Site of long-standing Milton plaza could soon be home to major condo and apartment development

The site that’s currently home to a long-standing plaza in the Derry Road and Ontario Street area in Milton could eventually be home to three residential buildings–including two high-rise towers–with commercial space for retail. 

Anyone who has visited the plaza at 550 Ontario St., home to a supermarket, tanning salon, animal hospital, dental office and several restaurants (including The Rad Brothers Sports Bar and Tap House), has probably noticed a sign advising visitors that the area has been selected as the possible site of a new mixed-use development. 

Plaza located at 550 Ontario St.

While there was a public meeting regarding the application in 2022, Milton staff are still reviewing the submission and have not yet submitted a technical report to council for review. 

According to a report on the town’s website, 2613708 Ontario Ltd. has applied for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow the construction of two mixed-use buildings and one apartment building. 

The two mixed-use buildings, which will feature both residential and commercial spaces, will be located along the front of the site. One proposed tower planned for the intersection will stand at 24 storeys and feature a six-storey podium. Once complete, the tower will boast 337 suites (210 one-bedroom units and 127 two-bedroom units).

The other tower, which will take shape along Derry Road West, will be 19 storeys with a five-storey podium and 225 suites (140 one-bedroom units and 85 two-bedroom units). The developer has also proposed a four-storey apartment building for the rear of the site that will boast 87 units, with 58 one-bedroom suites and 29 two-bedroom homes. 

If approved, the development will boast a total of 649 residential units and approximately 2,000 square metres of commercial space. The development will also feature private amenity space for future residents. 

The community will also, if approved, offer three levels of underground parking as well as surface parking, offering residents and visitors a total of 848 spots. 

As of now, zoning rules in the area do not permit the construction of buildings as tall as the two towers being proposed, so the town would have to make an amendment to allow the development to move forward. 

On the Milton subreddit, some residents spoke out in favour of the proposed development.

“Better use of space than having that parking lot sit empty,” one poster said, adding that they hoped it would prompt an increase in transit service. 

Others said the area is already too dense and others said they’ll miss the plaza. 

“I actually like the little grocery store and [Rad Brothers] it’s sorta a dead plaza but I dislike the amount of buildings coming to Milton … it lacks the [infrastructure] to support that many buildings on one street,” one person wrote on Reddit. 

A final decision on the application has not yet been made.