Transit-linked infill: Burlington proposal adds density

NRU
March 9, 2016
By Geordie Gordon

A proposal for the first phase of a mixed-use development adjacent to the Aldershot GO station in Burlington is finding favour with city staff and the ward councillor. In a somewhat unusual turn, some attendees at a recent public meeting wondered why the developer was not pursuing even more
density on the site.

The proposal, by ADI Development Group, calls for 428 residential units comprising 16 rear-lane townhouses, 58 back-to-back townhouses, and 140 stacked townhouses at 101 Masonry Court. Additionally, 179 condo apartments in two six-storey buildings will also be provided on the 3.39 hectare site.

Presented at a public meeting on Monday night, the proposal updates an earlier plan and now envisions an increase in density. The initial plan called for 324 residential units comprised of various townhouse forms with no apartment condo units. The density of the new proposal translates into 140 units per hectare, up from 105 units per hectare. A second phase of the development has yet to be finalized.

ADI Development Group vice president of development Shane Cooney told NRU that the decision to increase the density and add condominium units reflects the project’s proximity to the Aldershot GO station. With accessible public transit, the developer sees an opportunity to offer a wider range of housing types that could cater to a variety of buyer groups.

“We tweaked [the proposal] a little bit and we incorporated some mid-rise buildings, six storeys in height because that’s what the maximum height is that’s permitted on the site,” he said.

ADI Development Group CEO Tariq Adi said that the site was unique, representing one of the last large developable parcels of land for infill housing in Burlington.

“We were very sensitive to that, and we really wanted to create a diverse community whether it’s by incorporating the different housing types...there were deliberate intentions to create a nicer, more cohesive community that connects to the properties to the south,” he said.

Ward 1 councillor Rick Craven told NRU that the public meeting was fairly calm given there is little opposition to the proposal from local residents, compared to other meetings about controversial development proposals in his ward. He said that two or three people asked at the meeting why ADI
Development Group is not pursuing an even higher density for the site.

“We responded by pointing out that this is just the first development of what we consider to be, potentially, several developments that will feed into the mobility hub [at Aldershot GO station], and in fact yes, we do want to build up the density to a significant degree,” he said.

City of Burlington site plan review and urban design coordinator Jamie Tellier told NRU that the proposal comes as the city, as part of an official plan review, is assessing the future of Burlington’s GO stations as mobility hubs.

“In a way, this [proposal] is sort of beating us to that [outcome], so it’s clearly going in a direction that we want to go around all of our GO stations, we clearly want some extra density,” he said.

Tellier said the ADI proposal meets current zoning and official plan policies. He added that city staff hopes the second phase of the development will go beyond current height and density limits in keeping with the policy direction of the mobility hub studies that anticipates additional density on the site.

“We’re not there yet, [ADI Development Group] is ahead of our policy framework, so we’ve got to catch up to them in a way, through the OP review,” he said.

Cooney said that phase two of the project is located on the western portion of the site and, while still a work in progress, is expected to incorporate higher built form and a mix of uses.

No formal submission of the update plans on phase one has been presented to the city yet, though Tellier said he expects to receive the new information in the coming weeks.