- A new owner is abandoning an approved 800-unit, five-building development at the northeast corner of Highway 48 and Main Street.
- City Park Homes is now proposing 176 townhouses alongside a possible hotel and restaurant.
- Their assembled properties include 5262, 5270, 5286, and 5318 Main Street, as well as 12371 Highway 48.
- Town planners say the application departs from the Official Plan’s vision for a high-density mixed-use gateway into Stouffville.
- Staff also criticized the design for lacking strong place-making features, community gathering spaces, and a clear neighbourhood identity.
- Councillors said the proposal does not adequately reflect the importance of the location and called for revisions that better align with the Official Plan.
- Mayor Iain Lovatt suggested market realities should be considered, questioning whether Council is willing to wait years for higher-density development to become viable again.
A change in ownership has led to a significantly scaled-back development proposal for the northeast corner of Highway 48 and Main Street, prompting concerns from residents, Town planners, and elected officials during a June 3 public planning meeting.
City Park Homes is seeking Official Plan and zoning amendments to permit a 176-townhouse development on the seven-hectare property, replacing an earlier approved concept that envisioned five buildings and approximately 800 residential units.
The proposal also includes a future commercial block and surface parking lot containing 108 spaces, which could eventually accommodate a hotel and restaurant.
The lands encompass 5262, 5270, 5286, and 5318 Main Street, as well as 12371 Highway 48. In a report to Council, Town Staff repeatedly emphasized the property’s importance as a “prominent gateway location” and a key point of arrival for residents and visitors entering Stouffville.
Council approved the previous application in October 2024, supporting buildings as tall as 20 storeys. While there was optimism that the higher-density project would move forward, it was also recognized that the property could change hands following approvals.
To provide flexibility for any future owner, Council also approved land-use permissions allowing townhouse dwellings across portions of the site. While Staff did not object to those permissions in principle, they stressed that preserving the intersection as a high-density mixed-use destination remains central to the Town’s long-term planning vision.
Stouffville’s hopes for the site are also running up against a struggling condo market. With higher-density projects becoming harder to justify economically, City Park Homes is instead pursuing a townhouse product that has remained comparatively stable.
“It’s really a challenge right now to build condominiums,” said Bruce McCall-Richmond, a planner representing City Park Homes. Economic realities have shifted, he explained, creating a “new emphasis” on family-sized and ground-related housing.
The proposal would also replace a public road between Main Street and Millard Street, which was considered under the previous application and is included in the Official Plan. The revised private road network maintains connections to Highway 48 and Main Street, but the change could impact development opportunities on neighbouring properties.
Resident parking would be provided at a rate of two spaces per townhouse, meeting Stouffville’s parking requirements, with 44 visitor spaces distributed throughout the development.
Gateway Vision In Question
While townhouse development is already permitted across much of the property, existing policy requires those units to be at least three storeys tall and prohibits them from fronting directly onto Highway 48 and Main Street.
According to Staff, those requirements were established through planning policies intended to create a visually prominent and cohesive gateway into the community.
City Park Homes is seeking relief from both restrictions. The application proposes two-storey townhouses and townhouse frontage along the two arterial roads, changes Staff say would alter established design expectations for the area.
Town planners also expressed concerns with the overall layout, describing the development as lacking meaningful place-making features and a strong sense of neighbourhood identity. While acknowledging the site’s narrow north-south configuration, Staff argued that physical constraints do not prevent the creation of a “thoughtful and creative community design.”
“As presented, the development provides limited amenity space and does not incorporate parkland or communal areas in locations that would support social interaction, visual interest, or a cohesive community structure,” their report states.
Staff are encouraging revisions that introduce more open space, stronger pedestrian connections, varied building groupings, and focal points that break up the repetitive nature of the plan. “These elements are essential to achieving a complete community and ensuring that development contributes positively to the character of the area,” they concluded.
Approximately three hectares of the site are designated natural heritage lands. A tributary of Little Rouge Creek runs through the parcel and contains known habitat for endangered Redside Dace, which is subject to additional environmental protections.
Further work is required to determine how parkland, open space, and active transportation connections would be delivered, Staff said. They also noted that a future trail could potentially traverse the property and connect with the Town’s expanding trail network, and opportunities to better activate the eastern environmental area are being explored.
Future Hotel Or Future Townhouses?
McCall-Richmond explained that the site would be organized into three development blocks: the residential area, the natural heritage lands, and a commercial corner at Highway 48 and Main Street that could host a hotel and restaurant.
He described the 1.5 acre commercial component as a key element of the proposal, adding that City Park Homes recognizes both the significance of the intersection and the opportunity to bring a needed hotel to Stouffville.
However, it was later clarified that no hotel operator has been secured, and the application seeks amendments that would grant townhouse permissions to the commercial designation. If approved, those permissions could allow additional townhouses to replace the hotel and restaurant should commercial operators not be found, or if the proposed uses are ultimately deemed financially unviable.
Assuming the commercial block moves forward as planned, Staff has suggested incorporating the heritage home at 5270 Main Street to reinforce the importance of the gateway. The deteriorating Gothic Revival structure, built in 1860, has remained boarded up for years as the property awaited redevelopment.
