On March 27, 2017 at the Planning Development Meeting, Oakville Councillors have decided to halt the construction of the Lakeshore Road Bridge in Downtown Oakville indefinitely.
There were several factors that were taken into consideration:
- The savings of not having to re-build the bridge would be substantial
- The loss of the bridge is having no impact on retail traffic in Downtown Oakville
- Residents of 111 Forsythe and the Granary at 100 Lakeshore Road East have stated to the town that they will go to the OMB to halt construction due to view obstruction if the new bridge would be replaced.
- Halton Conservation has not given its approval for the rebuild, and now that the bridge has been eliminated a new application is required, which was applauded by OakvilleGreen and Halton Environmental Network.
- Mattamy Homes has been working behind the scenes with the councillors of Ward 2 and 3 as well as Mayor Rob Burton to ensure that the land on either side of the banks of the 16 Mile Creek be rezoned to high density residential.
Councillors Hutchins, Gittings, Chisholm, and Duddeck along with the Mayor were contacted for comment, and OakvilleNews.Org did not receive comment to affirm or deny the interest by Mattamy. Though, a source from the mayor's office did indicate that Mattamy CEO Peter Gilgan has been in the Mayor's office several times over the past month.
Upon hearing that news, Bentall Kennedy CEO, Gary Whitelaw stated, "this is outrageous, our Downtown Oakville holdings will plummet with out the bridge. What I would like to know is how long have town councillors been working with Mattamy to orchestrate this development change."
Peter Gilgan responded, "Well if Bentall Kennedy had leased the properties they own in Downtown Oakville, councillors and the Mayor may have come to a different decision."
This is an exclusive story. No stone was too large, or hole too deep that OakvilleNews.Org's crack investigative department did not research to confirm the validity of the sources for this post.