27 stacked townhouses proposed for significant housing development in Milton

A residential development that has been approved for the Ontario Street and Derry Road West area in Milton could be expanded to include a stacked townhouse block of 27 units, a change that would reduce parking and require an amendment to the town’s zoning bylaw. 

Milteron Developments Ltd. has applied to amend the originally approved application that will see multiple buildings constructed at 8010, 8020, 8030, 8110, 8120, 8130, 8140 and 8150 Derry Rd. W. 

The parcel in question is located at the southeastern quadrant of Regional Road 25 and Derry Road West. The site spans 2.29 hectares and is close to transit, shopping and other amenities. 

According to a planning justification report prepared by Korsiak Urban Planning on behalf of the developer, the site is currently slated to include three apartment buildings standing at 20-, 25- and 14-storeys and five three-storey front-loaded townhouse buildings that would back onto Sixteen Mile Creek. 

The original developer, Briarwood Ltd., chose to remove the three-storey stacked townhouse complex planned for the area in 2019 and replace it with a parking lot. Additional units were added to the approved apartment buildings, which necessitated making the units smaller. 

Milteron purchased the land from Briarwood in 2021 and is now proposing to amend the project to include the previously scraped stacked townhouse building, which will reduce the amount of parking included in the development. Milteron is also asking to increase the maximum combined gross floor area to allow the construction of six bicycle storage shelters. 

As for what prompted Milteron to request the stacked townhouse building be reintroduced, the report says during design changes, the company decided that the parking lot on Derry Road “resulted in underutilization of their land and created an undesirable street interface.” 

To allow for the construction of the stacked townhouse building, zoning amendments are required to increase the maximum density on the site and reduce the minimum parking requirement. 

Should Milteron’s new plan be approved, there will be one parking space per apartment and stacked townhouse dwelling, two spaces per townhouse and 0.2 visitor parking spaces per unit. 

“This revised rate ensures there is sufficient parking while avoiding the creation of a large surplus of unused parking spaces,” the report reads.

The report also argues that adding more residences will help the town meet housing density goals set by the province in Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, a bill that requires that Ontario municipalities hit specific housing targets by 2031.

“There is a growing need to provide more housing across the province and the revised proposal develops an underutilized portion of the property to provide an additional 27 units in proximity to a range of services and amenities,” the report reads.

Should the plan be approved, the development will boast a total of 675 units.

The town is holding a public meeting regarding the request on Oct. 23, which will allow residents to provide feedback and share any concerns they might have. 

According to the town, the application is undergoing technical review and no decision has been made regarding Milteron’s request to alter the development.