Richmond Hill moves to fast-track development at Major MacKenzie, Hwy. 404

Developers involved are donors to Carmine Perrelli's election campaign.

Yorkregion.com
November 5, 2020
Sheila Wang

Richmond Hill council will back the developers asking Ontario to expedite a development proposal that would transform former employment lands into mostly residential, with a parcel reserved for a long-term-care facility.

At its Oct. 28 meeting, council voted 7 to 2 in favour of requesting the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issue a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) for the proposal put forward by Treasure Hill Homes, a Vaughan-based developer.

The proposal would see the 29-hectare lands at the southwest corner of Major MacKenzie Drive and Highway 404 turned into a mixed-use area, featuring townhouses and single-family dwellings.

A 1.6-hectare parcel will be dedicated to Mon Sheong Foundation to operate a high-density long-term-care complex consisting of senior residences, selective care and long-term-care suites.

The foundation has submitted an application for licences for 288 long-term-care beds in the new facility, which alone would create about 400 jobs, CEO Stephanie Wong told council.

Townhouse developments are planned on the east side of Vogell Road and single-family developments on the west side, according to the preliminary concept plan presented to council.

Information, such as density and height, are not provided in the plan at the moment.

While council reached a consensus on the long-term-care component, Coun. Karen Cilevitz and David West weren’t on board with the idea of fast-tracking the process, which Cilevitz said would “leapfrog” public consultation.

The two councillors stressed their support for the long-term-care facility before voting against the proposal on the grounds that an MZO would “bypass” the regular planning process for a proposal with little known details.

An MZO is part of Ontario’s Planning Act and allows Housing Minister Steve Clark to make a ruling on how a piece of land is to be used, with no chance of appeal.

“If we decided to not go with an MZO, but give staff the mandate to move this along as quickly as possible, they will give us the benefit of a full analysis,” West said.

Coun. Godwin Chan voted for the motion, but raised concerns over “setting a precedent” in Richmond Hill to use the special orders for the future development proposals.

In response, Regional Coun. Carmine Perrelli, who put forward the motion, explained that an MZO would be the only way to get the project done fast because the special order cannot be appealed.

“There are many alternatives to get to the end product … we could get a zoning bylaw, but if appealed, it could drag on for years,” Perrelli said of the proposal made by Treasure Hill Homes.

The developer made the proposal on behalf of landowner Rice Commercial Group Ltd., a real estate development company, according to Perrelli’s motion.

Both developers contributed to Perrelli’s campaign in the 2018 municipal election.

Records show at least six individuals from Treasure Hill Homes and Rice Group donated thousands of dollars to the campaign of the regional councillor.

Coun. West expressed disappointment at the fact the lands were not fully used for employment as they were originally designated.

Region of York council approved the conversion from employment to mixed-use at the Oct. 22 meeting after Richmond Hill council gave the nod to a concept plan from Rice Group that proposed residential uses on Sept. 18, 2019.

However, the new concept plan -- only offering an overview -- appears different from the 2019 plan, in which retail and commercial use accounted for almost two-thirds of the development.