Jan 2020 - Redevelopment Proposal - South Oakville Mall
Calloway REIT, owner of the South Oakville Mall at Third Line and Rebecca, has filed a development application with the Town of Oakville seeking permission to redevelop the eastern portion of the mall's site.
The Town of Oakville website describes the application as follows … To redevelop a 2.9 ha portion of the 8.5 ha South Oakville Centre with
- 86 townhouse units ranging in height between 2 to 3 storeys, and
- one 9 storey retirement residence containing 131 independent supportive units, and 30 assisted living units (total of 161 units for retirement residence,
- 274 units overall inclusive of proposed townhouse component).
- An internal private road network is proposed with access from Rebecca Street and the remnant portion of the South Oakville Centre.
The internal section of the plan would contain approximately 65, 3-storey townhomes (minimum 12m in height) with rear lane vehicle access on a condominium road.
The remaining 0.23 ha plot would be used for the construction of a 9-storey seniors retirement residence (shown in the area marked C).
The Facts
Nothing the application seeks is permitted in Oakville's Official Plan.
- The site is currently a Community Commercial designation and does not permit residential uses. ( the reason the applicant is seeking an Official Plan Amendment)
- The residential areas surrounding the site are zoned as Residential Low Density. This zoning permits single residential homes only - no townhouses, multi-storey buildings, etc.
Our Assessment
This development proposal represents over-development of a site that could otherwise be nicely blended into the community. Oakville's Official Plan provides direction in terms of the type of development that should occur in our stable residential neighbourhoods. These points include:
- The built form of development, including scale, height, massing, architectural character and materials, is to be compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood.
- Development should be compatible with the setbacks, orientation and separation distances within the surrounding neighbourhood.
- Where a development represents a transition between different land use designations or housing forms, a gradation in building height shall be used to achieve a transition in height from adjacent development.
In addition, Oakville has identified designated Growth Areas where redevelopment of this nature is better suited. These areas include Downtown Oakville, Bronte, Kerr Village, Palermo, MidTown and North Oakville.
The neighbourhoods surrounding the site represent single detached homes of heights ranging from approximately 7m to 9 metres. The dense node of multiple attached townhouses of 12m in height and a retirement home of 9 storeys does not reflect a built form that maintains or preserves the existing neighbourhood character.
Coronation Park Residents Association has responded to the planning officer in charge of this file. A copy is available to read here.
We encourage the neighbourhood to become familiar with this application and make your sentiments known. The Oakville.ca website has established a page where all development application information is available. Your comments are important and should be addressed to the planner in charge of the file. His name and contact details can be found at the bottom of the development page.
Coronation Park Residents Association did delegate at the March 2020 public meeting at Planning & Development Council, following which the file was returned to staff for review and recommendation. Since that time, there has been no further news from the Town of Oakville. The matter remains active.