Condo Development at N.E. Corner Trafalgar and Cornwall

On July 6 the Trafalgar Chartwell Residents' Association delegated before Town Council at the Planning and Development meeting to raise concerns about an application by First Capital to build two tall condominium towers on the north-east corner of Trafalgar and Cornwall.

We have had queries from concerned residents about this application. Therefore we are providing the following status report.

At the conclusion of the July 6 meeting, Mayor Burton instructed the Director of Planning Services to report back to Council and requested that some specific information be included in the Planning Department's report. Below are the items that we consider to be most important:

1. Provide information as to whether or not safe access to the site can be created at the intersection of Cornwall and Reynolds from eastbound Cornwall. Left turns from eastbound Cornwall are currently not allowed at that intersection. Additionally, examine what better, or additional, egress opportunities exist for the subject lands because that impacts the movement of traffic in the area.
2. Provide additional information about ensuring safe bike and pedestrian access to and from the subject lands.
3. Provide information about how the current zoning of 4-10 stories was determined, and about the heights of existing and approved buildings in the area. First Capital has applied for a zoning change to build 19 and 14-story towers. Provide a comprehensive plan for the Cornwall District and how the proposal fits in.
4. Provide a greater understanding of how green space will be included within this development.
5. Provide an understanding of what the full potential is for the entire First Capital site (now known as Olde Oakville Marketplace),for which First Capital has a provisional plan to redevelop the entire site. Look into the potential of a long-term development agreement between the Town and First Capital that covers the entire site, to assist with the decision about this project.
6. Provide a full parking analysis for the entire site.

The minutes of the Planning and Development meeting can be seen here: 

If you have further questions, please direct them to communications@tcra.ca, or Jayne Huddleston at jaynehuddleston@aol.com on behalf of the TCRA. 

First Capital, owner of the Olde Oakville Market Place, delegated before the Town's Planning and Development Council on Monday, July 6.  First Capital proposes a change to the Oakville Official Plan, and a zoning change, to allow two mixed-use high-rise towers to be built on the land currently occupied by Beertown and Indigo Spirit. TCRA delegated at the same meeting, opposing the development for the reasons outlined in our position statement under June 30 below.  Click HERE for an Oakville News account of the matter.  

This matter is on the agenda of the virtual meeting of the Town's Planning and Development Council, scheduled for 6:30pm on Monday, July 6.  Click HERE for details.   The agenda item's purpose is to receive Staff's report on the December 2019 Public Meeting and to hear comments from the public with respect to the requested amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning from the developer.  Prior registration with the Town Clerk to attend the meeting is recommended.  Click HERE for details on the process.  

TCRA has registered to delegate at the meeting to outline our concerns.  We encourage interested residents to watch the livestream  of the meeting.  The following is TCRA's letter to the Town on this matter:

Details of the re-zoning application can be found here on the Town website. The land concerned is at the north-east corner of Cornwall and Trafalgar. The Beertown and Indigo buildings currently occupy the site.  It falls within the Oakville Midtown Growth Area, one of the six areas within Oakville slated for intensification, in line with the Province’s directive for urban intensification. 

TCRA representatives attended a public information presentation, hosted by First Capital, in May 2019. Two main concerns voiced by those attending were:

> Increased congestion at the already busy Trafalgar/Cornwall intersection due to the proposed high-density (a 14 storey tower and a 19 storey tower). 

> The proposed buildings as shown in an artist’s rendering are completely visually inconsistent with the other buildings in the immediate vicinity.

TCRA believes that construction should be delayed until necessary changes to the road network and other infrastructure in the vicinity are made. The changes are a prerequisite to intensification. We will continue to monitor this project.