Redevelopment calls for 500 homes on site of Burlington greenhouse

A greenhouse that has operated in Burlington for 70 years could soon make way for a large residential development.

The plan calls for a mixture of townhouse units and an apartment on the site that has long been the home of Aldershot Greenhouses.

A proposal that will be introduced to the public later this month, sees the development slated for the greenhouse property located between Aldershot Park and the CN rail line with entrances off of Gallagher Road and Enfield Road.

Planned is a mixture of residential homes with 135 townhouses and an 8-storey building with 366 apartments. In total, there will be 501 housing units on the site.

Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith said the current property owner has been considering a move for several years and the area is located near the transit corridor where much of the City’s new development will take place.

“Anything surrounding the GO station (in this case Aldershot) is being encouraged by the Province to intensify housing. This being nearby obviously follows that direction,” said Galbraith. “We’re seeing this all around the (GO stations), they are mostly high-rises this is the only new one that has townhouses and more low-rise development.”

Galbraith admits there may be some pushback from those who live in the neighbourhood but said opportunities to build must be taken advantage of when they present themselves. He said Queen’s Park has been very clear that housing is a priority and has given Burlington a target of 29,000 units to be built by 2031 and there is pressure to achieve that goal.

“So we are looking for every opportunity to meet that pledge…we are in a housing crisis,” he said adding that attitudes within the community are changing with people accepting intensification and the need for housing. “We are witnessing a change in the public sentiment.”

Galbraith said despite the push for intensification, growth can sometimes move at a slow pace which helps ease change and can bring more community acceptance.

“People are shocked at change and initially resistant to it but it doesn’t come fast,’ he said. “A proposal like this is just a pre-application it could be eight to 10 years before a shovel is in the ground so it can be an amazingly slow process.

Other aspects of this development call for each townhouse to be supported with an individual driveway and garage parking.

Parking for 45 vehicles in the mid-rise building will be provided via an underground parking garage.

The community is invited to a pre-application public meeting for the proposed development on Feb. 29, 6:30 pm, at East Plains United Church (375 Plains Road East)

Information on how you can attend online can be found here.

The site where the redevelopment is planned. (Image from Google).

The proposed desgin of the project.