It’s a project that will inevitably bring more people to East Woodbridge, but just how many is still up in the air.
A controversial project known as the Skyline Marina aims to bring about 1,000 new residents to Vellore Woods in the form of midrise buildings.
The project, proposed to council back in December 2008, is proving to be an election issue.
The project application from 1678573 Ontario Ltd., owned by developer Norbert Marocco, originally called for multiple highrise towers, some of which were as high as 28 storeys, in Vellore Woods, west of Hwy. 400 and south of Major Mackenzie Drive.
Since that first application the project has been the subject of numerous meetings between the developer, ratepayers’ groups and politicians.
Vellore Woods Ratepayers’ Association chairperson Elvira Caria has attended the meetings and is still involved in negotiations on the project.
“What is reasonable to the applicant is not necessarily reasonable to the residents,” Ms Caria said, citing the single entrance in and out of the subdivision as a major problem.
While the negotiations are ongoing, Ms Caria is hopeful a mutual agreement can be hammered out.
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But one Ward 3 Woodbridge Vellore candidate is staking his ground in opposition to the project.
Councillor-candidate Steven Del Duca said he wants to send a message to residents.
“I want to send a message that to try and cram 1,000 units into a small space with no arterial road access is just not on,” Mr. Del Duca said.
As the plan stands, the entrance and exit to the subdivision, which almost abuts Hwy. 400, is Eagleview Heights.
“We are suffering in Ward 3 because of a generation’s worth of bad planning decisions,” Mr. Del Duca said. “I don’t have a degree in urban planning, but entering the neighbourhood on a two-lane residential road with people going to Hwy. 400 and Major Mackenzie is a disaster waiting to happen.”
But Ward 3 Councillor Bernie DiVona, who filed his nomination papers for re-election Tuesday, said progress has been made through discussions to scale down the project.
“The applicant, in consultation with the ratepayers, planning (department) and myself, have made it abundantly clear the multiple highrise is not appropriate backing onto an existing residential low-rise community,” Mr. DiVona said.
“They have amended their application from a highrise to a mid-rise, from 26 storeys down to a tiered, 12-storey. We have made progress and will continue to make progress if we can continue to consult and respect each other’s views,” he added.
But Ward 3 councillor-candidate Rosanna DeFrancesca likes the new plan.
“I like the direction of the modification. It’s like night and day from the first plan. It has more green space. It’s lower and the units are a bit bigger,” Ms DeFrancesca said. “If our parents are downsizing, they’re not going to buy a 700-square-foot condo. I could see seniors buying into bigger 1,200-square-foot units.”
Mr. DiVona said he will introduce a motion to halt the project until and unless there is another public meeting to debate the revised plan.
Mr. DiVona said he wants staff to review the plan as well to avoid the developer going to the Ontario Municipal Board on the matter.
Rob Mileto, also a candidate for councillor in the East Woodbridge area, said the project won’t fit into the neighbourhood.
“It will create traffic chaos. They should put the development just north of that area on the hospital lands,” Mr. Mileto said.
Mr. Del Duca doesn’t think the new plan has gone far enough.
“There are fewer units, but it’s still 1,000 units,” he said.