Stouffville mayor ‘unimpressed,’ but condos get extension
Yorkregion.com
June 18, 2015
By Sandra Bolan
Mea culpa.
Glengrove on the Park’s manager apologized to the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville staff and residents for the project’s continual delays, but has promised they are ready to go, provided the town grants the owner another extension.
The developer has until July 15 to get the outstanding money to the town or the report goes back to council July 21 and a decision on the project’s fate will be made then.
The building’s owner still owes the municipality more than $5 million for building permit fees, development charges, voluntary contribution agreement payments, cash-in-lieu of parkland charges and other miscellaneous charges, according to the June 16 staff report.
The developer has secured a $30-million construction loan, according to Michael MacChesney, manager of the project.
“I’m not very impressed with it,” Mayor Justin Altmann told MacChesney Tuesday afternoon after hearing his apologizes and promises to get the project back on track. “I’m really annoyed with it. ... I don’t feel the respect.”
MacChesney noted they “made some big mistakes” that cost them $1.5 million and hurt their credibility with the lender.
If the developer does not meet the town’s deadline, among the potential options is to let another developer take it over.
“If you think the owner of the site is just going to lay back and let someone else take it over, I’m afraid it doesn’t happen like that and it could cause many months delay, huge legal costs. It would hurt a lot of people,” MacChesney said.
He also noted a new developer would likely cancel all of the purchases. As of this past April, 90 of the 154 units were sold, he said.
Council first granted the developer of the Rupert Avenue adult lifestyle condo site plan approval Oct. 3, 2006. Occupation was slated for 2010 but the former Parkview Home, where the project is, was not demolished until 2011.
To date, the foundation and cap for the below-ground parking garage are complete.
