The saga of the Stewarttown Secondary Plan is entering a new chapter as a developer has appealed council’s document to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
Di Blasio Homes has repeatedly stated in the past that they are not satisfied with town council’s approved residential density cap of eight units per hectare on a parcel of land at the southwest end of Stewarttown called the expansion lands.
Project Manager Selo Di Blasio told HaltonHillsToday that the secondary plan has been appealed in its entirety and a list of specific issues will be presented in detail at the OLT.
“The OLT proceedings will determine that number (of units per hectare), after which that density number will become publicly available,” Di Blasio said.
Stewarttown Community Association (SCA) co-founder Sam Mercurio told HaltonHillsToday that his group will be applying for party status at the hearing.
“We hope that the Town sticks to its plan and doesn’t allow for any higher density,” Mercurio said.
Last year, town council finalized and approved the Stewarttown Secondary Plan, a document that will govern development in Halton Hills' oldest hamlet. In simple terms, a secondary plan forms a blueprint for how land in a specific area will be used.
When it comes to the expansion lands, local residents have repeatedly expressed concerns over the potential effects higher-density development could have on the character and safety of the hamlet.
Initially, the SCA supported a development of five units per hectare on the land. But when Town staff and council proposed eight units instead, the group got behind the new cap. Di Blasio remained staunchly opposed, saying in the past that the limit does “not meet provincial guidelines for intensification or greenfield development.”
“We’ve already been flexible when dealing with the Town and the increased density. We don’t really want to go past that number,” said Simone Gourlay, SCA co-founder. “Once the development is complete, Di Blasio is gone. It’s the residents in this neighbourhood who have to live with the decision of Di Blasio, the OLT and the Town.”
The OLT has scheduled an online case management conference for Feb. 13 at 10 a.m.