Massive 5-tower apartment building proposal in Mississauga hits a roadblock

A proposal for a five-tower residential building complex in Mississauga has hit a roadblock.

The proposal for 25 and 33 Hillcrest Ave., 3146, 3154 and 3168 Hurontario St. in Cooksville, was brought to council in March. The development would replace a plaza with a Beer Store, LCBO, Hasty Market and a restaurant near Cooksville GO Train Station.

The plan was for five residential towers at 46-, 43-, 43-, 39- and 34-storeys tall with 14,962 square metres of retail space and 6,216 square metres of multi-floor community space from property owners 33HC TAS LP, 33HC Corp., 3168HS LP and 3168 HS Corp.

A mixture of 1,592 one-bedroom, 524 two-bedroom and 108 three-bedroom units were proposed for the buildings. There were 1,994 parking spaces in the proposal.

The developer had plans to devote 49 per cent of the site (2.6 acres) to publicly accessible walkways, a plaza area with gardens and landscaping.

But city planning staff have several concerns about the proposal in its current form and say it is “not acceptable from a planning standpoint and should not be approved,” according to a report to the Planning and Development committee.

One of the biggest issues is the current sewer and water system servicing the area may not have capacity to service the proposed development.

The developer has also not demonstrated that a park, satisfying the city’s parkland requirements, can be accommodated on site, the report states.

And there are a number of technical studies and issues that have not been properly addressed including traffic, wind and a sun shadow study.

Five members of the public also had concerns and made deputations in the March meeting.

Residents expressed concerns about enough capacity in existing parks, community services and roadways to accommodate the proposed population from the development.

There were also concerns about the tall building blocking sunlight and decreasing property values.

But before the application proceeded through council, the owners appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal on May 26 due to the city’s non-decision on the proposal. The Ontario Land Tribunal is a provincial body that can resolve and decide on matters related to land use and planning.

City planners are now asking for council approval for legal support at the tribunal hearings.

The Planning and Development Committee will discuss the report at its upcoming meeting on Sept. 5.

For more information on this project, see the committee agenda here.