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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 1, 20 21 | 12 Plans are moving for- ward to develop the former Brantwood Public School site, despite objections from several councillors. The majority of council voted to direct the Oakville Municipal Development Corporation to market and secure a buyer for a portion of the 221 Allan St. site con- sisting of the school build- ing and seven future resi- dential lots. The town will be retain- ing a 0.15-acre parkette at the corner of Douglas and Palmer avenues. A playground currently located at the site will be re- located to the parkette to make way for the seven sin- gle-family homes. The town will also install an under- ground storm sewer piper under the parkette, so a fu- ture developer will not have to disturb the park to devel- op the rest of the site. The front portion of the school is within the Trafal- gar Road Heritage Conser- vation District, and as such any developer will require a heritage permit to convert it into four to nine condo- minium apartment units. A condition of the sale will allow the town to repur- chase the property if the de- veloper tries to flip the property, applies for a zon- ing amendment or fails to complete construction in a timely manner. The price the town wants for the site was not disclosed. During the meet- ing, Ward 3 Coun. Janet Haslett-Theall implored council not to put so much of the 2.2-acre property on the market, noting Oakville will need the green space. "While we are all excited about Midtown and the op- portunity to create some- thing special there, there is no doubt that they will not have access to a lot of green space and so they will grav- itate to public parks," she said. Haslett-Theall said this influx of people will exceed local park capacity, and she called for just six of the resi- dential lots to be sold in- stead of seven. "There is a new genera- tion coming. They need more green space, and this is an opportunity to hold onto one, and there is a way to do it and still generate the income we have patiently waited to earn off those lands," she said. Oakville Mayor Rob Bur- ton noted the town recently built the Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre along with a new park not far from the former school site. He also questioned the assertion that Midtown will have no green space. "I don't believe that's the case," he said. The mayor has previously said that money from the sale of these residential units is needed to fund local pro- jects. The vote proceeded with Haslett-Theall, Ward 3 Coun. Dave Gittings, Ward 2 councillors Ray Chisholm and Cathy Duddeck and Ward 4 Coun. Allan Elgar voting against the staff rec- ommendation to put the property on the market. They were outvoted by the rest of council. The town made a previ- ous attempt in 2019 to sell the seven residential lots without the school build- ing, but this was not suc- cessful. The Halton District School Board closed the 221 Allan St. school back in 2010 and sold it to the Town of Oakville in 2012. FORMER SCHOOL SITE DEVELOPMENT PLANS MOVE FORWARD Plans are in the works for the former Brantwood Public School site. Town of Oakville rendering DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS