John Birchall has advocated for changes to a residential development coming to his neighbourhood on Stonehaven Avenue in Newmarket.
The residential project at 600 Stonehaven Ave. is now up for zoning approval at council Sept. 11, after about three years in the process and since the last public meeting. Birchall and a group of local ratepayers have continued to advocate during that time, he said, seeking changes in the project to protect the natural space where the proposed homes would be built.
Birchall said while the ratepayers have not received everything they wanted, they have worked with the town to secure concessions and elements like future trail and park space.
“As anyone would, I’d like to have more influence,” Birchall said. “We’ve got the best deal that we could get ... What you do is you find a reasonable compromise.”
The proposed development from Marianeville Developments now has 57 detached dwellings, 16 freehold townhouse units and two blocks for 126 future condominium townhouse dwellings, for a total of 199 units. The development is located at Stonehaven Avenue by the intersection of Bayview Avenue, currently a greenspace with a baseball diamond, a small former cemetery, and that once housed the York Regional Police Association headquarters.
The application will leave the cemetery as is and convey an open space area to the town.
The lands have historically been private, but residents have used them as a park area. The town said through this development, portions of the land will come into public ownership, allowing for a more formal park and trails. The town also said the proposal was modified to preserve views from Stonehaven into the open space area, as well as a trail connecting to it.
Marianneville vice-president Joanne Barnett said they are excited and satisfied to have reached this point and said they have changed things dramatically to address technical comments and community concerns.
“It’s been a very excellent collaboration, and it’s taken some considerable time and investment, but we believe the results are such that it warrants the work that was done,” she said.
Although nearly three years have passed for the proposal to go from a public meeting to being up for zoning approval, Barnett said that timeline is normal in her experience, and it was a worthwhile process.
“There’s always a middle ground to be struck between more housing faster and no housing because people don’t want it. There is a middle ground to be struck and that takes some time, and it’s a good investment to do it."
There are aspects of the project that still concern Birchall and other residents. The loss of trees on the Stonehaven hillside is an issue, though the town arborist has found satisfaction in the proposal, and the developer will have to compensate for trees cut down.
Barnett said they redid the plan to add considerable parking to the proposal, to satisfy town requirements.
Presuming council gives the project zoning approval, there would still be a site application process to go through. Barnett said they would look to start doing earthworks in spring 2024, and the earliest housing could arrive there is 2025.
The group still has some concerns remaining and plans to ask for funding for replanting of trees and a delay on construction until more vetting from the conservation authority is done. But Birchall said they are happy with how the town has handled the file.
“I’ve told them I’m impressed,” he said. “I think they’ve done an amazing job.”
