Pickering residents raise concerns over proposed residential development

Three-storey, mixed-use building would border residential lands

Moya Dillon – Pickering News Advertiser

Residents in the Kingston Road and Rougemount Drive area are concerned a proposed mixed-use building could lead to traffic and noise problems.

On May 6, Pickering councillors heard a presentation regarding a zoning amendment request to allow a three-storey, mixed-use development at the corner of Kingston Road and Rougemount Drive that would house commercial units on the ground floor and residential units above.

“Basically we are looking to add uses such as office space to make the building more attractive to potential tenants,” said Wes Surdyka, representative for owner Grand Communities Corporation.

“In my opinion this building fits in the neighbourhood and we did take extensive co-ordination with the planning department to address issues such as noise attenuation, which led to the plan for a 10-foot landscaping strip along the back of the property to separate the building from abutting homeowners.”

Several residents came forward at the meeting to detail additional concerns with the proposal, including traffic, light pollution and the loss of backyard privacy.

“I just moved in in October and one thing I really liked about the house was the backyard,” said Gareth Morgan, whose Dalewood Drive property would back onto the development.

“I liked how private it was because it had trees blocking everything and that just gave it a really nice feel. I worry they’ll get knocked down and I worry about people being able to see into our windows from this three-storey building. I think it will really change the quiet character of the neighbourhood.”

Several other residents voiced similar concerns, with one suggesting a working group be struck so residents could work with the applicant to address these common concerns.

“The establishment of a working group I think is an excellent idea,” said Councillor Jennifer O’Connell, whose ward encompasses the proposed site. “It’s definitely something I’d encourage prior to this proposal coming back to the committee.” The presentation was provided to councillors for information only. The proposal will be brought back to the committee for consideration at a future meeting.

————————————————————————————————————–

Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

————————————————————————————————————–

Incoming search terms for the article:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.