'It seems ridiculous for Stouffville': 18-storey building proposed on Main Street

If approved, building at 5531 Main St. would be town's tallest

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 26, 2021
Simon Martin

The Main Street Stouffville skyline could be in for a huge change.

Topfar Development is proposing an 18-storey condo on 5531 Main St. that has some local residents up in arms. If approved, it would be the tallest building in Stouffville.

For many nearby residents on Baker Hill Boulevard, they couldn’t imagine stepping out the door and looking up to 18 storeys.

“I’m not happy about it. I think it would ruin the look of the town,” local resident Elaine Upper said. “It would look so out of place.” Upper said she wouldn’t even want to see the tower at 10 storeys.

She wasn’t the only resident who thought the proposal was too big for its britches.

“I’m against it. I don’t agree with it,” Joe Kargeradov said. “We are not in downtown Toronto. We are out in the suburbs.”

Resident Bob Daley said it’s simply too tall. “Especially for Stouffville,” he said.   

Hannah Strom was more blunt in her criticism. “You used to be allowed just seven storeys. Eighteen -- it seems ridiculous for Stouffville.”

In written response to the development, resident Peter Mitchell made it clear he felt the proposal was a bridge too far. “The application for an 18-storey building is way out of character for a small town,” he said. “The traffic issues this approval will generate are beyond horrendous, especially when combined with all the other buildings currently in construction and in planning.”

Mitchell also said he was worried about what precedent the building could set for the rest of Main Street. “This building flouts the current local town planning limit of 10 stories by almost double. This application should never had made it to debate.”

Topfar has filed an Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment for the property just west of Royal Bank on Main Street. The vision is for an 18-storey, 309-unit building. One level of underground parking is proposed, in addition to surface parking, and parking on the first and second floor for a total of 437 parking spaces.

According to the town, the amendments to the official plan needed for the building would include changing maximum building height from 10 storeys to 18, no angular plane requirements, and changing the maximum residential density from 120 units per hectare to 300 units per hectare. Changes needed to the zoning bylaw would include changing maximum residential density from 65 units per hectare to 300 units for hectare and maximum building height from 20 metres to 60 metres.

These are no small changes and Topfar’s consultant made that clear at the public meeting late last year. “This development would represent that tallest building in Stouffville,” consultant Lincoln Lo said. “I think that Topfar understands that and should this be approved it would represent the town’s first tall building.” Lo said the plan is to develop a landmark building.

Ward 4 Coun. Rick Upton said that while anybody can make a proposal, it doesn’t mean it will be approved. Upton acknowledged that 18 storeys would be a huge increase in height for the town. “I think that is quite high. It would be a quite a jump,” he said.    

Ward 6 Coun. Sue Sherban said several residents in her ward have voiced their opposition to the proposal.

At the public meeting, some nearby businesses voiced their concerns about the effect the development would have on their businesses. Norm Miles, representing Apple Blossoms Centre, said he is concerned about the development building driveway out to Ringwood Drive. “We are not allowing this,” he said.

It is not yet know when the proposal will come back before council.