“Integrating the hotel and the heritage building would establish a strong architectural relationship between old and new, enhancing the sense of arrival and reinforcing the Town’s identity at this critical intersection,” reads the report.
McCall-Richmond confirmed the heritage building would be retained and presented what appeared to be an AI-generated rendering depicting it restored as a pub alongside a six-storey hotel. While preliminary, the concept drew positive feedback from Council.
Staff are seeking additional information regarding parking and servicing for the commercial block. Particular concern has been expressed about the visibility of the proposed surface parking lot from Main Street.
“This review will assess potential impacts on the public realm, including visibility from Main Street and opportunities for enhanced landscaping or architectural screening,” their report explains. “The intent is to ensure that all service and parking functions are appropriately concealed, well organized, and compatible with the surrounding built form and streetscape.”
Deputants Raise Concerns
Neighbouring landowners used the public meeting to highlight concerns about traffic safety, grading, setbacks, density, stormwater management, and impacts on surrounding properties.
Representing lands to the north, Gregory Pallas focused on the removal of the planned public roadway connection between Main Street and Millard Street. Given the Ministry of Transportation’s reluctance to permit additional Highway 48 access points, he argued that the proposed private road network could hinder future redevelopment opportunities on their adjacent lands by limiting access and capacity.
Other speakers questioned whether the proposal was making full use of one of the community’s most prominent development sites.
“This is…the gateway to the town,” Pallas told Council before referencing the massive Times Group proposal on the southwest corner of the intersection. “I believe that it necessitates a little bit of presence, of gravitas, to let people know that they’re entering the town.”
“I think that the development is definitely nice, definitely going to look good, but…I think we are minimizing what we could do for the gateway to Stouffville,” Fockler Lane homeowner Tony Acciaccaferri said.
Council Pushes Back
Concurring with that sentiment, Councillor Rick Upton was the first member of Council to voice concerns.
He began by commending City Park Homes for their sponsorship of major summer events like the Stouffville Celebrates series and Mayor Iain Lovatt’s annual golf tournament, but he questioned the absence of centralized parkland and repeatedly highlighted their desired divergence from the Official Plan.
“If we have developers that buy property and ignore the Official Plan, and build what they want, this is a problem for Stouffville,” Upton warned. “We have this mess for fifty, a hundred years, while you’re lucky enough, as a developer, to make the sale and leave town.”
Upton also criticized aspects of the site’s appearance, including the proposed commercial parking lot, urging the applicant to work more closely with Staff to improve the design.
Mayor Lovatt began his remarks by noting that the previous owner had also chosen cash-in-lieu over dedicated parkland, an approach Council ultimately supported. Prior to that vote, however, Lovatt described the proposal as “wildly deficient” given the amount of developable land under consideration.
Also offering a more sympathetic view of market conditions, Lovatt said the condo market has “fallen off a cliff in the last two years.” He pointed to decades of development delays on the site, suggesting Council must decide whether it is willing to wait another “six, seven, eight years before the condo market resurfaces” to see the property activated.
Addressing that question directly, Councillor Keith Acton said he was willing to wait “until we can make it right.” Emphasizing the importance of doing so, he added that a “sea of townhouses” is not appropriate for the gateway and joined the call for greater collaboration with Town Staff “to bring forth the vision of our Official Plan.”
“I think you need to appreciate and respect that we only get one chance at this,” Acton told McCall-Richmond.
Lovatt also argued that planning comparisons to the larger Times Group proposal may not be entirely appropriate, suggesting the true gateway focus should be the commercial corner at Highway 48 and Main Street.
“I think the rendering that was presented to members of the public and to us this evening about the Governor’s Pub and a hotel… there’s a lot of opportunity there,” he said. Councillor Richard Bartley also expressed support for the hotel concept, but urged City Park Homes to deliver the commercial block early in the development process.
Councillor Sue Sherban questioned whether larger, family-oriented condominium products could still succeed in Stouffville and expressed frustration with ongoing requests to depart from the Town’s planning framework.
“I still believe that condos are very viable for this community,” Sherban declared, adding that she would like to see a return to the drawing board and an updated proposal. She called on City Park Homes to consider improvements that would deliver “a great community” and leave behind a legacy of “what you did for the people who live here and the people who want to move here.”
Concluding the meeting, Councillor Hugo Kroon also praised the hotel concept and acknowledged a commitment made by McCall-Richmond to further consider and improve the plan. Adding that “no one wants to look at a parking lot,” he described the current proposal as “repetitive” and “not the kind of streetscape that we want to see anywhere in this town.”
Kroon also reiterated his call for resident-supportive mixed uses along Main Street. “There needs to be an opportunity for people…to be able to walk to some place where they are going to be able to get the basics of life,” he said. “I will not approve anything that does not have commercial availability within the development.”
No decision was made during the meeting, and discussions between Town Staff and City Park Homes will continue as they work to address concerns. A recommendation report is expected to come before Council for a final decision later this year.
Cover image sourced from the City Park Homes presentation to Council on June 3, 2026
