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CTV News
7 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Litmus test': Council majority backs massive high-rise development on Pack Road despite objections
'This is probably the most significant land use application that this term of council will see,' Coun. Sam Trosow told colleagues on Tuesday. Council considered a controversial planning application by Southside Construction to rezone 6309 Pack Rd. to permit a cluster of high-rise buildings with a maximum height of 16 storeys closest to the roadway, plus 206 single detached lots and 36 townhouses in a subdivision on the southern half of the property. It will add a total of 4,000 units over a 15 to 20 year build-out period. However, the Southwest Area Secondary Plan that guides development in the area prescribes a mix of low and medium density buildings no higher than nine storeys on the property. While neighbours called on council to adhere to the expectations contained in the long-term planning document, several councillors said the current demand for housing has outpaced the secondary plan's intensification targets. Coun. Steve Lehman, who also chairs the Planning and Environment Committee, reminded council of London's commitment to meet its provincial housing target. 'We've been given the target of 47,000 units by 2031. That's the size of Woodstock,' Lehman said. But others councillors suggested achieving the target shouldn't come at the expense of building complete communities that include things like public transit, parks, and public amenities. 'I cannot be beholden to the province on this idea that we are going to live up to this commitment on the numbers of units if it's not what's best for the community,' asserted Coun. Corrine Rahman. Rahman said the fast-growing area is similar to her ward in northwest London where despite significant residential development, municipal services and transit have been slow to keep pace with population growth. She added, 'I do feel like this is a bit of a litmus test.' Municipalities must review and update their Official Plans every five years. Currently, city staff are reviewing some of the building heights prescribed in The London Plan and its associated Secondary Plans. 'Four-thousand units is a lot of units going into this development, along with all the other development applications that are happening [in the area.] We want livable neighborhoods -it's not a numbers game,' explained Coun. Anna Hopkins who represents the area in southwest London. Council voted 10-5 in favour of approving the rezoning application which includes a long list of conditions that the developer has to meet before each of the high rise buildings can receive a building permit.
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Council approves massive southwest London subdivision, homebuyer loan program, and more
Social Sharing London City Council approved several consequential decisions Tuesday evening that will impact everything from the future of a southwest London neighbourhood, where future development will be allowed, to training for first responders. Here are some of the highlights: Go-ahead given for 4,000-home plan to densify southwest neighbourhood Council voted to green light a controversial development proposal that some residents worry will dramatically alter a low-density suburban neighbourhood in the city's southwest. After a lengthy debate, councillors voted 9-to-5 in favour of changing the zoning rules for a large plot of farmland at 6309 Pack Rd., to pave the way for 4,000 new dwellings which could accommodate as many as 7,000 people. The dwellings would be spread across 206 single-family houses, 36 street townhouse units, and five high-density apartment blocks, served by six new streets. The tallest of the buildings could be as high as 16 storeys tall — something residents have opposed since the proposal by Southside Construction Ltd. first became public. Still, despite the opposition, councillors who approved the request said development in the area is necessary, and the proposal is an example of what London needs moving forward, especially to reach a province mandate. The opposition has been spearheaded by a purpose-built group called the North Talbot Homeowners Association. It argued the plan completely ignores height and density limits laid out by two separate development plans, the city-wide London Plan and the area-specific Southwest Area Secondary Plan. While the residents were unable to participate in the council session, Coun. Anna Hopkins, whose ward the future subdivision is in, said she agrees with the residents despite acknowledging the need for high-density developments in the city. Hopkins has argued on multiple occasions that several key questions regarding the application remained unanswered. Coun. Corrine Rahman, in Hopkins's