Newmarket resident Anne Leroux was part of the Alex Doner Drive neighbourhood group that tried to fight development on the former Glenway golf course.
The Glenway Preservation Association opposed the development of the golf course lands back in 2013 and in the meetings that followed. But the provincial land tribunal ruled in favour of Marianneville Developments and the Glenway project got underway.
Now, another 189 homes on the west end of the golf course are planned to come into place, with council giving tentative zoning and official plan amendment approvals May 2. Despite all the historic public meetings, Leroux said she and others have felt unheard throughout the process.
“It was an inevitable outcome,” she said. “The decision was made prior to all the public hearings. The public hearings are just a waste of time and a facade of democracy.”
The town initially sided with residents opposing the development before the tribunal ruling. The construction of new residences on the eastern portion of the land is nearing completion. Now, after years of planning and public meetings, council committee of the whole gave key tentative approvals for the 189-unit development on the west side of the lands.
The former community association has become inactive, and Leroux said her engagement on the file has declined. She said residents came out in force at prior public meetings, united in opposition. But she said it led to nowhere, with the Liberal government of the day not backing residents to halt the development.
“This is just the oligarchs playing amongst themselves,” she said. “The people who live here didn’t choose to live in a high-density neighbourhood. They attended all sorts of meetings and organized and presented and went and wasted a tremendous amount of time and were not heard.”
The development had progressed since the initial dispute, though the town and developer have said resident feedback has been kept in mind. A staff report said the new proposal is good land-use planning, while the director of planning and building services Jason Unger spoke positively about the amount of public consultation that has gone into it.
Ward 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz — who once headed the Glenway Preservation Association — raised several outstanding development concerns from those on Alex Doner Road May 2, such as traffic and the size of the construction access road.
Area resident Bob Hanson said he wants to see the building process managed well. Although the town indicated site plan issues and construction management would be addressed in time, Hanson said that remains to be seen.
“The town needs to get a better grip on a construction management plan, on what it means for the existing residents. It will take a fair while to do, and we’ve already been through years,” he said. “We hope the town is going to be paying close attention.”
Cameron MacDonnell was also part of the original association. He said he would have liked to see the town purchase the land for public use, such as a convention centre.
He also said he feels that public input did not amount to much.
“At the end of the day, they just do what they want,” he said.
The developer is donating 16 acres of the property to the town in exchange for an approximately $14-million tax receipt. The lands donated are west of Alex Doner Drive and south of Otton Road, which the town said it will use it for parks and trails.
MacDonnell said that is positive and is needed given the increased population coming there.
But Leroux said it is not a generous donation, and she is concerned about replacing town green space.
“We’ve lost so much green space in Newmarket."
