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The Brampton Guardian
More congestion around Bramalea City Centre feared if condo plan approved
The Brampton Guardian
Thursday December 4 2008
 
BRAMPTON - A group of Lisa Street residents have expressed disappointment and frustration at a plan on the verge of council approval that will bring hundreds more residents to an area already considered one of the most densely populated in the city.

“They want to put up a condo on top of a parking structure,” said nearby resident Balraj Dhillon, who was with a group of residents at a Planning, Design and Development Committee meeting Monday night.

At that meeting, councillors approved a recommendation allowing IBI Group— Ros-Sal Developments Inc. to build a 29-storey, 224 unit condominium on the same property as an existing 14-storey rental apartment building at 190 Clark Blvd.
The plan is up for final approval from council Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Dhillon said allowing the proponent to double up on the already developed property will set a precedent for others.

She is joined in her objection by other residents who live in the 4 Lisa St. condominium immediately behind 190 Clark Blvd.

They say the area is already too dense, which has caused a host of problems including traffic congestion, a lack of schools and crime.
“We’re all trying to get to work at the same time, traffic is a mess, and this will add at least another 500 people, we believe. It’s only going to make matters worse,” said Roxanne Rutter, who is on the board of directors at 4 Lisa St.

It will cause overcrowding for an area already densely populated, and increase crime in an area with an already high crime rate, she said.

She said, “It’s just not right” to “cram” two highrise buildings on a property “basically meant for one.”
Another resident said amenities are not in place to accommodate more people, noting her child must line up to use the slide at their local park.
The area councillors— Bob Callahan and John Sanderson— supported the proposal, but residents were backed up in their objections by nearby Wards 7 and 8 Councillors Gael Miles and Sandra Hames who voice strong opposition to the plan.

“This is the wrong place to be putting this in,” said Hames to applause from residents.

Miles called it a ‘plop-in’, putting a highrise in the middle of an already densely populated area where crime has been a concern.

“This area does have issues,” she said, noting a young mother hit and killed while crossing the street with her 9-year-old last month is not the first person killed in the area.

Rutter, on the board of directors for the 4 Lisa St. condominium, made a detailed presentation to committee outlining residents’ concerns.

She told councillors Lisa Street is exclusively populated by seven highrise buildings, ranging from 14 floors to 28 floors, and another four highrises up to 25 floors tall can be found on Silver Maple Court, which runs off of Lisa Street.

In addition to traffic, crime and a lack of schools, residents of the next door building are concerned about the placement of parking and a driveway next to their building’s playground, shadows cast by the new building and the loss of views from their units.

They said they found no relief from the city staff report approved by councillors.

“Staff find that the impacts on 4 Lisa St. are minimal,” according to the report. “Views are not significantly  affected, shadow impacts are minor and site interface issues can be addressed through careful design.”
Existing trees will be cut down, but “a substantial number” of new trees will be planted, staff concluded, adding the project will improve the site’s overall appearance.

Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell told residents their concerns were addressed in the report and that they had been listened to.

“There is no question Brampton is going to have intensification around Bramalea City Centre,” she said, agreeing that it is already one of the most densely populated areas in the city.

But after the meeting, residents said they don’t feel their concerns have been solved. Many of the issues have been referred to the design stage of the project after approval.
“We’re very disappointed with how the meeting went,” said Dhillon.