[thistleclub]

Controversial Dundas development gets OMB date
(Dundas Star, Craig Campbell, Apr 14 2016)

According to the president of Effort Trust, the company preparing to battle several Ontario Municipal Board appeals of a nine-storey residential development in Dundas, proposed inclusionary zoning could mean relaxed development rules in return for larger developments that include “affordable” units.

“One could only imagine the horror in Dundas if/when that were to become practice in Greater Hamilton(!),” Horwood stated in an email to the Dundas Star News.

Effort Trust’s application for the nine-storey building at 71 Main St. was approved by city council in December by a nine to six vote, then appealed to the OMB by five different residents, for a total of nine appeals.

A pre-hearing date has been scheduled for Monday, August 15. The pre-hearing is scheduled to take place at Dundas Town Hall in the upstairs auditorium – directly across the street from the site of the proposed development.

Horwood said the company is moving ahead with planning for the development at 71 Main St., including an additional traffic study Effort Trust agreed to conduct.

“And our waiting list of renters is growing as people struggle to find rental options in this community,” Horwood said.

There are currently at least seven non-profit affordable housing buildings, with more than 263 units, in Dundas. Four of the buildings are operated by CityHousing Hamilton and were originally built under the former Town of Dundas.

The province recently announced a plan to consult with municipalities, the public and developers on the possibility of creating legislation that would allow cities to have “inclusionary zoning”, where developers could be required to set aside a certain percentage of new residential units for low or moderate income households.