Forced by the province to act sooner rather than later, the City of Burlington has scheduled a statutory public meeting on a proposal to build four towers just east of Aldershot near Mapleview Mall. The virtual meeting is set for Tuesday, September 7 at 9:30 a.m.
The Molinaro Group of developers is proposing to build 1,049 new residential units in four towers at 1134 and 1167 Plains Road East. The building heights would range from 22 to 35 storeys and would possibly include ground floor retail.
The nearly 4-acre location is currently only designated for six storeys. If city council were to agree to the plan, it would require amendments to both the Official Plan and the zoning bylaw.
The property currently includes a historic brick home known locally as the Davis Homestead heritage site. Molinaro plans to keep the building, relocate it on-site, and improve it. Burlington’s Heritage Advisory Committee has already requested that the building eventually be given a provincial historic designation to protect it.
The timing of the meeting is in response to new rules created by the province. Bill 108 reduced the timelines that municipal councils have to respond to development applications. It is now only 120 days. If there is no response from the municipality, the developer may appeal directly to the Ontario Lands Tribunal on the grounds of a “non-decision.” Formerly, municipalities had 210 days to respond.
Particularly unique to this project is the shape of the four buildings. Architect Barry Graziani told a neighbourhood public meeting last fall that they are “angular, not simply square or rectangular.” He described the 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 [a] 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 the developer’s representative Ed Fothergill.
Anyone may speak at a statutory public meeting whether registered in advance with City Hall or not.
