• A developer is proposing 326 townhouse units at 13531 Ninth Line in Bloomington, serviced by a private communal well and septic system.
  • The applications represent significant intensification over existing approvals for 32 estate lots.
  • Frustrated neighbours said the proposal sharply contrasts with the plans in place when they purchased their homes.
  • They also cited traffic, possible groundwater and environmental impacts, and the loss of green space and estate character.
  • Town Staff say the application is incomplete and must demonstrate the technical feasibility of the servicing model prior to any approvals.

 

A developer hopes to significantly increase density on a long-held parcel in the Hamlet of Bloomington, proposing 326 townhouse units at 13531 Ninth Line serviced by a private communal well and septic system. The applications represent a major departure from the site’s decades-old estate lot permissions and have drawn concern from neighbouring residents.

The property is situated within the Oak Ridges Moraine Hamlet Area under Stouffville’s Official Plan. Existing permissions allow for 32 large residential lots on individual wells and septic systems, similar to the adjacent homes to the north already constructed by the applicant.

According to the related Staff report put forward during a June 4 Public Planning Meeting, the updated proposal calls for 137 traditional townhouses with integrated garages and rear yards on the west side of Royale Garden Way. The east side would see 189 units, including both conventional and stacked townhouses, many without backyards.

The plan also includes private outdoor amenity areas, a 0.65-hectare public park, and lands dedicated to the proposed communal servicing infrastructure. Established boundaries protecting the natural heritage system would remain in place, separating the development from nearby wetlands and tributaries.

To accommodate the increased density, the applicant is requesting minimum lot sizes of 135 square metres. Town staff emphasized that the application remains incomplete and technical feasibility must still be demonstrated, particularly with respect to the communal servicing model.

During the meeting, neighbouring residents voiced deep concern about the scale of the proposed development, saying it sharply diverges from what they were told, and sold, when purchasing their homes.

“We always saw on the map that it was going to be estate lots,” Naveen Reddy said in his deputation. “I’m happy to get more homes built, but not to this extent.”

Others described feeling blindsided. Rafi Farah recounted the journey that brought his family to the estate subdivision and the shock he felt when a public notice arrived outlining the proposed intensification next door. “This is against what we planned for, and it’s a big punch in our face,” he said.

Other concerns raised by residents included increased traffic, reduced green space, and the potential impacts to groundwater and the Oak Ridges Moraine. “When we purchased these properties, we were shown a dream,” said Preet Randhawa. “And now that dream has been taken away.”

Randhawa added that he closed on his home last September, around the same time the updated proposal was submitted to the Town. “If the builder had put this in, he didn’t even mention it to us,” Randhawa said. “I would have thought twice about getting [my] place if I knew this was coming through.”

Mark Jacobs of Biglieri Group, the applicant’s planner, told Council the proposed density is in part a function of cost. Installing communal water and wastewater systems requires substantial investment, and the number of units is needed to make it financially viable.

“Your heart breaks when you hear this,” Councillor Rick Upton told Jacobs. “This is their home, this is their dream, and they’re losing all that.”

Stouffville’s Development Services Commission says updated hydrogeological, geotechnical, and servicing studies will be necessary to confirm whether the density and servicing plan can be supported. The Town will also assess cumulative impacts on nearby private wells and septic systems, and on groundwater flows into key natural heritage features.

“While the proposed density and built form appear generally aligned with overall [Provincial] planning objectives… further updated technical studies will be necessary to confirm the feasibility of the proposed lot sizes and overall development approach, before a Staff recommendation to Council,” the report states.

Staff are also reviewing site-specific issues including traffic impacts, transitions from the existing estate lots, and architectural compatibility with the Hamlet’s rural character. Enhancements to pedestrian connectivity, linkages between the proposed park and natural heritage areas, and active transportation routes are also being encouraged.

Although private communal water and wastewater systems are permitted under Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan rural settlement policies, such systems require approval from Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and a Municipal Responsibility Agreement with York Region. York’s Infrastructure Asset Management team has identified the latter as a condition of development, though it raised no concerns related to source water protection.

Hena Kabir, Stouffville’s Manager of Development Planning, said approvals from the Region and Province could take between two and five years. She stressed that both levels of government must support the servicing approach for the development to proceed.

Mayor Iain Lovatt echoed that message. “[The Province] are the ones that really hold the keys to this, because if they don’t approve a communal water and wastewater system, there is no way to do this kind of density on individual septics,” he said. “There is a long process ahead.”

Addressing the audience directly, Councillor Maurice Smith urged residents to remain engaged. “I don’t even believe we are at the starting line yet,” he said. “This is a long way away from ever coming to fruition.”