Massive Oakville warehouse site approved over concerns of area residents
Published June 30, 2022 at 1:01 pm
A proposal to build five warehouses on two pieces of land near an Oakville neighbourhood is going ahead despite local residents voicing their objections.
At a Planning and Development Council meeting held on Monday (June 27), Oakville Council voted 9-3 in favour of the plan by developers One Properties and 11087258 Canada Inc. to build the warehouses on 70 acres of land in the area of Winston Churchill Blvd. and Beryl Rd.
Three of the warehouses, with 59,078 square metres of total floor space, would be constructed on property owned by 11087258 Canada Inc. at 560 Winston Churchill Blvd.
The other two warehouses, with 60,108 square metres of total floor space, would be built on One Properties’ property located at 772 Winston Churchill Blvd.
The five warehouses would also include 739 parking spaces and 226 loading spaces.
The approval by Council and Staff of the proposed development comes on condition that mitigations will be in place before construction to give full protection for impacts under operation of the buildings at full capacity.
The warehouses are permitted under the area’s zoning.
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“I am satisfied that staff have created a site plan recommendation that is conditioned on the applicant mitigating operation at full capacity, which is what I advised the residents to expect and that staff would deliver,” said Oakville Mayor Burton, who supported the site plan recommendation.
But those promises weren’t enough for local residents who believe more needs to be done to mitigate the impacts the warehouses will have on the community.
The Council heard from numerous residents, including David Mounce who started an online petition to put a stop to the development and received more than 1,000 signatures.
Concerns voiced from Mounce and other residents included over noise on the sites, poor air quality from idling trucks, traffic in the area as well as the noise being made at late hours.
“I am completely against these developments and I do not understand how a good decision can be taken with so many unanswered questions and so much homework left incomplete,” Mounce told Council. “I believe WCB (warehouse sites) is a mistake by any standard and the fact that we are here discussing this tonight reflects the failures of the municipal process.
“But if we must accept these developments then mitigation, limitation and enforcement are of the utmost concern.”
Elizabeth Chalmers, President of the Joshua Creek Residents’ Association voiced her concerns over several matters including mitigation from the noise, which she says is the No. 1 issues for the residents.
“Neither SPA includes a noise wall to block sound and provide mitigation, proposes upgrades to Winston Churchill to accommodate volume or has a plan to address noise and emissions from potential lines of idling trucks,” she said.
Some Oakville Councillors also voiced their concerns, including Ward 3 Councillor Janet Haslett-Theall who voted against the proposal.
“This is not about, ‘Not in Your Backyard.’ This is about us actually allowing a development to have land-use permissions that have scale and intensity that are just unimaginable abutting a residential property,” Haslett-Theall said.
“We have to do better,” she added.
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