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Full Version: Star article: "Condo tower ruling sends 'strong message'"
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From today's Toronto Star:

Quote:
Condo-tower ruling sends 'strong message'

Rejection of 21-storey Mississauga site by OMB called boost to highrise opponents

An Ontario Municipal Board decision that rejects a controversial plan for a 21-storey condo tower in south Mississauga near Lake Ontario sets a new standard for how and where redevelopment and highrise intensification should occur, a councillor says.

The ruling, released just before the weekend, is a relief to some suburban ratepayer groups fearful of a growing crush of infill applications for tall towers next to their neighbourhoods and a setback for developers hoping to cash in on the condo craze.

The decision doesn't mean that all tall buildings are out, it just means that they have to be and should be located near the so-called growth centres, areas that have been set aside by planners – usually along major arterial roads and city centres and transit hubs – for growth.

The board also gave a boost to municipal efforts to control and define how they will grow with a ruling that supported the municipality's plans for intensification – as envisioned under their own and the province's Places to Grow initiative – over those of developers.


You can read the full story here.

Any thoughts on how this might affect development in Whitby?

My thoughts are that we are excatly one of "the so-called growth centres, areas that have been set aside by planners – usually along major arterial roads and city centres and transit hubs – for growth"


JeffH Wrote:
From today's Toronto Star:

Quote:
Condo-tower ruling sends 'strong message'

Rejection of 21-storey Mississauga site by OMB called boost to highrise opponents

An Ontario Municipal Board decision that rejects a controversial plan for a 21-storey condo tower in south Mississauga near Lake Ontario sets a new standard for how and where redevelopment and highrise intensification should occur, a councillor says.

The ruling, released just before the weekend, is a relief to some suburban ratepayer groups fearful of a growing crush of infill applications for tall towers next to their neighbourhoods and a setback for developers hoping to cash in on the condo craze.

The decision doesn't mean that all tall buildings are out, it just means that they have to be and should be located near the so-called growth centres, areas that have been set aside by planners – usually along major arterial roads and city centres and transit hubs – for growth.

The board also gave a boost to municipal efforts to control and define how they will grow with a ruling that supported the municipality's plans for intensification – as envisioned under their own and the province's Places to Grow initiative – over those of developers.


You can read the full story here.

Any thoughts on how this might affect development in Whitby?

Well, well well, this is an interesting development!

My first couple of thoughts are that I am not familiar with the area where the application was made. So, it is difficult to draw a comparison to Ecoplace.  This could be a one off, or the sign of things to come.

That said, I am inclined to agree with risky, that Ecoplace does fit the ideal location for intensification, vis a vis the Province's development plans.

But, this could also mean some negotiation room for those worried about the size and scale of Ecoplace....
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