‘You’re going to break the community’: Residents raise concerns over Southgate Mall development in Brampton
Published April 25, 2023 at 10:25 am
The City of Brampton is giving residents in Bramalea concerned about a proposed mixed-use mid-rise development a chance to meet face-to-face with developers before deciding whether to greenlight the project.
The City has received a proposal that could see Brampton’s Southgate Shopping Centre torn down and redevelopment of 700 Balmoral Dr. Developers are looking to transform the plaza into a mixed retail and residential block, but area residents have raised concerns about the project and how it would change the landscape and density of the area.
The application includes plans for five towers at five, 10, 12, 18 and 20 storeys tall on two podium buildings. If approved, the development would bring some 985 residential units to Brampton.
Residents came to Brampton City Hall on Monday night for a public meeting on the project with density and traffic congestion, infrastructure concerns, and the impact on local schools just some of the concerns shared by locals.
“I say that the traffic already is unbreakable and shouldn’t be any worse, and if you’re going to this it’s going to be chaos,” one resident told the City’s planning and development committee. “You’re going to break the community.”
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Residents also took issue with a traffic study for the proposed project which was done from September to November 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the study does not accurately represent the traffic flow in the area.
The development would also include some 1,365 parking spaces and retail space on the ground floor and would incorporate the No Frill grocery store on the site into the final construction.
Area resident Deanna McAffee said that while more housing is needed in Brampton, she is worried about how the project would impact residents she doesn’t want those concerns painted with a NIMBY, or “not-in-my-backyard,” brush.
With so many questions and concerns from the public about the proposal, the committee put forward a motion to hold a town hall meeting for residents to speak their minds and connect with developers.
Plans for the meeting are underway and the City will provide more details once a date, time and location have been selected.
Humphries Planning Group Inc. and Anclare Holdings have applied for an amendment to the City’s zoning bylaw and official plan to make way for the development plan.
The City has identified a number of potential issues with the proposal, including vehicle access points, the potential impacts on the neighbouring Cardinal Newman Catholic Elementary School, and compatibility within the existing neighbourhood.
But the report also found the development would provide an opportunity to bring a mix of residential and retail uses that could help meet the community’s long-term needs.
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