11-tower condo project rejected by Oakville, Ontario

An major development project that called for 11 condo towers in midtown Oakville has been rejected by local politicians.

The project, promoted by the Ontario government, calls for towers ranging from 46 to 59 stories in height. It would bring almost 7,000 residential units to the southwest area of Trafalgar Road and Highway 403 near the Oakville GO station.

At an Oakville meeting earlier this week, councillors unanimously rejected the plan. They feared the project would introduce too much density into the area and interfere with the town’s more controlled approach to development.

Organized groups of residents who live near the area had been largely opposed to the project from the beginning.

Queen’s Park claimed the project would bring vibrancy to the area and provide much-needed housing situated near major transportation routes. Residents fear it would lead to more traffic and put stress on infrastructure that is already facing strain because of other development projects that have been emerging in the area.

“There’s this mistaken impression that everyone that will be crammed into condo’s take the GO train every day,” Fern Anderson of one ratepayer group told INsauga.com. “But that’s just not what we are seeing. Not everyone works in downtown Toronto, people are still relying on their cars. Traffic is already bad and this project would make it worse.”

In addition, in the motion to reject the proposal, Oakville councillors pointed out that the town is already meeting its housing obligations and doesn’t need the Ontario government to continue adding to them.

The town now hopes it can work with the province to come up with a suitable development plan for the area.

However, while the provincial election will likely put the matter on hold for the time being, some sources suggest the province wants this project to proceed and will continue to push for it.