• Stouffville’s Council has granted conditional approval for a five-building, 800-unit development at the northeast corner of Main Street and Highway 48.
  • The formal addresses of the lands are 5262, 5270, 5286, and 5318 Main Street, and 12371 Highway 48.
  • Proposed apartment buildings will range from 12 to 20 stories and will be built in three phases.
  • Additional commercial space and inclusion of a public park suggested by Council Members were not incorporated into the approved application.
  • Slight reductions to parking requirements were requested, but Town Staff and Council ensured the full 1.5 spaces per unit will be provided.
  • Further information is available in our coverage of an earlier version of the application and the related November 2023 Public Planning Meeting.

 

Development applications for the project, submitted by Goldberg Group (the Applicant) on behalf of the property’s owners, were first deemed complete in 2018. The initial proposal sought 510 apartment units within four buildings, ranging from six to nine stories.

Soon after, the Town expanded density permissions within Stouffville’s Western Approach area. Subsequent revisions were put forward requesting the unit counts and heights approved by Council during their October 2, 2024, meeting.

Beginning with Building A to the south facing Main Street, five buildings will be constructed along a new road running parallel to Highway 48. Phasing plans show two central buildings will be constructed first, providing a total of 340 units in 16 and 20-story towers. Phase II includes Building A, a mixed-use, 20-story structure with 150 units. The final phase will deliver the two northernmost buildings, each 12 stories with a combined 310 units.

During a November 2023 Public Planning Meeting, Councillors criticized the lack of public parkland in the proposal. Despite these concerns, no park has been added to the plans.

Ontario’s Planning Act provides avenues for the securing of public parkland alongside development. Through negotiations with Town Staff, developers must either create new parkland on their site or provide cash-in-lieu. Stouffville adds cash-in-lieu to its Parkland Trust, which is used to fund land acquisitions and other park projects.

However, as land values continue to rise and more properties are developed throughout Stouffville’s community areas, it is increasingly difficult to purchase appropriate and adequate lands for public parks. Stouffville is hopeful that its in-process Parks Plan and upcoming Parkland Dedication By-law update will help address this challenge

As part their recommendations for Goldberg Group’s approvals, Staff included the following parkland dedication condition: “The Owner is put on notice that Town By-laws and policies…require the payment of cash-in-lieu of parkland for this application…payable prior to the issuance of building permits.”

While the Applicant is offering some programmable recreation space above an underground storm water management system, the condition would have locked in cash-in-lieu payment as the only option for parkland dedication. To preserve the possibility of achieving a public park on the lands, Councillor Rick Upton introduced a motion to remove the restrictive clause from the Draft Plan Conditions.

“This is a great proposal for a great area of town. We have here 800 units and five buildings on 3 hectares, which is fantastic,” Upton said. “With that, we are probably going to end up with about 2000 new residents, which is a big number. These condo residents will have no backyards, and we have no park.”

“It’s kind of unacceptable that we can not find a park for these residents at that end of town,” he added. “There are no parks, but we have so much land [on the site].” Upton’s motion was seconded by Councillor Sue Sherban and unanimously supported by Council, ensuring that Staff can continue negotiating for a public park as the project moves forward.

Parking was another point of discussion. In advance of Council’s consideration, Town Staff had successfully opposed the Applicant’s request for a 20% reduction in the required 1.25 resident parking spaces per apartment unit.

“Although there is public transit available near the subject properties, Staff are of the opinion that [parking requirements] be maintained,” their report explained. “Drawings that have been…provided to the Town to date do not reflect a need for a reduction in parking ratio, each phase…is currently able to provide the required number of parking spaces per unit.”

While the Applicant agreed to meet the residential parking requirement, Staff did support their requested 20% reduction in visitor parking. Councillor Keith Acton sought to reverse the recommendation with a motion of his own.

“I applaud Staff for bringing the residential parking back up to the principle by-law standard of 1.25 spaces per unit…With that said, I would like to see the visitor parking brought up to the base by-law standard of .25 spaces per unit from the requested .20,” Acton stated. “I know it may seem minuscule…[but] I’m attempting to stay consistent and I’m not ready, at least at this time, to relax my views on parking.”

His motion was seconded by Councillor Upton and unanimously adopted by Council.

The limited amount of at-grade commercial space was another issue raised during last year’s Public Planning Meeting. With only 450 square metres of commercial space in Building A, concerns were voiced about the need for future residents to drive short distances for everyday essentials.

Despite these concerns, no additional commercial space was added to the other buildings in the Applicant’s final revisions. However, some live/work units were introduced, along with adjacent street parking, providing additional opportunities for commercial and service-based activity in the future neighbourhood.

According to the Staff Report, the Applicant also requested that townhouse dwelling permissions be secured throughout the property’s zoning. While supportive of the request for much of the site, “Staff believe that to maintain the intent of the Town’s Official Plan, it is important to reserve the intersection of Highway 48 and Main Street as a higher-density mixed-use block.”

Their decision keeps the option for downzoning open while providing “requested flexibility for the property owner, developer, or future owners.” This also highlights the potential for the site to be sold to new owners interested in taking a different direction. Should that happen, the Town could further explore options for establishing a public park on the site following removal of the parkland dedication condition.

“We are excited to see this application finally get approval,” Mayor Iain Lovatt said in comments to Bullet Point News. “The gateway of our western approach into Stouffville is a major priority for Council. With this approval, we can begin to plan an entry that we can all be excited about.”

*Cover image property of Goldberg Group, sourced from their recent presentation to Council.