‘Unprecedented’ 18- and 22-storey buildings proposed in historic Mississauga area

A new proposal for a historic part of Mississauga is “unprecedented” in its size and density.

A development with 18- and 22-storey residential buildings is proposed for a piece of land in Streetsville on the east side of Joymar Drive between Tannery and Thomas streets, Ward 11 Councillor Brad Butt told INsauga.com.

Butt is hosting a community meeting on the project on Feb. 5.

The property at 64 and 66 Thomas St., 95 Joymar Dr., and 65 Tannery St. is currently home to a low-rise building containing several auto repair businesses and a small fitness gym.

There was another proposal for the property for 239 back-to-back stacked townhouses. That project, first filed with the city in 2019, did not proceed, said Butt.

The new project from De Zen Group is a residential development consisting of a 12-storey mid-rise building and two towers with heights of 18 and 22 storeys connected by an eight-storey podium.

A two-way road access from both Joymar Drive and Tannery Street is proposed.

The site is designated residential medium density and townhouses with a maximum building height of three storeys are permitted.

The building currently at 66 Thomas St. Photo: Google Maps

Butt feels the building height and density in the new proposal would be too much for this part of Mississauga, which is mostly low-rise buildings.

“…18 and 22 stories, that’s just completely unprecedented for a historic village like Streetsville,” Butt said. “We don’t have the public transit that’s necessary. We don’t have a fully functional GO Train station.”

Queen Street, the main street running through Streetsville, is only a two-lane roadway.

“It’ll never be more than two lanes. It’ll never be widened,” said Butt. The area can’t handle the increased traffic and pressure on infrastructure.

De Zen Group also has a proposal for eight towers with heights ranging from two to 15 storeys at Streetsville Centre Plaza, 120 and 146 Queen St. S.

While people understand the need for more housing, Butt said residents have told him they are not happy with these types of residential developments.

“People are very concerned about the scale and scope of these developments,” Butt said. “It’s not that people are against redevelopment and bringing in newer buildings and newer commercial space to benefit the village. It’s when it’s the size and scope (are so large), that’s when people are getting concerned that we will lose kind of that village character if it just becomes a sea of high-rise apartment buildings.”

In December, council approved the Streetsville Heritage Conservation District Plan. This gives Mississauga more tools to look at the area as a whole and preserve the community’s character.

“We want to be able to keep the look and feel of a heritage district,” said Butt.

The meeting will be at Hazel McCallion Hall, Vic Johnston Community Centre, 335 Church St. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m.

For more information see Councillor Brad Butt’s website here.