City Council Planning and Development Committee Meeting

The Planning and Development Committee reviewed development applications in Wards 1 and 6, including a revised affordable-housing proposal on Church Street and a proposed commercial plaza near Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School. The committee directed staff to advance the Church Street application for 104 back-to-back stacked townhouse units, including 52 affordable units, and heard detailed resident concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety, privacy and construction impacts. Other applications were approved on consent or adjourned.

Topics Discussed

Church Street affordable housing proposal

The committee considered application OZ 20260016 for 55–61 Beach Street and 132–142 Church Street East. Staff said the application would amend the official plan and zoning bylaw to facilitate a revised proposal for 104 back-to-back stacked townhouse units, including 52 affordable housing units.

Planner Alexia DiCaria said, "The proposed amendments are intended to facilitate a revised development proposal consisting of 104 back-to-back stack townhouse units, including 52 affordable housing units."

Staff said the revised concept includes 13 blocks of townhouses, buildings of up to four storeys, and about 21.8% landscaped area. The proposal replaces an earlier, denser plan. Staff said key issues for review included "appropriateness of the proposed built form and reduction in density from 323 to 104 units through the removal of the 14-story apartment building originally proposed" and the project's "compatibility and transition … with the surrounding low density residential neighborhood."

The listed heritage property at 136 Church Street East is proposed to be relocated to 132 Church Street East or another city-owned site.

Traffic, safety and site-plan concerns

Residents focused heavily on traffic and pedestrian safety around Beach Street, Church Street, Sofia Street and nearby intersections.

Resident Paula Pereira asked whether the applicant had accounted for worsening congestion: "The question I have is are you considering the traffic because right now it is starting to get a little congested… when planning all of this, is this something you took into consideration the traffic flow? Also, the congestion, how that's going to work um in that little area that we have."

Resident Danny Prair described safety concerns tied to nearby construction and traffic: "I live at the same address. Uh unlike my mom, I leave actually earlier and I've been already been hit almost three times. I've had a couple close calls. There's already active construction going on across the street from Beach Street and those construction guys, they don't care. They got to do their load and they do not care."

Residents also raised questions about privacy, fencing and how the new units would interface with existing homes. During discussion of buffering, a committee member said, "I'd like us to stay kind of with the way the buildings are situated and provide them with an opportunity to put up some kind of barrier between them and the existing residential so that that noise doesn't travel through."

Staff said traffic and site-design issues would continue to be reviewed through the application and site-plan process.

Fletcher's Meadow commercial plaza

The committee also held a public meeting on application OZ2026-000017 for 10784 and 10794 Chinuzi Road and 0 Bavia Downs Drive in Ward 6.

Planning staff said, "It is proposed that the subject site be redeveloped for a multi-unit commercial plaza anchored by a grocery store." Staff also identified several issues for further review, including "potential traffic impacts on Bavia Downs Road and Chenusi Road and appropriateness of the access locations," as well as buffering and impacts on adjacent residential neighbourhoods.

Residents raised concerns about traffic congestion, school-bus activity and pedestrian safety near Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School. Some also questioned whether another commercial plaza was needed in an area that already has nearby services.

Councillor Michael Palleschi encouraged residents to stay involved in the process, saying, "I ask you to reach out to your area counselors. Both of them are absolutely fantastic counselors, Councillor Brar and myself… the applicants or the consultants too are probably extremely willing to sit and meet with you as well to take your suggestions."

Staff will review public comments and technical studies before returning with recommendations.

Hotel application

Application 7.2 from Gian Walker Dones on behalf of 1986096 Ontario Inc. was approved on the consent agenda. It proposes an eight-storey, 153-room hotel at 126 Nelson Street in Ward 1.

Other development applications

The committee adjourned the application for a proposed shopping-centre infill development at 5085 Mayfield Road by SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust.

A separate application from Glen Schnarr and Associates on behalf of Montagna Developments for 29 three-storey townhouses at 2305–2313 Embleton Road West was also adjourned without a staff presentation.

Motions

• Motion C136 — Church Street affordable housing proposal: Passed unanimously. Staff were directed to advance the official plan amendment and zoning changes for the revised 104-unit townhouse proposal, including 52 affordable units.
• Noise-barrier staff direction: Passed unanimously. Staff were directed to require a sound barrier between the proposed development and existing residential areas through site-plan approval.
• Hotel application, Item 7.2: Passed on the consent agenda for the proposed eight-storey, 153-room hotel at 126 Nelson Street.
• Shopping-centre infill application at 5085 Mayfield Road, Item 6.2: Adjourned.
• Embleton Road townhouse application at 2305–2313 Embleton Road West, Item 6.4: Adjourned.

Attendees

• Deputy Mayor Harkirat Singh
• Councillor Rowena Santos
• Councillor Paul Vicente
• Councillor Rod Power
• Councillor Dennis Keenan
• Councillor Michael Palleschi