Mississauga mid-rise: CHALLENGING CONTEXT

NRU
April 8, 2015
Edward LaRusic

Residents and the local councillor are rejecting a mid-rise proposal in Mississauga, believing it won’t fit into the low-rise context, despite being located on a major corridor.

Ward 3 councillor Chris Fonseca said a proposed six-storey development at 971 Burnhamthorpe Road East is a poor fit for the local community. The development, if approved, would be the first mid-rise building along this corridor that is not within the downtown or designated community node at Dixie Road.

“As a city we’ve gone through a strategic planning process. There was quite a bit of [local] input, and we’ve recognized areas of the city that [should allow intensification],” said Fonseca. “This area is not recognized for [intensification].”

City development and design manager Marianne Cassin agreed with Fonseca that this is not a location to which the city is directing intensification. However, she said that if the city is to intensify anywhere, Burnhamthorpe Road is potentially an appropriate location.

“Burnhamthorpe is considered a corridor in the city. The policies of the official plan direct us that if we do consider intensification, that we consider it on corridors.”

Reza Tahmasebi has applied is for zoning and official plan amendments to permit a six-storey mixed-use building with 56 residential units and 101 parking spaces within two floors of underground parking. The site is currently occupied and designated in the official plan for a motor vehicle repair shop, not residential uses.

“I think this height that is being proposed and how close it is to the backyards, even though it’s a terraced application, it’s still a very small piece of property. It’ll be a very tight site,” said Fonseca “As far as the planning, residents are saying it’s too much all in this location.”

Tahmasebi planner Andrew Ferancik (Walker, Nott, Dragicevic Associates Limited) said that this is a good site for a mid-rise building given its location on a major corridor. He noted that the city’s official plan does contemplate taller buildings.

“The official plan, within neighbourhoods, allows for fourstoreys...But it also has a provision that says that buildings above that height can be proposed, but they just need to be rationalized.”

Ferancik said the rational is through the stepbacks and setbacks that are being proposed. While Mississauga doesn’t have specific design guidelines for mid-rise buildings, his firm is taking cues from other municipalities looking to introduce mid-rise buildings along major roads, such as in Toronto. Thus it is proposing setbacks from the residential properties and angular planes to terrace the building appropriately to its low-rise neighbours.

Ferancik added that Tahmasebi is proposing to dedicate a sizable piece of frontage along Burnhamthorpe Road East to extend the Burnhamthorpe Recreational Trail.

“That [trail] is interrupted by the site because the land has not been dedicated to the city for any purpose. As part of this application, 11 metres would be dedicated along the frontage on Burnhamthorpe for the continuation of that bike corridor. It’s a huge public benefit.”

However, Fonseca said that local residents aren’t pleased with the proposal. While they appreciate the idea of the site redeveloping, they would prefer something that sticks to the existing four-storey limit.

Fonseca added that the community’s major concerns, aside from the size of the building, are traffic, parking and stormwater. She noted that over the last decade, the area has been subject to flooding, most recently in 2013. Residents are concerned about water flooding of their properties, as well as the underground parking in the proposed mid-rise building. Also, residents aren’t pleased with the retail/commercial use proposed on the ground floor. Fonseca said that there are currently half-empty commercial spaces across the street from 471 Burnhamthorpe Road East.

In the longer term, Fonseca is concerned that an application like this could be used to justify mid-rise buildings on other sites along the corridor, including an auto-service centre on the south-west corner of this intersection.

“If all of them were to go the way of seven or eight storeys, it’s really changing what our plan is. It’s definitely not in keeping with what is considered a neighbourhood.”

A preliminary report went to the planning and development committee March 23. Cassin said a final report is expected in the fall.