In October, Stratford Council voted to approve zoning changes to permit 350 apartment and townhouse units on the former Krug factory site at Douro and King. The developer, BMI, proposed Stratford’s first 10-storey apartment building, which many residents found disproportionate. Others criticized the lack of attention to parking, shade requirements, heat pumps, charging stations, and similar environmental requirements.
We’ve discussed the meeting in an earlier post, especially Mike Sullivan’s assertion of the need for a noise wall and odour mitigation to protect residents.
CN Rail, which has its main switching yard 37 metres from the site, has expressed concerns to the city about noise and odours. In response, the developer suggested they would make the units ‘air conditioner ready’ and require owners/renters to agree that they would be subjected to noise.
CN requested a development agreement and an easement agreement before the Council vote. Unfortunately, no agreement was provided.
CN has now appealed the zoning change to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
I do not oppose this project on an intellectual level. Though I think it is too big for the confined space needing too much infrastructure for its own purposes, these are just random thoughts not born of substantive rationale. Nonetheless, my feeling is it needs a lot more unbiased, evidence based input before going ahead. It looks like the Sebringville ‘monster’ and may be better suited to edge of town, a brownfield, or the Cooper. I googled BMI and got Australia, LA, Niagara, and Stratford. Who are they? Have they been vetted? Any connection to China or Russia or Denmark? Too many questions and all I can think of is it is an easy solution to a housing issue council would jump at to get it off their plate. Larry Baswick
I don’t agree with Sullivan’s attempts to have detailed oversight of what city council decides on. He is not a councillor, so can make his case and then move on.
In a time of economic crises, GHGs can no longer be the focus and some of the bureaucracy will have to be put on the back burner.
It should be confirmed that BMI has no connections to China (as the Xinyi plant did) due to growing awareness of security issues.
Heat pumps made in China should also not be allowed, due to the pollution caused in their makingand shipping, and the continuing weakening of western economies by supporting a brutal communist regime that enslaves the Urghur people in their manufacturing of goods.