A developer has lowered the height of a proposed new building on Plains Road in Aldershot “based on concerns from residents relating to the overall height, density and potential traffic generation,” according its now-formal application to the city.
Corley Developments had proposed a nine-storey residential building during a pre-application public meeting in April, but has formally applied for permission to build six storeys on the property at 284 and 292 Plains Road East.
The nine-storey proposal had included 156 residential units with 191 parking spaces.
The news of the revised plan is expected to bring some comfort to neighbours, who had earlier described the developer as “greedy to go for nine storeys.”
At the April meeting, one neighbour even called the nine-storey proposal “fascist architecture, like what Mussolini did in Italy. It’s in your face.”
Aside from the height, however, other concerns may remain. These include privacy, traffic, on-street parking, tree preservation, and shadowing.
The new six-storey application includes 117 units with 147 parking spaces and is quite similar to the original design. The building is tiered at the back starting at the fifth floor, and goes down to two storeys at the closest point to the yards of homes on Merle Avenue. The building includes street-level townhouses at grade along a portion of the frontage and along the western edge. There would be two levels of underground parking with 134 spaces and an additional 13 parking spaces for visitors at grade. The driveway entrance would be on the east side of the building leading to the underground parking entrance at the back.
Burlington’s new Official Plan does in fact define Plains Road as an “urban corridor” and permits six-storey buildings in the area.
The development application still requires amendments to both the city’s Official Plan and zoning bylaw.
City staff will now plan a statutory public meeting to formally present the building proposal to city council and the public.
