Pair of rejected development projects would have brought over 300 homes to Brampton

Two development applications that would have brought over 300 new homes to Brampton have been rejected after local residents called for the plans to be scrapped.

Dep. Mayor and City Councillor for Wards 9 and 10 Harkirat Singh called it a “double-whammy” after two separate proposals to bring a 12-storey residential building and a community of townhomes to Brampton were not approved this week.

“This is rare, but it’s a testament to the public engagement and consultation that occurred on this,” Singh said during a Planning and Development Committee meeting on Monday. “I know we don’t always get the results, but this time when it matters, we got the results.”

The first application was for a 12-storey mid-rise tower at 3407 Countryside Rd. with 128 residential units, ground floor commercial and 175 parking spaces.

But some 700 local residents signed a petition saying the area isn’t fit for the proposed tower, and would lead to privacy concerns. Bruno Spina told the committee that tower residents would be able to see into his nearby home, and other residents were also concerned about traffic and safety impacts in the area.

And city staff agreed, with a report saying the tower would have upped the area’s density to “365 units per hectare,” and “does not represent good planning.”

READ MORE: Residents rally against proposed 10-storey tower in Brampton neighbourhood

“The proposed amendments have been reviewed, and staff conclude that the proposal does not represent good planning, as the proposal is not consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement, and does not conform to the City’s Official Plan,” reads a report recommending the tower application filed by Gagnon Walker Domes Ltd. – Surinder Malhi and Charanjit Dhaliwal be rejected.

The second proposal was for a development of seven stacked back-to-back townhouse blocks at 6875 to 6889 Mayfield Rd. The development would have been 178 townhouse units, 282 underground parking stalls and 11 surface spaces, and 820 square metres of outdoor amenity space.

Locals were cornered the development would put strain on local infrastructure, including overcrowding in schools, along with traffic, safety and privacy concerns.

But staff also recommended that the development application be scrapped, as it “is not consistent with the direction of the City’s Official Plan.”

“The proposal does not constitute good planning and not in keeping with the established upscale, executive character of the surrounding neighbourhood and would result in adverse impacts on adjacent land uses,” a city report reads.

Both Singh and fellow area Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor were in support of the community’s push-back against the applications, and that the decision to reject the applications “aligns with our position as well.”