It’s not in Aldershot, but it’s very close. Everyone would be able to see it.
Burlington’s Molinaro Group of developers is proposing to build 1159 new residential units in four towers just beyond the eastern boundary of Aldershot. The buildings would be located at the northwest corner of Plains Road East and Fairview Street, near Mapleview Mall.
Molinaro consultant Ed Fothergill claims the proposed project “helps ensure intensification targets…to ensure that future growth remains within the urban area and does not spill out into the rural areas. This is an exceptional site to be able to accommodate this kind of intensification.”
The nearly 4-acre location is currently only designated for six storeys. If city council were to agree to the proposed 20 to 35 storeys, it would require amendments to both the Official Plan and the Zoning Bylaw.
Molinaro hosted a pre-application online public meeting in early October to introduce the project to the public and gauge initial reaction. The meeting had been scheduled for two hours but ended early when only three people called in with questions.
Fothergill outlined the advantages of the site, including its proximity to Mapleview Mall. “It is well supported with existing services including Mapleview Mall, which is virtually across the road…this kind of development can help strengthen the mall because it brings a lot of people within walking distance.”
Architect Barry Graziani explained the project in some detail. Each pair of towers would sit on a three-storey podium with amenity space on top of the podiums. Each set of towers would have both underground parking plus a three-level parking garage built into the structures, resulting in a total of 1450 parking spots.
Particularly unique is the shape of the four buildings. According to Graziani, they are “angular,” not simply square or rectangular. He described the proposed building shapes as “sculpting of the form…three-dimensional massing of the towers, so that the towers are not static in their design. They have non-regular shape…so that depending on where you see these towers from, which vantage point, they’re always changing in form.”
“We believe it generates an opportunity…to create a striking addition to the skyline of Burlington,” said Fothergill.
The property currently includes a historic classic brick home, known locally as the Davis Homestead heritage site. Molinaro plans to keep the building, move it, and improve it. According to Graziani, “We are proposing to restore [it], back to its original size and state, removing the additions that have been added to it over the years and giving it a more prominent exposure fronting onto Fairview Street.”
The public meeting was only to introduce the project to the neighbourhood. There has been no formal application to the city yet and the Molinaro team indicated that it is open to suggestions and ideas before completing its application to the city.
The developer hopes to gain approval within the next year and start construction in 2022.
Slightly complicating the process is the fact that the property stretches across ward boundaries. It is located in Burlington wards one and two. Councillors from both wards attended the meeting along with the mayor.