corner, argued that the lack of services like schools and transit in the area is not something that should be pushed down the road. "I represent the northwest. The northwest part of the city is very similar to the southwest ... and they feel very similar in terms of the ability to have services online when [people] move into a community," Rahman said. "The northwest part of the city is also concerned with the fact that it's been 15 years, and they've been promised transit, and they don't have it." On the other hand, councillors who agree with the plan maintained their claims that the terms attached to the application will ensure issues related to infrastructure, congestion, and more will have to be addressed before shovels hit the ground. Growth boundary consultations to continue On the topic of development, councillors accepted the recommendation to continue the process of consulting the community, developers and local indigenous communities in their review of the city's growth boundary. Council voted in December to move 1,476 hectares of land inside the city's urban growth boundary. The boundary, located inside the city limits but outside its core, is intended to help manage growth by constraining sprawl while preserving farmland. The proposed changes to the growth boundary are still in draft form as public feedback is gathered, and the changes will continue to undergo consultation before final approval, which is expected later this year. A number of developers are currently vying to have properties they own added in the review. Location set for future Emergency Services Campus in London Council also selected the final location for a future Emergency Services Campus that promises to be a training hub for southwestern Ontario's first responders. Council voted 14-to-1 to place the future facilities on a plot of city-owned land at 3243 Manning Dr., roughly six kilometres south of Hwy. 401. Those in favour noted the potential for the city to recover the costs of creating the campus, especially if other police, fire and EMS services across the southwest are encouraged to use it for training. "It speaks to the fact that London is ... the capital of southwestern Ontario in terms of standing alone as the largest single-tier municipality," said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis. "There are numerous emergency services throughout the region that need training." Mayor Josh Morgan said efforts are underway to secure funding from higher levels of government for the campus. Questions remain, specifically from residents who have concerns over pollution and smells from burning materials for firefighter training, diminishing road quality from heavy vehicle traffic, and noise from a planned on-site firing range. Those concerns were raised by Coun. Elizabeth Peloza. City staff assured councillors they would provide them with a report containing answers to these concerns, along with information on an updated study on the feasibility of the site. The last feasibility study, which can't be made public because it contains sensitive operational details regarding the London Police Service, was finished in 2023. Return of the Affordable Homeownership Program Council voted to renew a program that provides interest-free loans to aspiring homeowners looking to break into the housing market. That's despite opposition from some councillors who sought to find other uses — like London's winter homelessness response — for the provincial funding that goes into the program. A motion to that end from Coun. Susan Stevenson fell flat because of the narrow accepted use case for the money, which is only available for affordable housing-related applications. City staff said the province may not approve a change if the city sought it, and may even reallocate the money to a different municipality in response. Stevenson argued she had spoken to provincial officials and believed the province would allow a different use for the money. Council voted 13-to-2 in favour of relaunching the Affordable Homeownership Program, which initially ran from 2008 to 2013. During the program's initial run, the city issued 270 loans, lent out $2,317,466, discharged 173 loans and received $2,443,010 in repayments. The newly renewed program will help 124 households and will cost the city $3.1 million, which has been sitting in its coffers since the program first went on pause. The $3.1 million comes from previously repaid loans and the interest accrued on that money. If a home purchased with a loan is resold at a greater price than the original purchase price, the purchaser pays five per cent of the capital gains back to the city. Loans are automatically forgiven on their 20th anniversary. According to Coun. David Ferreira, that means the program can sustain itself and roll on into the future while also helping clear rental waitlists.
CBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Council committee approves controversial densification plan in southwest neighbourhood
Social Sharing A controversial zoning application passed the first hurdle toward becoming a reality, Tuesday evening, bringing it closer to paving the way for a strip of 17 highrise apartment buildings in a neighbourhood consisting almost entirely of single-family homes in the city's southwest. The application submitted by Southside Construction Ltd., was approved by the City's planning committee in a 5-to-1 vote, despite protest — and the occasional heckle — from a full house of residents that packed the council chamber's visitor gallery. The change to zoning rules at 6309 Pack Rd., would add capacity for roughly 4,000 new dwellings housing as many as 7,000 people to the stretch of Pack Road between Colonel Talbot and Bostwick roads. The dwellings would be spread across 206 single family houses, 36 street townhouse units, and five high-density apartment blocks, served by six new streets. If approved, maximum building heights along Pack Road will be as high as 16 and 12 storeys, with medium and low density zones farther south. The North Talbot Homeowners Association (NTHA) opposed the changes vehemently. Neighbours living in the area near the potential future development site created the group in direct response to the proposal in question, according to John Kononiuk, co-chair of the NTHA. "We ask [councillors], for 30 to 60 seconds, please take off your political hat and think to yourself, how would you feel if this was your community being impacted in this manner," he said during the public participation portion of the meeting. Kononiuk and other residents expressed significant concerns over traffic, noise, environmental impacts and more. "We're not anti-development. We support the London Plan and the SWAP (Southwest Area Secondary Plan). The new proposal for Pack Rd. is a 180 degree change in a direction with an extreme focus on high density development," Kononiuk said. Existing plans like the London Plan and the SWAP, which lay out requirements for developments throughout the city and in London's southwest respectively, were at the centre of the debate over the proposal. The SWAP in particular has significantly lower density allowances than the 300 units per hectare density planned for the Pack Road property. While residents and councillors in opposition to the development questioned the disparity, city bureaucrats and councillors in favour of the application said the plans currently in place don't reflect the current needs of the city. "What we have is outdated plans that we ... are forced to modify," said Mayor Josh Morgan. "We far exceeded where we thought we would be in population projections [when the plans were made] ... these plans are not reflective of the pressure that we face today." Morgan said the large swaths of single family homes in developments from London's past are being necessarily replaced by developments that have mixed density. The concerns raised by residents echoed those raised by Coun. Anna Hopkins both before and during Tuesday's committee meeting. Hopkins said the current application, as proposed, leaves too many questions unanswered, including how well the area will be serviced by transit and whether local sewer capacity is up to the challenge. "I support increased density ... but this development will drastically change the look and how we move in this community. We can still develop in a thoughtful and well balanced mix of housing to meet the needs not only of residents that are living there, but for future residents," she said. Hopkins, while not on the committee, encouraged its members to address concerns before approving the application. Councillors in favour of the application said there are provisions in place to ensure future development in the area doesn't overwhelm infrastructure. "These conditions around things like stormwater management, the capacities on the sewers, the traffic impacts, those all roll out over time," said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis. "Yes, some of the questions asked today are not answered. They will have to be addressed, though, through the process. "Before ... building permits can be issued and shovels can go in the ground, those requirements will have to be addressed by the applicant," Lewis said. Some also noted the extra traffic capacity that could be brought to the area through a future widening of Pack Road to four lanes, and the future extension of Bradley Avenue to Bostwick Road. The whole of council will make a final decision on the application on July 22.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Did support for housing mega-project undermine The London Plan-- or address current reality?
The London Plan's prescription to fight sprawl is to build up, not out. However, Mayor Josh Morgan suggests the local housing crisis has even outpaced the ambitious density targets initially included in the foundational planning documents that guide future development in London. On Tuesday, the Planning and Environment Committee considered a planning application by Southside Construction to permit a cluster of high rise residential buildings up to 16-storeys tall at 6309 Pack Rd. despite strong opposition from Londoners who live in a neighbourhood of single family homes across the road. Neighbours took turns during the public meeting warning members of PEC about the potential impacts of boosting the density on the property. Several explaining they purchased their homes believing the farm field would be developed into a mix of medium and low density housing no taller than nine storeys, as per The London Plan and Southwest Area Secondary Plan. The mayor responded that the maximum building heights contained within those plans are being updated because the current housing crisis wasn't foreseen when they were written a decade ago. 