Richmond Hill community wins temporary freeze on development

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 5, 2016
By Kim Zarzour

Residents in the Yonge Street and Bernard Avenue area are praising a decision by Richmond Hill council to temporarily freeze development in their community.

The one-year Interim Control By-Law is being hailed as a “great positive story on community engagement”, said resident Sean Jiang.

The area west of Yonge Street and north of Elgin Mills has been the focus of three recent development applications, including proposals for highrise condos up to 29 floors.

Local residents crowded into the Monday, Nov. 28 council meeting with a petition containing more than 1,100 names. Seven delegations took to the podium seeking a pause on development.

Spokesperson Lester Chan said residents feel blindsided by multiple development proposals for the community.

There is a need for further study to create an overall plan, he said; otherwise, the town is simply reacting to developers who use intensification to justify their greed.

“Developers can walk away from problems they create and residents are left with a lifetime legacy of unintended consequences ... We can show developers that the town is serious and responsible about its long-run plans and developers cannot always have their way.”

The Interim Control Bylaw temporarily prohibits the use of land, buildings or structures within the specified area for one year while staff conduct a planning study, develop a Key Development Area Secondary Plan and an Implementing Zoning Bylaw for this area with input from residents and stakeholders.

It will also help ensure that development in the area meets the standards of municipal and provincial policies, said Patrick Lee, the town’s director of policy planning.

Planning commissioner Ana Bassios said several applications for development were submitted to the town within a short period of time that were at direct odds with Official Plan policies. Town planners need time to sort out where density will go, she said.

It won’t guarantee for the residents that there will be no highrises, she said, but will discuss what areas will be designated for the tall buildings and density.

Ward 1 Councillor Greg Beros and Ward 2 Councillor Tom Muench were the sole dissenting votes on council.

Beros referred to the interim bylaw as a “draconian measure”, impacting landowners who purchased land with development approvals already.

Muench warned the residents in council chambers that the temporary freeze on development will not stop intensification, and in fact could result in worse density than residents wanted.

“Be prepared what you ask for,” he said.

Ward 4 Councillor David West agreed the interim bylaw is a significant move but said there is a need for the community to understand what is acceptable development.

The area along Yonge Street, north of the village core, is considered a key development area, intended to include mixed land uses including residential, commercial, retail, office, parks, community uses and other open spaces.

“If we are trying to build a community that works," said Mayor Dave Barrow, "then we all need to take a breath and work together to build that community."

Staff will report back to council before the end of July 2017.