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Orangeville council hears proposal for Amanda Street housing project

November 27, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM

A housing developer believes an Orangeville neighbourhood can accommodate more residential units than what town officials have classified.

And their case for a higher-density residential development on Amanda Street was laid out for council during its Nov. 24 meeting.

The proposed development will be on Broadway’s south side at the east side of Amanda Street between Wellington Street and Townline. The four properties are located at 9, 11, 13 and 15 Amanda Street.

The proprietors of an Ontario numbered company are asking the town to amend its Official Plan and Zoning bylaw to allow the construction of a five-storey condo development. The land would need to be designated for high-density residential use.

“This is a fairly complete community already,” said Robert Russell, a planning consultant.

“It has community services. It has commercial areas. It has residential. It’s growing a bit. It’s starting to get some of that more high density residential because to be transit-supportive, the current neighbourhood is not.”

Quite simply, Russel says if you have a neighbourhood that can be intensified, then it would be a good idea to allow that to happen.

The proposed development will feature 120 two-bedroom stacked townhouse units over seven blocks.

Some will have two bathrooms, while others will have a single bathroom.

The existing dwellings at 13 and 15 Amanda Street will be kept.

The development will come with 132 underground parking spaces and 124 secure bicycle parking spaces.

“These properties are already designated as an intensification area in the Official Plan,” Russel said. “So you’ve already decided that these properties can be redeveloped at a higher density. We’re just saying that, since you approved that, we think the density should be higher than what you previously approved.”

The stacked townhouse concept is relatively new to the Greater Toronto Area, and the design provides more density, Russell added.

“The difference between this and an apartment (building) is there are no interior corridors,” he said. “Everyone has their own private entrance from outside.”

And it provides a more attainable housing unit, he told council.

“I don’t want to speak about affordability at this point because we don’t know what the prices will be,” Russel said. “But, generally, when you’re able to put more units on a property and an efficient construction, prices become much more attainable to the people in town.”

Some concerns raised about the proposed development include worries that a five-story building may be too tall and have too many units for the area. There have been concerns about neighbours’ privacy, given the possible sightlines from an overlooking building into backyards.

People have fretted about the possibility that the development may not complement the existing streetscape and that excess parking will spill onto outside Amanda Street spaces. Increased traffic has also been a point of worry.

Some of the space to be developed, should the proposal get the green light, includes grassed and open areas that are near a creek.

Before all that, some people have expressed concern about the possibility of excess noise and debris during the construction phase.

Councillor Debbie Sherwood said 11 Amanda Street is on the non-designated heritage registry and, as such, the proposal will need to be looked at by the town’s heritage committee.

“I would imagine, since it was built in 1878, it’s probably a little rough looking around the edge,” she said. “But, even still, we have to think about protecting those types of properties.”

Given that the houses at 13 and 15 Amanda Street are being retained, Coun. Sherwood asked whether it’s necessary to demolish the other two structures.

Russell said a structure would have to be removed to get a driveway into the condo development, and 11 Amanda Street is centrally located for that.

Coun. Joe Andrews is chairperson of the town’s affordable housing taskforce. He said  Russell’s reference to affordable or attainable housing piqued his interest.

And the stacked townhouse design is a “game changer” in providing such housing options, Andrews added. But the number of parking spaces and the lack of elevators, if entrances outside upper units are accessed by stairs, may rule out some buyers.

The nature of the stacked townhouse style, in which everyone has their own outside door, makes all-encompassing accessibility virtually impossible, Russell said.

“Obviously, everyone has different accessibility needs,” Russell said. “So there could be some opportunity.”

However, he said the proposed development may not be suitable for people with greater mobility needs.

There will be underground parking for 120 units. Coun. Andy Macintosh asked municipal planning staff how that would fit with the town’s model of a minimum 1.5 spaces per unit.

Staff said the development’s proponent asks that the policy be amended for the project.

Coun. Tess Prendergast said that 120 parking spaces could double if some of the housing units are rented.

“So as you can see that is a really big concern for us,” she said.

“Our target demographic is not families,” Russell said. “We have to do our best to reply on the fact that every sales agreement will say there’s only one parking space.”

Prendergast said Russell cited proximity to elementary schools as one of the attributes for housing at the location. And that would be at odds with saying families aren’t among the targeted demographic.

“I’m confused,” she said and drew applause from the people assembled in the gallery.

“A two-bedroom unit with one bathroom is not very family-friendly,” Russell said. “I don’t anticipate there will be demand from families. We can target who we market it to, but we can’t prevent anyone from buying a unit.”

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