New development could be a ‘death blow’ for wildlife in Mississauga community

Opposition continues for a condo development proposal near the lakefront in Mississauga.

There is not yet a complete application filed for 900 Lakeshore Rd. W. but residents are expressing objection to the project.

In the last few weeks, insauga.com has received four letters from residents opposed to the project raising concerns about traffic, threats to the environment, and the appropriateness of the location for the building.

The city hosted a meeting on Dec. 18 on the preliminary proposal to build an 11-storey condo building with 178 units at 900 Lakeshore Rd. W. The property, located next to Richard’s Memorial Park, is currently home to a single-detached house with a pool.

The home currently at 900 Lakeshore Rd. W. (Photo: Google Maps)

The property is currently under-utilized, said Kregg Fordyce, owner and president of KFA Architects and Planners at the December meeting.

But the property’s proximity to the residential community of Lorne Park Estates and Richard’s Memorial Park is a concern for some residents.

The impact of the nearby, 3,000-home Brightwater development is not yet known, said resident Gail McDiarmid in a letter. McDiarmid suggested that, once complete, the additional residents at Brightwater will increase traffic on Lakeshore and another condo would add more congestion.

“It is already a problem, especially early morning and late afternoon,” McDiarmid wrote.

As soon as there is an accident on the Queen Elizabeth Way, the traffic on Lakeshore is bumper-to-bumper, said another resident, Dr. Michelle D’Iorio, in a letter.

“The traffic situation is extremely worrisome,” D’Iorio said. “There are a number of new projects popping up on Lakeshore in Lakeview, Port Credit and Clarkson.”

D’Iorio also raised concerns about the environment.

“Lorne Park Estates is a unique enclave within a thriving urban environment,” D’Iorio wrote.

So far, the residential developments and pollution have had some negative impacts but the fact that Lorne Park Estates is located between two green spaces — Richard’s Memorial Park and Jack Darling Park — has allowed plants and animals to survive, she wrote.

“Any massive construction is likely to inflict a death blow to many of the plants and animals living here,” D’Iorio said.

Richard’s Memorial Park. (Photo: Google Maps)

McDiarmid also worries about the rare flowers and animals that could be threatened with more people in the area.

“With that development of 900 Lakeshore Rd. W. being right beside our Park land we do not want the residents of this development feeling they can roam the woods and use the beach,” McDiarmid wrote in her letter of objection.

Residents Ritu and Salil Jain are also worried about the condo being built so close to Richard’s Memorial Park.

“With this condo building spread expansively over an acre right next to this park, this park will practically become a backyard to the new condo owners,” the Jain’s wrote in a letter of opposition.

The Jain’s said the park is too small for the existing visitors.

“We are counting on the City of Mississauga to ensure that this park’s beauty and recreational opportunities serve the entire city’s population and not just the next door chosen few,” the letter continued.

And still another resident suggested this isn’t the right place for a condo building.

“A lonely high-rise apartment built on limited land and surrounded by low-storey residential houses is poor urban design,” Ting Ding wrote in a letter. “A good city image is an organized distribution of high-rise buildings, proper density, orderly organization, with a large open space.”

Ding also suggested the 11-storey apartment would impact the Lorne Park neighbourhood.

The project could result in reduced sunlight and views, and the adjacent Lorne Park Estates neighbourhood will lose privacy and be polluted by vehicle exhaust from multi-story parking structures, Ding said.

There will be more opportunities for residents to comment once there is a complete application filed.

(Renderings: City of Mississauga submission)