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12 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 28, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Residents say condo plan is too high and too much Continued from page 1 is asking the Town to rezone 360 Oakville Place Dr. from its current arterial/commercial designation to pave the way for a 900-unit residential condominium apartment. The condo would consist of three buildings (28, 30 and 33 storeys) along with a four to five-storey building housing retail, services and offices with up to 10,705 square metres of floor area. "High density, out-of-scale residential high rises do not belong at 360 Oakville Place Dr. on and in the heart of employment lands in midtown North Oakville," said Lambeth Road resident Cynthia Perry, concerned about a lack of infrastructure to accommodate the people who would move into the high rise. "Trafalgar Road is overcrowded and unsafe now. The intersection at Trafalgar Road and Iroquois Shore Road is unsafe and unmanageable now. There's a lack of cycle way across Trafalgar Road and none is planned on this roadway. There's a lack of parking at GO and not much more planned within the midtown business and development plan. Ward 6 elementary schools are all facing overcapacity, Ward 6 French immersion students are Be a Mentor (We need you ­ NOW) going to a new facility in Ward 5 in September," she said. Perry also expressed concerns the development on potential employment land would only compound Oakville's employment problem and lead to more commuting at the expense of the environment. "Listen to Oakville residents and business representatives," said Perry. "Prove that the Town is in charge of development, not developers." Perry's words were met with great applause among the audience members, as was every other delegation opposed to the development. Falgarwood Drive resident Valerie Rogers voiced concerns about increased traffic congestion and air pollution she believes the additional cars of the condominium residents would bring to the area. She also fears the development of such a large series of buildings will be a danger to migratory songbirds. "The site chosen is directly in the flight path of migratory songbirds," said Rogers. "I live on the ravine and look forward to them coming and going every year. The hideous glass-walled buildings would kill the birds who Be a Champion To yourself To your Mentee To your Community To your Industry (Its only 6 hours for 4 months Flexibility to schedule) Think Green. Breathe Easy. HUGE CENTRAL AIR & FURNACE $ Up to SALE BEST PRICES EVER! 2950* MANUFACTURERS CASH BACK Cash Back AND NO PAYMENT! NO INTEREST! 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Resident Jason Perry cautioned council about the precedent the condominium could set for the area. "I grew up in Mississauga, in a small house very near the corner of Hurontario, Hwy. 10 and the Queen Elizabeth, and so I grew up watching the buildings go up and down Hwy 10 and I know that it is a very slippery slope," he said. "Once there is a tall building in one spot there will be tall buildings in other spots regardless of the proposed 24storey maximum." Fire safety concerns also entered into the equation with one resident opposing the development on the grounds that the ladders of fire trucks would not be able to reach the top floors in the event of a fire. Another resident questioned why the Town was even hearing the developer's application at all and voiced concern that council is being bullied as the developer has already appealed the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Oakville Mayor Rob Burton attempted to ease the resident's mind noting council is required to hear any property owner who files an application and make a ruling based on evidence from the hearing. "Developers have the right to appeal (to the OMB) when certain timelines have been reached and many developers believe that an appeal is a way of concentrating the attention of the municipality and forcing them to deal with them (the developer). So it's a `hurry up' tactic, that's the way I read it," said Burton. "As unwelcome as the application appears to be, I don't believe they've committed bullying yet. However, we are a much more confident council since January 2007 when various changes to the Planning Act and the rules that the board operates under somewhat strengthened or rebalanced what used to be a one-sided process. So, whether they are trying to bully us or not, we don't feel bullied." 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