Future of former Meritor plant in Milton on Monday’s planning committee agenda

The developer looking to re-purpose the former Meritor auto parts plant in Milton wants to subtract a 2.15 hectare sliver of land on the site from future development and return it to parkland.

Planning and construction of a multi-phased, high-density, mixed-use development have been in the works on the 20.7 hectare property for years, though no applications development is proposed as part of the re-zoning application Milton’s Planning and Development Committee will be looking at Monday evening.

The property was used as an auto parts manufacturing business from 1954, when it opened as Ontario Steel Products, until it closed its doors in 2009 as Meritor Suspension Systems Company, a joint venture between ArvinMeritor and Mitsubishi Steel Manufacturing.

The coil spring manufacturing plant employed as many as 500 people at its peak, with 165 workers employed when the plant shut down for good 14 years ago.

Milton issued a demolition permit to site owner 150 Steeles Milton Inc two years ago and extensive soil remediation efforts have been ongoing since then.

The lands were re-zoned from employment to an urban area designation in late 2021 to allow for a future high-density mixed use development. Monday’s public meeting – the first meeting happened in March – is about re-zoning the 2.15 hectare parcel of land south of the former plant “in order to reflect the true limits of the natural heritage system on the subject lands.”

The site is located in Ward 1, on the south side of Steeles Ave. E., west of Martin Street. The lands are surrounded by employment uses are located to the north and west and residential uses to the east of the subject lands, fronting Martin Street. The Sixteen Mile Creek, valley and surrounding natural heritage system are located to the south and southwest of the subject lands.

Future Planning Act applications will be required to support any proposed changes to land use and the ultimate development concept, which will include public consultation.