6-storey apartment building on Davis gets green light from Newmarket council

147-unit building at Davis and Penn gets approval despite some public concerns about density, traffic

Newmarkettoday.ca
Oct. 27, 2021
Joseph Quigley

Newmarket council is giving zoning approval for a six-storey apartment building at 201 Davis Dr. despite some ongoing resident concerns.

Mosiak Davis Inc. is planning to build the 147-unit facility on Davis at Penn Avenue, with a public meeting held last year. Council committee of the whole voted Oct. 25 to give the needed zoning and official plan amendments to allow the proposal to progress.

Several residents have raised concerns about the project, such as traffic, though none presented Oct. 25. Ward 4 Councillor Trevor Morrison said the developer has worked well to align their plans with what development is permitted on the property.

“It’s a parcel of land right on Davis that is pretty developable,” Morrison said. “Overall, it would be a great benefit to the community.”

The mid-rise apartment proposal includes traffic flow access to both Davis and Penn, 148 underground parking spaces, and 30 visitor spaces located at grade. The property has walking paths connected to Davis used by Penn Avenue residents, which the developer has said it would maintain.

But several residents objected to the development at a public meeting Nov. 20, 2020. Penn Avenue resident James Wagstaff submitted, and said the developer still has not adequately addressed public concerns.

“Where would all the cars go? They can’t go onto Davis Drive. They would have to come onto Penn Avenue, and it’s only this little street,” Wagstaff said. “Absolutely stupid.”

Other area residents have objected to the size of the building and lack of affordable units included in the plan.

But the staff report said the developer's mandated traffic study is satisfactory to the municipal engineering department, and the road system can handle the increased load. It also said the increase in smaller units should help housing affordability, and the property is a good place for increased density, for which Davis Drive is slated in municipal planning.

Not all residents are opposed. Dennis Ramsarran and Stephanie Grylls, who live adjacent to the property, said they have worked with the developer to address construction impacts.

“We think it will be a benefit to the surrounding neighborhood and esthetically pleasing to the Davis Drive corridor,” they wrote.

The property still has to go through a site plan agreement, but the staff report said the municipality is already working with the developer on that.

Wagstaff said he would only have wanted single homes on the property rather than an apartment building. He said he felt he had no say in the matter.

“It’s ridiculous, just ridiculous,” Wagstaff said. “Money-grabbing, and it’s not right.”

The approval will still need to be passed by council Nov. 1.