'Everything that's happened since then, with this housing pressure that we've had, these plans are not reflective of the pressure that we face today,' Morgan said. Coun. Sam Trosow expressed concern about deviating so far from the long-term planning policies developed in consultation with the public. 'You will be undermining people's confidence in the integrity of a previous planning process, and I say that with all due respect to staff who have put in a lot of work over the years,' Trosow warned. Municipalities must review and update their Official Plans every five years. Currently, city staff are reviewing some of the building heights prescribed in The London Plan and its related Secondary Plans. pack road - london plan - july 2025 Bostwick Area planning map from the Southwest Area Secondary Plan showing medium density along Pack Road (Source: City of London) The staff recommendation to approve the rezoning of 6309 Pack Rd. includes a long list of conditions, known as holding provisions, that the developer has to meet before each of the high rise buildings can receive a building permit. Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis directed some of his comments directly to neighbours concerned about the impact of higher density development on the site. 'This is a 15 to 20 year build out. These buildings aren't going to be there tomorrow. They're not going to be there next year,' Lewis said. 'These holding provision conditions around things like stormwater management, the capacities on the sewers, the traffic impacts, all roll out over time.' 'I have grave, grave concern that we are going to say yes (to the rezoning) and then we'll fix it up along the way,' responded Coun. Anna Hopkins who represents the area. 'We heard this is going to take a long time to get it fixed-- but why are we approving it?' Members of PEC voted 4-1 (Peloza opposed) in favour of the rezoning —including a request that shadow studies be considered before each high rise is given the green light. Council will consider the recommendation from PEC at its meeting July 22.
CBC
14-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Too much growth too fast, says councillor, of rezoning proposal in her ward
Social Sharing A proposal coming to London politicians this week that could transform a southwest London neighbourhood is being received with apprehension by the councillor whose ward it would impact. In a report that landed on the desks of councillors last Wednesday, city planners recommend that council greenlight the proposal from Southside Construction Ltd., which seeks to add roughly 4,000 new dwellings to a stretch of Pack Road, between Colonel Talbot and Bostwick roads. It would do so in part by changing the zoning rules at 6309 Pack Rd., to allow increased density and building height limits. "I'm so disappointed," said Coun. Anna Hopkins, whose ward the potential development site is in. "It's great to see all this intensification, but we don't need this [much] intensity." "Our schools and our parks and our amenity spaces are going to be so far behind." The zoning application at 6309 Pack Rd. is the latest in the area near Lambeth and Talbot Village that would add to the significant growth seen in that portion of the city in the past decade — growth that has only accelerated in recent years. Its approval would pave the way for 206 single family houses, 36 street townhouse units, and five high-density apartment blocks, served by six new streets. It would significantly increase the maximum density of parts of the area to 300 units per hectare, and raise maximum building heights along pack road as high as 16 stories. Future developments in the area could make room for more than 17,000 new people, with a number of high density residential blocks along Pack Road, and lower density areas including single detached homes and townhouses south of those. The added density, while expected in the neighbourhood that's been home to many recent developments, is too much too soon, and with too many questions still unanswered, Hopkins said. "If you read this recommendation, there's still a lot more work to be done as we approve it. We still have to look at how we get in and out of Pack Road [with the additional traffic]." Issues identified by staff in the report include concerns over the capacity of the existing sewer system in the area. Another concern is potential great blue heron habitat existing on nearby land. Development actually happening once the land is rezoned is dependent on some of those concerns being addressed before any shovels hit the dirt. The site plan process required for anything to be built on the land is likely to address the issues, but Hopkins questions if city hall would be doing the right thing by deferring such critical decisions to later. "We're starting to do that more and more with applications, and I'm starting to put my feet on the brakes a little bit. We want to meet our housing targets. We can still get to where we're going, but we can do it, I think, in a more thoughtful way," Hopkins said. She said she's heard similar concerns from constituents, some of whom have submitted letters to the committee in opposition to the application. Those letters say the neighbourhood would be drastically altered by the plan, and the addition of high rises across the street from homes that back on to Pack road would be detrimental. While Hopkins isn't on the planning and environment committee, she said she'll encourage councillors on it to ask for more work to be done to address the existing concerns before approving it. The committee will consider the proposal on July 15, and if it's approved there, it will go full council for approval later this month.
