Battle over Burlington golf course development put off until 2024
Published March 8, 2023 at 3:39 pm
The battle between developers and those opposed to plans to build on a Burlington golf course has been pushed back another year.
At a hearing before the Ontario Lant Tribunal (OLT) yesterday (March 7) over the proposed Millcroft Greens subdivision, it was decided the case will not be heard until March 2024.
The OLT has been involved since the developers claim the City of Burlington has failed to process their application to proceed with the project.
The development calls for the building of about 100 homes along Millcroft Golf Club and reducing the size of the playing area of the golf course.
Many residents who live near the golf course are opposed to the housing plans over concerns that it may eliminate wildlife in the area along with how it will affect flood management. Some are also concerned about the potential for increased traffic and the elimination of a nature area in the heart of the city.
Although the City is not opposed to all aspects of the development, it believes parts will unnecessarily eliminate greenspace and encroach on a floodplain.
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Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has stated that although the City is behind growth, it does not support converting greenspace to housing whether the lands are publicly or privately owned or in the greenbelt.
“Development on greenspace in a floodplain is not the right place for development — and it’s not needed, given we have adequate urban land identified in our Official Plan to accommodate Burlington’s share of growth identified by the Province,” she has said.
The part of the plan the City doesn’t oppose is a parcel of land on Dundas St. that currently houses a parking lot and shed for the golf course.
As part of this week’s hearing, residents were represented by a legal team supported by Millcroft Against Bad Development (MAD), which was created to oppose the development plans. Along with the City of Burlington and MAD, other groups opposed include Conservation Hall, Halton Region and the Millcroft Greenspace Alliance.
At the hearing, the development group said it is open to discussing the matter with the opposing parties.
The OLT determined that a hearing date a year in the future was necessary for all those interested in the process to prepare arguments, gather witnesses and for the parties to continue to hold discussions that could lead to a solution.
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