Controversial apartment is a go
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
For months, the residents of King’s Valley and the surrounding area have been fighting to prevent the development of a six-storey seniors apartment in their backyard.
However, city council has approved the re-zoning application for the parcel of land that sits at 550 Bond St. E., 56 Stevenson Rd. N. and 57 Elizabeth St., effectively giving developer Hillsport Developments Inc. the go-ahead to apply for permits.
The 129-unit seniors apartment building will also include a ground-floor pharmacy and clinic.
Several residents appeared at the council meeting on May 19 to once again speak in opposition to the development and repeat their concerns.
The building is seen as being too large for the small plot of land, the height of the building will take away the privacy of the residents backyards that sit adjacent to the property and a proposed walkway along the west side of the property will create further problems and safety issues for pedestrians looking to get from the subdivision to public transit stops on Bond Street.
“The proposed building is too massive and too high in comparison to everything else in the area,” said resident Allan Boland.
“I’m going to look out my front window and see that six storeys that are at my end,” added resident Mike Logan.
Residents urged council that more information needed to be gained before the building was developed, such as the specific uses for the pharmacy and clinic that will occupy the ground floor of the building.
Michael Fry, a senior planner with D.G. Biddle and Associates, appeared at the meeting on behalf of Hillsport and explained the pharmacy and clinic will be aimed solely at the seniors in the apartments above.
“The intent is to have medical staff that specialize in seniors care,” Fry said.
The approved proposal, which passed with only Councillor Amy England voting against – councillors Nester Pidwerbecki and John Neal were absent from the meeting – is the second design presented by Hillsport.
The previous design included a pair of buildings at four storeys each. However, this design was changed to the current single building after feedback from residents.
The city will now be sending out notifications to residents in the surrounding area that the land has been rezoned, following which they have 20 days to appeal council’s decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, which will make the final decision.
“It will be in the hands of the Ontario Municipal Board at that time,” says Paul Ralph, the city’s commissioner of development services.
The municipal board process can be a lengthy and expensive one, Ralph adds.
Should no appeals be filed in the 20-day window, the site planning approval process will get underway, followed by the developer being issued permits for development.