Whitby Shores Community Forums

I also saw the fencing go up the other day, and assumed it was going to be the gas station that has been discussed previously in these forums.

I hope it is, as that would make 3 checkmarks out of 4 on the wishlist of stores/services in the neighbourhood that I have always thought would be "nice-to-haves"......Timmy's (check), 24-hr grocery (check), gas station (check).....school(???)

Oh well, I guess 3 out of 4 isn't bad!

There's a formal public meeting on the ECOplace later this month...the Whitby paper has the details or you may have received something in the mail.

There was a small more informal meeting today with the developers and in summary:

- this is very big and a game changer for Whitby. the development dollars to Whitby over the 20 years or so would be in the MILLIONS (could offset property taxes, repair the marina area, etc)
- first phase is commercial space comprised of 1 20 story building plus some other smaller ones
- designed for mix use commercial and retail (hotel, restaurant, medical services, etc)
- 30 or so condo's with 180-210 units each
- significant underground parking and pedestrian friendly; even talk of an underground walkway to GO
- environmentally friendly designs
- if approved soon, Phase 1 could start by end of year

The largest concern is infrastructure/traffic, on which assessments are currently being carried out.

Also found out from the Port Whitby residents that in addition to the 1200+ units Brookfield announced, there's also talk about more condo's in that area.

I'm concerned too about infrastructure. The North-south linkage are a mess now and add the trucks, cars and additional delivery vehicles and I hate to say this but the bridge is going to collapse. Ok, maybe not, but Henry Street and Brock aren't designed to handle the volumn.
The existing overhead wiring that really looks awful and the lack of bike and pedestrian areas all need to be built into the designs and I don't know if this has been taken into account. I suspect it has but I still like to bring it up here as I suspect Liz et al. will keep this in mind ;0)
All in all, the south Whitby area is going to see some major changes and if its not planned out, is going to be a nightmare to get in and out of.
Don't know if anyone has noticed but the new condo being built facing Victoria will have major issues if the access is the small side street. This is just the start and without a full road/transportation review its only going to escalate.
We've discussed this before on this forum but is the Region involved in this discussion? With many roads (Henry, Brock and Lakeridge) being shared with the Region, they need to be at the table to ensure the work is prioritized. New development means more vehicles and hopefully better pedestrian areas not fewer.
I'm a firm supporter of new development, especially with improved infrastructure but I have a major issue if all parties aren't at the table and at the end of the day say "its not our problem" when major issues errupt.
Just my thoughts (or rant) for today.

I had a scary thought today....Between the new gas station,the Rowe condo,the Brookfield condo towers,the Senator townhomes (by the WMHC),and ECOplace if it actually goes thru...I may never NOT hear construction noise in this area for the next 15 years.

hmm, how sad

On the fence there is a sign for Petro-Canada.

I never hear construction noise, we must live at opposite ends of the neighborhood.

After reading all the posts concerning the Ecoplace I'm finding it hard to believe that anyone in Whitby Shores finds it exciting. The idea that 30 to 40 apartment buildings at 20 storeys each, housing 14,000 residents would in any way benefit the residents of this area is a little ridiculous. And let's not forget the people who will be working in the proposed office tower and hotel etc. etc. Saving a few dollars in property taxes certainly won't make up for the congestion in the area. The Planning Department document that we all received clearly states that the proposed development would include the applicant's land as well as other lands. The 'other lands' is clearly marked on the plan to include the soccer field. Although the current proposal does not include these lands, the future plan is to develop them. If you would like to continue to live in a clean and safe area please consider attending on Monday, Aprol 21st in the Council Chambers of the Whitby Municipal Building. Thanks for your time

Finally someone who agrees with the points I made on the other post. And you didn't even mention what it will do to the GO train traffic. The trains are packed as it is now - imagine what they will be like with another few thousand. I have to leave the office 20 minutes before the train leaves just to get a seat at Union Station.

The centre of gravity in the GTA is moving to Peel region. If we don't do anything to put an anchor in the east there will be serious economic consequences in Durham. People will be compelled to move further west. We need the people, investment, and infrastructure to compete. If we don’t invest in smart infrastructure, we will get more of the same like the Atlas and Sobey's warehouses in the area. Try to find an IT job here, they do not exist!

Personally, if this place started to look more like the area around Square One, then I’m for it!

Before I comment I just want to clarify.  I'm not necessarily opposed to this development and think it would be a fantastic opportunity for Whitby and its residents if done properly.

However, I do have some concerns.  What does "central area" mean?  Does inclusion of the soccer fields in the definition of "central area" mean that it could be developed in future?  I understand that there are currently no proposals for land usage changes.  However my concern is that its inclusion means there could be a request for land usage change in future.  

Let's be realistic, the developer is currently too busy trying get approval to begin phase I to worry about approval for the soccer fields.  They're even gunning for approval before providing the requested and required comprehensive assessment for all phases of the existing proposal (and if we allow that to happen it'll be too late to stop the other phases, even if the assessment turns out to be negative).  This shows they're not willing to publicly focus on the requirements for 2 phases down the road, let alone 5 phases.  Make no mistake, that doesn't mean they're not thinking 10 phases down the road.  

Clearly this developer is thinking about future development when this is completed.  The proposal already references the potential for development of the Sobey's and Automodular land, even though it's not included in the current proposal.  They even included estimates for that land of almost 1 million sq. ft. of commercial space and 4,200 residential units.  If they're got numbers for the Sobey's land then obviously they have been working on comprehensive plans and renderings for the area that we haven't seen yet.

This developer has shown they are interested in the piecemeal approach to this development (easier to convince people this way).  I would be quite comfortable betting that they have plans to develop the soccer fields at some point down the road.  I don't blame them for it.  They're developers, they see wide open spaces and envision filling it with buildings.  This is what they do.  Blaming them would be like blaming a shark for eating a swimmer.

If council allows phase 1 to begin before all the required assessments are in, then this will demonstrate where their priorities lie and you can also bet they'll allow the soccer fields to be developed too.  Seems Mayor Perkins, shovel already in hand, has already demonstrated where her priorities lie.

Just a thought and to show I'm not opposed to development.  One could reasonably argue that a development of this size would become the new "downtown" core of Whitby.  Perhaps Dundas St. between Brock and Thickson, as well as Hopkins St, would be a better area for this kind of development.  It would revitalize the original downtown core of Whitby and, if you've driven it lately, is just screaming for an update.  It would be a perfect place to modernize, not to mention it already has better accessability than the area of Victoria southwest of Brock.

Maddog Barfog:

I would also like to understand why the soccer fields have been included in this "central area" notion. Why is this part of the discussion if there are no plans to develop this area? I think most people agree the soccer fields should not be developed into residential or commercial space.

However, I do not agree that approving Phase 1 automatically means the rest of the developers' long range plans is a fait accompli.  One example, is that this development is a 10-15 year project...there will likely be at least a two municipal elections before we are 50% into their project timeline.  Voters in Whitby can vote council out of power if we believe they are acting in a way that is contrary to our best interests.

Also, during the first public meeting on Phase 1, the developer made it clear that Phase 1 is to be considered separately from the rest of their long range plans.

I just don't see the inevitability on this project.