Mississauga ready to give the go-ahead to 147 new townhomes in Streetsville

Mississauga is poised to give the green light to development of a 147-unit townhouse complex in Streetsville that residents say will destroy a historically significant building and oust people from affordable housing.

The City of Mississauga’s Planning and Development Committee meets tonight to deal with staff’s proposal recommending that plans for the 1.79-hectare site be approved. If staff’s recommendation is accepted, the plan still must go before City Council for final approval.

Residents who’ve been fighting the proposal since 2019, when a petition calling for existing rental units on the site to be preserved was circulated, are expected to attend the virtual and in-person session as well.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and can be viewed live online.

Developer NYX Corporation is looking to build 142 back-to-back townhomes and five street townhomes on property at 51 and 57 Tannery St., and 208 Emby Dr., near Mississauga Rd. and Thomas St.

In supporting the plan, staff notes that “the applications are seeking to add townhomes in order to intensify two under-utilized lots within the Streetsville Community Node Character Area. The proposal takes advantage of the site’s unique location and configuration attributes and further completes the road network in Streetsville by extending Emby Dr. through to Tannery St. The proposal will provide a built form that supports a mix of housing choices within the city.”

A staff report shows the Streetsville site currently houses two detached homes that were built prior to 1954 and industrial buildings circa 1968 and 1974.

Residents believe the Tannery House on the site should be designated a heritage property and therefore saved from demolition. The City has not identified the house as eligible for heritage designation.

Part of the property has already been removed, as a demolition permit was issued for one building at the rear of the property at 51 Tannery St. in August 2019.

Residents aren’t optimistic the site can be preserved. They say the City is not indicating “any interest in saving Tannery House” or preserving the affordable housing offered by the site, or planning for any replacement affordable housing.