Toronto Star: ‘Turning the neighbourhood upside down’: Wasaga residents speak out against high-density project

A proposed residential development for the west end of Wasaga Beach faced an avalanche of objections at a public hearing on the merits of allowing it to go ahead.

Wasaga Beach council’s co-ordinated committee was presented with 55 letters of objection and a petition of more than 1,800 names in opposition to Beachwood Developments’ proposal to build 33 single-detached homes, 48 townhouses and 134 units in two six-storey buildings in an area between Shore Lane and Beachwood Road.

The developer is proposing to rezone the property from low-density residential to high-density residential.

Alexander Schwertner, a member of the Brock’s Beach Neighbourhood Association and Save Beachwood, told the committee the application was inconsistent with the official plans of the town and the County of Simcoe.

“This proposal would be turning the neighbourhood upside down,” said Schwertner, one of about a dozen people who spoke during an Aug. 19 public meeting on the development proposal. “High-density housing does not fit in any part of this traditional neighbourhood.”

Most of those who followed echoed Schwertner’s issues, highlighting the destruction of an existing coastal wetland, the inconsistency of the level of density with the existing neighbourhood, and traffic.

Schwertner, and others, told the committee a broader review of the area needs to be undertaken.

Coincidentally, the committee later in the meeting accepted a recommendation to issue a request-for-proposals for a consultant to work on a secondary plan review for the west end of Wasaga Beach.

Beachwood Developments planner Brandi Clements said “careful detail” had been put into the plan, with the single-detached homes adjacent to existing residences on Shore Lane, and townhomes and apartments overlooking Beachwood. The main access would also be out to Beachwood in order to minimize traffic on neighbouring residential roads.

She added the development would also feature a public park area to serve the entire neighbourhood, and would be one of the few parkland areas in the west part of town.

It would also offer a range of housing options at various price points.

“We feel the site is appropriate for a high-density use,” she told the committee.

Resident Heather Cicinski came forward in support of the project, saying it provides much-needed development for the west end and different housing options, and would solve the drainage issues in the area about which residents already have concerns.

“Many west-enders want change and welcome development,” Cicinski told the committee. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The committee will consider a recommendation from planning staff at a later date.

Sign the petition to save Brocks Beach

Visit the Save Beachwood Website

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See the first article in this story: ‘The development will destroy everything’: Wasaga residents fear impact of high-density housing project