City gets out of the Woods

By BOB BRUTON BARRIE EXAMINER September 28 2010
The Village of Essa Woods has been chopped down to size. City council has denied a proposed residential/commercial development at 300 Essa Rd., where 3,000 people could have lived in a mix of five high-rise apartments and townhouses, and where 143,000 square feet of commercial space could have been built, on about 11.6 acres of land.
By a 10-1 vote Monday, council backed city planning staff’s denial of the Clawson Group’s development — saying the density of 1,161 units is far too high. Clawson has been asked to change its plans — to reduce the density and respect the property’s environmental protection area. The new plans would also require another public meeting.
“We’re not close here,” said Coun. Michael Prowse, who represents this part of the city, of the developer’s plans. “There are seven substantive differences with the applicant (Clawson).”
He has said a delay is only appropriate when the developer is close to the city’s standards and minor changes are required.
“This is four times what Places to Grow (provincial planning policy) says is the highest amount (of density) to be in this area,” said Coun. Alex Nuttall.
“The application, in our opinion, is too dense,” said city planning director Jim Taylor. “There was every opportunity during the previous 16 months for the applicant to consider re-designing his application.”
Only Mayor Dave Aspden voted against the denial, supporting Clawson’s request for a 60-day delay.
“I find it somewhat contradictory. We are going to deny it and continue to talk,” he said. “We’re supposed to be open for business, but sometimes we have to bend to work with people.
“I don’t want to scare this developer away.”
This denial could cost the city money, however. Current property taxes on this land are $15,125 annually. That would jump to $3.3 million when developed. Building permits would generate $2.2 million and development charges $21 million.
Stephen Fagyas, of the Toronto firm Commercial Focus Advisory Services, representing Clawson Group, has said important parts of its proposal have been glossed over — including rental housing, its transit-oriented element and environmental sustainability, and the benefits of the village concept. Clawson says this development would create as many as 28 full-time jobs and more than 60 part-time positions.
Fagyas told council Monday the staff report on this development set a low standard of analysis, and that this is a superior plan that should not be discarded.
“Our density, for the land under application, is not out of line,” he said. “It bothers me to no end that serious misrepresentations of fact are circulating in the community.”
Barrie resident Paul Ecker also made a deputation supporting the delay.
“This is an important community issue and the new council (elected Oct. 25) should deal with it,” he said.
Ecker also said that city planning staff had asked Clawson to increase this project’s density, at one point in the talks, but could offer no proof.
Prowse called him on it.
“There is nothing to indicate that staff has asked for more density,” he said to Ecker. “It is not true and I resent it.”
Ontario’s Places to Grow and the provincial planning policy encourage intensified development, but Prowse has said this development does not meet any of the city’s thresholds.
Residents have expressed concerns about density, heights and the resulting traffic — for this property on Essa’s east side, south of Bryne Drive.
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority told city officials the majority of this property is classified as Level 1, the highest categor y, in its natural heritage system, based on significant woodlands, wildlife habitat, a wetland and endangered species — and functions as a groundwater recharge and discharge area. The LSRCA also says the development area is too large.
The Village of Essa Woods plan is for five high-rise apartments from 14 to 25 storeys, 1,130 apartments and 31 townhouses for a total of 1,161 units, and 143,000 sq. ft. of retail, commercial and office space. Clawson says the project would also designate about 10 of its 21.5 acres as environmental protection, and be accessible to the public, complies with provincial planning policies calling for complete communities, that a transportation study shows there are no adverse impacts and that it offers a variety of housing types — rental, market and for seniors.
But Prowse says this property isn’t even identified as an intensification node in the city’s intensification study. If it was, the target density would be about 1,180 people.
Prowse has also questioned whether this land is suitable for conversion from employment lands (industrial) to non-employment purposes. He is also concerned about the traffic impact in the Highway 400/Essa Road area, and local roads, given additional road work and widening for the area is still years away.
These lands are designated general industrial, which means they are to be used for manufacturing, processing, servicing, the storage of goods and raw materials, and industrial warehousing.