• Times Group has proposed a five-tower development with 1,332 residential units at Highway 48 and Stouffville Road.
  • The application, presented during a May 20 public meeting, seeks permission for buildings up to 32 storeys and 106 metres in height.
  • The project includes removal of a wetland once designated as Provincially Significant.
  • To activate the entire development site, Times Group successfully appealed the protective wetland designation.
  • Given the development proposal’s scale and existing community need, Council members pushed for public parkland over cash-in-lieu.
  • Opportunity for a new public park could reside on adjacent Oak Ridges Moraine Countryside lands also owned by Times Group.
  • Additional concerns were raised regarding the scale of the towers, limited commercial space, and lack of larger family-sized units.

 

Another major development proposal has been submitted for Stouffville’s western gateway, with Times Group seeking Official Plan and Zoning By-Law amendments to permit 1,332 residential units across five towers at the southwest corner of Highway 48 and Stouffville Road.

If approved, the proposal would allow buildings reaching up to 106 metres in height, with the tallest standing at 32 storeys. The 5061 Stouffville Road property is currently used for agricultural purposes, though the development lands fall within the Stouffville Settlement Area under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP).

As Stouffville faces increasing pressure to accommodate growth on a limited supply of developable land, the Town’s updated Official Plan has identified the site for higher-density mixed-use development. The proposal includes a single-storey daycare facility alongside the residential towers, though no at-grade commercial space has been incorporated into the application.

The development would proceed in two phases. The first phase includes the daycare component and three buildings, ranging from 20 to 25 storeys and delivering 689 combined residential units. Two of the three buildings are proposed as purpose-built rentals, and Times Group is considering further rentals for the third.

The second phase would add two condominium towers of 29 and 32 storeys, contributing another 643 dwellings.

Council reviewed the proposal during a May 20 Public Planning Meeting, where a representative for Times Group and Town Staff outlined the application and responded to questions and concerns surrounding environmental impacts, parkland, density, transportation infrastructure, and built form.

A Proposed Wetland Removal

The 2.85-hectare development area forms part of Times Group’ much larger 81.9-hectare parcel. Under the Town’s new Official Plan, a portion of the site was designated Significant Environmental Area due to the presence of a wetland regulated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Part of that area had also been classified as a Provincially Significant Wetland, a designation intended to protect environmentally sensitive lands from development and encroachment. The protection buffer associated with the wetland feature had constrained development on neighbouring lands owned by FLATO, located between the Times Group site and the Highway 48 and Stouffville Road intersection.

Times Group planning consultant Nick Pileggi argued the wetland was not naturally occurring, describing it as the result of an undersized Highway 48 culvert that created a “backwater condition.” He called it a “quote unquote wetland,” and told Council that an assessment by the applicant found the feature lacked a natural hydrogeological connection.

“The wetland has been created by…water sitting there, it’s not being fed by a hydrogeological connection from underneath,” Pileggi said. “We are proposing to remove that area, as it does help the Town to get a gateway development that we hope everyone will be proud of.”

Times Group successfully appealed the wetland designation through the Province, which holds authority over such classifications through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Pileggi pointed to recent provincial upgrades to the Highway 48 culvert system, suggesting the infrastructure changes altered the conditions that contributed to the wetland’s formation. Times Group is now working with the TRCA on an ecosystem compensation agreement tied to the feature’s removal, something the conservation authority looks to initiate only as a last resort.

In cases where it can’t be avoided, TRCA policy states compensation measures should seek to replace lost environmental functions and, where possible, achieve an overall ecological gain.

Another watercourse traverses the western portion of the property near McCowan Road, and Pileggi said discussions surrounding compensation include creation of a replacement wetland potentially “twice the size” of the existing feature and offering significantly greater ecological functionality.

He added that removal of the designation would also eliminate development constraints affecting FLATO’s adjacent parcel, potentially opening new opportunities for the still-undeveloped lands.

Council Pushes for New Parkland

The proposal contains no public parkland dedication, with Times Group intending to utilize the Province’s cash-in-lieu framework to satisfy its municipal parkland requirements. That approach, however, drew concern from several members of Council.

Both Councillor Rick Upton and Mayor Iain Lovatt urged the applicant to consider delivering usable public open space rather than making a financial contribution to the Town’s Parkland Reserve.

“It’s no good to have the kids stuck in the house and can’t go play catch, but we say ‘Hey, we got a few bucks from the developer,’” Upton remarked. Councillor Keith Acton echoed the concern, highlighting the recreational needs of both existing residents and the thousands of future occupants proposed for the site.

