‘Litmus test': Council majority backs massive high-rise development on Pack Road despite objections
Council considered a controversial planning application by Southside Construction to rezone 6309 Pack Rd. to permit a cluster of high-rise buildings with a maximum height of 16 storeys closest to the roadway, plus 206 single detached lots and 36 townhouses in a subdivision on the southern half of the property.
It will add a total of 4,000 units over a 15 to 20 year build-out period.
However, the Southwest Area Secondary Plan that guides development in the area prescribes a mix of low and medium density buildings no higher than nine storeys on the property.
While neighbours called on council to adhere to the expectations contained in the long-term planning document, several councillors said the current demand for housing has outpaced the secondary plan's intensification targets.
Coun. Steve Lehman, who also chairs the Planning and Environment Committee, reminded council of London's commitment to meet its provincial housing target.
'We've been given the target of 47,000 units by 2031. That's the size of Woodstock,' Lehman said.
But others councillors suggested achieving the target shouldn't come at the expense of building complete communities that include things like public transit, parks, and public amenities.
'I cannot be beholden to the province on this idea that we are going to live up to this commitment on the numbers of units if it's not what's best for the community,' asserted Coun. Corrine Rahman.
Rahman said the fast-growing area is similar to her ward in northwest London where despite significant residential development, municipal services and transit have been slow to keep pace with population growth.
She added, 'I do feel like this is a bit of a litmus test.'
Municipalities must review and update their Official Plans every five years.
Currently, city staff are reviewing some of the building heights prescribed in The London Plan and its associated Secondary Plans.
'Four-thousand units is a lot of units going into this development, along with all the other development applications that are happening [in the area.] We want livable neighborhoods -it's not a numbers game,' explained Coun. Anna Hopkins who represents the area in southwest London.
Council voted 10-5 in favour of approving the rezoning application which includes a long list of conditions that the developer has to meet before each of the high rise buildings can receive a building permit.
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