Vaughan resident rejects 7-storey condo proposal at ‘dedicated low density area’

The city says a public meeting is going to be held in September to engage people over the proposal

Yorkregion.com
July 12, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Victor Lacaria is frustrated over a proposal of a seven-storey condo with 139 residential units he dubbed as “contrary” to what’s allowable in his neighbourhood.

“Weston Downs is a homogenous community, this means we have one housing type and this is what the Weston Downs Master Plan provided,” Lacaria said. “Weston Downs gave up park space for less density housing.

“Weston Downs doesn’t have the community services or parks like other communities by design and agreement in exchange for lower density,” he emphasized.

While there are only two parks in Weston Downs, however, “one abutting a school and the other next to Rutherford Road.”

On top of that, the condominium building would “remove an essential commercial service plaza,” he said. However, on a billboard installed on July 5, the proposal says it will keep the ground floor for commercial units.

In a nutshell, the neighbourhood is 97 per cent residential and three per cent commercial and retail with two neighbourhoods plazas, Lacaria explained with the proposed condo is planned at one of the plazas at 4101 Rutherford Rd.

“Nowhere have we found such outrageous proposals in a dedicated low-density area.”

Despite Weston Downs being low density, it’s “already plagued with chronic traffic infiltration and congestion.”

“It takes residents 15-20 minutes to get home from the Langstaff Road enhance or less than one kilometre. It takes 15-20 minutes or four or five traffic light changes at rush hours to use Weston Road or Rutherford Road.”

But according to the City of Vaughan, “no decisions on this application have been made,” and “this is the first step in the development application process.”

Next, city staff will review the application and bring a report forward at an upcoming public hearing, scheduled for Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.

The city also said that “as part of its commitment to transparency,” it forwarded “a notice about the receipt of this development application to homeowners within 250 metres of the site, exceeding the legislated 120-metre requirement, as well as to nearby ratepayers’ associations.”

However, Lacaria said the Weston Downs Ratepayers Association has been “inactive for quite some time.”

Fearing the lack of proper representation and proper public engagement over the new proposal, Lacaria also shared with York Region Media a correspondence on a separate issue between the association and the City of Vaughan dating back to 2014.

The association described itself a “volunteer organization,” and unable to attend an afternoon meeting with the city,

“Not everyone saw the sign, as there was no sign installed within the specified time frame when I received the notice of the 'complete application' as per the regulation,” he further lamented after speaking with some residents.

Meanwhile, people who can’t attend the public meeting scheduled in September are encouraged to provide their feedback in writing, the city said.

Comments can be sent to Clement Messere, the senior planner managing this file, at clement.messere@vaughan.ca. He can also be reached at 905-832-8585, ext. 8409.

York Region Media also contacted the owner of the plaza, Velmar Centre Property Ltd. and its agent Humphries Planning Group Inc. asking if the new proposal contradicts the neighborhood’s master plan, and if it needs to amend any zoning requirements in the meantime. The story will be updated when a feedback is received.