People shocked and disappointed as province overrides Mississauga nearly doubling density for Lakeview Village

A Ford government has overridden Mississauga on a waterfront development plan that has been 13 years in the making — nearly doubling the density from 8,050 units to 16,000.

A group of developers known as Lakeview Community Partners Limited, which is developing a piece of lakefront land east of Cawthra Road — Lakeview Village — put in a request to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO).

Lakeview Village’s plan, approved in 2021 after years of community consultation, was to build 8,040 condo units over the next 15 to 20 years.

But the Province of Ontario announced Friday (May 12) they have approved the MZO. An MZO allows the Province of Ontario to override municipal zoning decisions.

In a press release, the province said it issued two MZOs for Mississauga — 1082 Lakeshore Rd. E. — the Lakeview Village, and two parcels of land at 3355 and 5645 Hurontario St.

“These orders will facilitate the province’s work to tackle the housing supply crisis and ensure that housing supply growth is aligned with and oriented around Ontario’s billions of dollars of historic investments in transit and transit-related infrastructure,” the release states.

People can hear more and voice their concerns about the decision at the Planning and Development Committee meeting at 6 p.m. tonight (May 15), Ward 1 Councillor Stephen Dasko said in a tweet.

“I am deeply disappointed the Province has imposed an MZO Overriding the City of Mississauga to double the masterplanned community for Lakeview Village from 8050 units to 16000,” Dasko said.

Many people expressed concerns on Twitter.

“Shocked the Province can overrule the City like that,” one person wrote.

“The Ford Government will be remembered as a bull in China shop,” another wrote.

Mayor Bonnie Crombie also expressed her concerns.

“I’m not opposed to building more housing,” Crombie said. “In fact, #Mississauga has a plan to not only meet but exceed the province’s goal of 120K homes/10 yrs. This is a bridge too far and puts at risk the 13 years of hard work we’ve put into shaping this waterfront community. I’ll work to ensure the community’s voice continues to be heard and that the developers live up to their commitments.”

The increased density will impact traffic and transit, according to the Planning and Development Committee report.

“Currently, there is not enough road network capacity to accommodate the approved 8,050 units,” the report notes.

But the province said the developments are near planned transit improvement projects including the Hazel McCallion LRT and the ongoing work to expand service on and electrify the Lakeshore West GO Transit line.

“By aligning new housing with our government’s historic investments in transit and transit-related infrastructure, we are supporting the development of complete communities that will deliver on our commitment to help more Ontarians find a home that meets their needs and budget,” said Steve Clark, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The MZO also allows no requirement for townhomes, no minimum front and/or exterior side yard setbacks for apartments buildings, reduced amenity areas for apartment buildings, reduced parking standards for residential, commercial and employment uses, and building heights limited to 10 storeys for waterfront-facing buildings but unlimited everywhere else.

For more information, see the report here and join the meeting here.