Plan for new Oakville subdivision near Shell Park moves forward

A new subdivision near Shell Park in Oakville has taken a step forward to becoming a reality.

At a recent Planning and Development committee meeting, Oakville councillors approved the draft plan by Menkes Lakeshore Woods Inc. for 37 new single-dwelling homes, fronting a new public road at 193 Nautical Blvd. near Allison Crt. and Innville Crt.

The property is currently vacant but has been used for storing construction equipment for another nearby project.

Town Senior Planner Paul Barrett said some changes were made to the subdivision plan after a public meeting was held last year. This includes a re-alignment of a walkway with an existing path from Innville Crt. to Shell Park so there would be access to the park.

As well, Town staff was asked by Council to review the landscaping plan in Shell Park including a possible buffer zone between the future rear yards and the town park.

Staff suggested this could be addressed through fencing. While there is currently a chain-link fence between the subdivision property and Shell Park, future homeowners will the option of adding a private wood fence on the private side of the property line at their expense.

Barrett added, as part of the conditions for approval, grading will be coordinated with a tree preservation plan so that the subdivision is designed to maximize tree preservation and maintain the existing trees within Shell Park.

The pathway will also be designed to maximize tree preservation where it connects with the existing pathway from Innville Crt.

Although there had been public concerns raised over construction noise and debris, erosion, increased traffic and changes to school bus routes, Town planners were satisfied the development conforms to regulations.

Ward 2 Councillor Ray Chisholm expressed concerns that homeowners in the subdivision could be disturbed if lighting was added to Shell Park fields nearby. There is currently no lighting on the two soccer fields to the immediate south of the proposed subdivision.

“The issue that we’ve had in the past is when we institute lighting on these fields, it creates a real major problem,” Chisholm said. “So with this additional subdivision, does that preclude us from ever putting lights on that field?”

Mayor Rob Burton asked if the lights could be installed before the subdivision is built.

“There is no plans at this time to install lighting on those two fields at Shell Park,” said Chris Mark, Director of Parks and Open Spaces.