “unique and maybe alternative ways” of achieving affordable housing on the property.
“There’s certainly a lot of interest on the part of the ward councillors to see that happen, and we’ve made that very clear through our conversations with the OMDC.”
How tall will it get?
In 2018, town councillors approved a master plan for the property that envisioned a mixed-use development featuring “mid-rise and taller” buildings with heights of four to 20 storeys.
But a push to build more housing, along with changes to planning rules and the political environment, mean those height limits are likely no longer feasible.
A report from town staff warned that “it is expected that the current height limits set out in the Official Plan and master plan will need to be increased to support the growth in Oakville.”
A recent deal between the town and SmartCentres will also likely influence the permitted heights on the Oakville property.
The retail giant owns the land just north of the public works site, and the town has recently agreed to allow its proposal for two towers of 26 and 31 storeys on that property.
Eventual height limits, density and other development parameters will be determined by town council through a public planning process. Those limits will not be appealed by OMDC.
Other details:
- A block of land at the corner of Glenashton Drive and Trafalgar Road has already been sold to a Times Group development company. Identified as Block 7, the 0.9-hectare corner is designated for medium-density residential.
Town of Oakville
- The town will keep ownership of Blocks 5 and 6 for parkland and connect it with Windfield Park and nearby trail networks.
- The land will be sold to OMDC for a nominal amount, but an appraisal will determine a baseline value for the lands. This will allow the town to measure the value added by OMDC in its development. The value added, less expenses, will be the profit shown in OMDC financial statements. The baseline price and the net proceeds will be returned to the town through the dividend process.