Lovatt suggested the broader Times Group property may offer an opportunity for a larger, unserviced community park on adjacent ORMCP Countryside-designated lands, similar to Bethesda Sports Fields. “There needs to be some contemplation of a community park here, beyond the [private] amenities being included in the fabric of the development site,” he said.

Pileggi responded by noting the Province recently concluded consultation on proposed policy changes that could allow serviced parkland dedication through use of Oak Ridges Moraine Countryside lands, which could enable such an arrangement.

“If that were to come through, that is something we could look at here,” he told Council. “If there was an opportunity to do on-site parkland…just to the west or south, then that obviously helps us reduce the cash-in-lieu amount but also provide serviced parkland for the development.”

Height, Density, and Land-Use

The application reflects the broader transitions underway as Stouffville updates older zoning regulations to align with its newer Official Plan policies, as Times Group is requesting needed zoning amendments permitting mixed-use development supported by the update.

While Lovatt acknowledged the proposed daycare would benefit future families, he and Upton both stressed the importance of including commercial uses that could support walkability and reduce vehicle dependence for daily needs.

Official Plan amendments are further required because existing policy directs residential units fronting Highway 48 and Stouffville Road to be located above ground-floor commercial, office, institutional, or accessory uses. Approval would permit at-grade residential uses, which Pileggi said would be minimal.

The application also seeks increased height and density permissions, going well beyond what is permitted through the Town’s 2010 Comprehensive Zoning By-Law.

The site’s Gateway Mixed-Use designation generally contemplates heights between five and 20 storeys. The applicant is therefore seeking Official Plan amendments to permit towers reaching 32 storeys, as well as permission for the single-storey building associated with the daycare component.

“I’m having a hard time getting my head around 32 storeys in our municipality,” Acton said, as both he and Upton questioned how Times Group could ask for height permissions exceeding Official Plan policies to such a degree.

Pileggi defended the height requests, arguing taller buildings allow density to be accommodated in a more efficient and visually appealing manner. Reducing tower heights while maintaining supported densities could result in a more domineering built form at pedestrian scale. It would also introduce the possibility for tighter building spacing and additional towers occupying more of the site, he noted.

“I get that it’s a challenge to get your head around the building heights,” Pillegi said. “There’s different ways that the same density can be accommodated on the site, and maybe you don’t really want what you get from that.”

Lovatt acknowledged the proposal exceeds what many may expect, including himself, but stressed the Official Plan’s height ranges are intended as guiding policy rather than strict caps. “It’s not a maximum of 20 storeys, and that’s the key,” he said, adding he still hopes the proposed heights can be reduced through negotiations.

Family-Sized Housing, Parking, and Transportation

Council also raised concerns regarding the proposal’s housing mix, particularly the limited number of larger family-oriented units. Lovatt noted the development currently includes just nine three-bedroom units despite plans for multiple purpose-built rental buildings.

“If we’re going to have three purpose-built rental buildings, we need to accommodate families,” he said. “And families need more than two bedrooms to live in.” The application also includes 114 studio, 596 one-bedroom, and 613 two-bedroom units, some with dens.

The submission also includes 1,800 parking spaces, representing 1.35 spaces per residential unit. That figure exceeds the Town’s recently approved parking standard of one space per unit for high-density developments, assuming the new by-law goes unchallenged and remains in force.

Most parking would be located underground, supplemented by some surface visitor spaces. No dedicated daycare parking is being offered, with the applicant instead relying on the included 334 visitor parking spaces.

Vehicle access would be provided through two entrances along Stouffville Road, connecting to an internal road network. Portions of that infrastructure, as well as a stormwater management facility, extend onto ORMCP Countryside lands, which Staff indicated is permitted under Provincial policy.

Officials are encouraging Times Group to explore opportunities for future transit integration, including a potential bus loop within the development, and Lovatt pointed specifically to a planned internal roundabout near Highway 48 as a possible transit feature.

While not dismissing the concept, Pileggi said the roundabout could preserve flexibility should the Province eventually permit direct Highway 48 access or transfer jurisdiction of the roadway to York Region to enable the same.

Town Staff and Times Group will continue refining the proposal before a recommendation report comes to Council. Should the requested Official Plan and Zoning By-Law amendments ultimately receive approval, a future site plan process would address architectural details, landscaping, servicing, circulation, and overall site functionality.