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Orangeville council hears about proposed six-story development on Broadway

February 27, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Proponents of a Broadway housing development knocked a storey off the proposed building and have put more housing units into their revised plan.

The development in Orangeville is proposed to be located on 2.4 acres of land at the south side of Broadway between Third Street and Fourth Street. The municipal addresses are 48, 50, 50A, and 52 Broadway.

There’s an auto body shop and parking lot at the site right now. Mill Creek flows through the parcel of land.

The proponents, Moksh Developments Ltd., need Orangeville to amend its Official Plan and zoning bylaw to permit the construction of the proposed six storey building with 158 residential units and 841 square metres of ground floor commercial space.

That’s altered from a previous plan for seven storeys with 129 residential units and 408 square metres of ground floor retail space.

A second public information meeting when revised plans were introduced was held Feb. 24. The next step is for municipal staff to review the proposal before council makes a decision.

The residential units will be one- to three-bedroom apartments. The development is hoped to include 246 parking spaces underground with 56 surface spaces for visitors.

Plans include as much as 60 per cent of the property to be landscaped open space.

“We worked with town staff on making these changes to create a better proposal,” said Mariusz Jastrzebski of the architecture and urban design firm MHBC, the registered owners of the property.

A number of reports have been submitted to cover their bases with the municipality. From a transportation report and hydrogeological assessment to various environmental type assessments and studies.

Most of the land is designated as Service Commercial. To allow the development, the parcel will have to be designated as a Neighbourhood Commercial Special Policy Area.

Under its current designation, automobile service stations and public garages are permitted. What’s not allowed are operations like parking depots, car dealerships, and used car lots.

Debra Walker, a partner at MHBC Planning, said the site’s special specific policy that will come with the redesignation will enable business relocation.

“The intent of this policy is to reinforce and complement the focus of the east Broadway area as the easterly gateway into town and the entry into the Downtown Heritage Conservation District, and the Town’s continuing efforts to beautify this area,” Walker said.

“It is anticipated that over time, specific proposals for amendment to the zoning bylaw and redevelopment proposals will be made in accordance with this policy so as to have the effect of relocating those automotive and automotive-related uses that rely on the outdoor storage and display of motor vehicles and equipment to more appropriate areas of town.”

Orangeville resident Susan Parker outlined in a letter to council her concerns about the proposed development.

She said 158 housing units and 43 commercial spaces makes for very high density for the area.

“There are over 200 parking spaces allotted which will add significantly to traffic turning in and out of the proposed building,” she said. “With only one single driveway designated for traffic to pull out onto an already busy street, how will this be managed or controlled?”

She asked if the development would include a traffic light to enhance pedestrian safety in light of the increased activity.

“It is already dangerous to walk or cross Broadway at this point at any time of day as the traffic coming east is travelling very fast and speeding up as it comes down the hill,” Parker said.

She wanted to know if the residential units will actually address Orangeville’s housing shortage or will the condo development price people out of the market who are in need of affordable housing.

David Waugh, another Orangeville resident, said he is a neighbour to the property and he supports the development.

“We’re excited by it,” he said. “So I don’t want to come across as me being anti-development or anything.”

Waugh noted that the proposal shrank from a seven storey building to six floors, but the residential units increased in number.

“So obviously the units have gotten a heck of a lot smaller,” he said. “I’m wondering if there’s a rationale behind that. If that’s to facilitate more affordable housing. Or if that’s to make the property more economical for the owner.”

The residence size change was attributed to growth of the development’s footprint. The proponent initially had municipal addresses 50A and 52 Broadway as an option for extra parking. The revised plan has the apartment building stretched across all the numbered properties, Jastrzebski said.

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