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Settlement protects more greenspace but builds m ore homes continued from p.1 3 |Thursday July 6, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com community with limited retail, and a mix of single-family homes, townhouses and lowrise apartments located on the Bronte Road lands. The application was submitted to the Town in March 2014 and Bronte Green appealed to the OMB in October 2014, citing the Town' s failure to deliver a timely decision. The board' s decision modifies the Town' s Official Plan for Saw-Whet, and Bronte Road West lands (1300, 1316, 1326, 1342, 1350, 1354 and 1372 Bronte Rd.) It also amended the Town' s Zoning Bylaw, for the property -- and the adjacent lands being acquired by Bronte Green. "The board conducts an independent review and bases its decision on the evidence presented, and in this circumstance, cannot blindly ignore the professional expert evidence, which was provided," stated J. V. Zuidema, OMB vice chair, who presided over the case, in her decision. The board' s approval ratified a negotiated settlement reached by the Town and Bronte Green over the development application in November 2016. The developers revised plan for the subdivision showed 164 townhouses, 443 detached homes and 574 condominium units -- 1,181 residences more than originally proposed, which was well under 1,000. The condominium units will be in low-rise apartment buildings four-to-six storeys in height on Bronte Road. The development will take up 54.79 hectares, virtually the entire property. The deal also included significant concessions from Bronte Green to respond to Town and public concerns. Approximately 5.85 hectares of green space has been set aside to become part of the Natural Heritage System; 2.50 hectares will be parks and urban squares; 4.24 hectares will be a woodlands enhancement area and there will be 0.72 hectares of open space. The revised plan represents a significant change from the original by protecting more than 10 hectares of green space and addressing environmental concerns over wildlife protection. The modifications include 4.25 hectares more than first proposed. The proposed transitfriendly community would include a school, parks and a trail system, while preserving sensitive environmental lands that are critical habitat to endangered and other wildlife. The Town registered dozens of issues with the OMB. The developer presented a settlement offer on a confidential basis in which it compromised on all issues. On Tuesday, July 4, Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar said the Town' s deal with Bronte Green "baffles me" because the developer got approval to build more units than originally requested. "What I hope becomes clear to the public is the OMB ruling regarding Saw-Whet is simply a rubber stamp of what the Town and the developer had already negotiated," said Elgar. "On top of that, Oakville had already met its growth forecasts to 2031 without Saw-Whet." At the time of the settlement between the Town and Bronte Green, in November, Elgar spoke out against Council' s process on the application, including a May 16 Planning and Development meeting with an unannounced OMB verbal update on the agenda, which was voted on. He emailed constituents in late November, noting a Town decision was made May 16, behind closed doors. "There was no advance notice that Saw-Whet was the file being updated," Elgar wrote. "More importantly, there was no advance notice there could be a motion relating to Saw-Whet' s fate." At regional council, Elgar, and Ward 1 Councillor Sean O'Meara, Elgar voted against it, along with Halton Region Chair Gary Carr and Burlington Councillor Marianne Meed Ward. The Town hasn' t publicly commented on the recent OMB ruling, but a statement from Mayor Rob Burton' s office Tuesday said the OMB approval " just confirms" the November deal by both parties, so there was no new information contained in the decision, which is why the Town didn' t issue a news release. The OMB' s decision on the Saw-Whet Golf Course can be viewed at http://wwwoakville. ca/business/da-8844.html. --with files from David Lea lawny/, b r c s /M you grow we mow LANDSCAPE DESiGN &MAiNTENANCE Sprinklers Weekly Property Maintenance Spring & Fall cleanups Garden Design Stone Retaining Walls Interlock Sod Installation Serving Oakville & Burlington Call today for a free consultation and estimate ( 9 0 5 ) 4 6 7 - 1 5 0 7 · w w w .la w n b r o s .c a D enied Injured? D is a b le d B e n e fits ? I can help. 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