More than 1,000 homes pitched for northwest London industrial site

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Three developers have joined together to pitch building more than 1,000 homes on what’s now industrial land in northwest London.

A 25-hectare (61-acre) plot of land in the Hyde Park area, now ready for industrial building, is better suited for housing, sitting near the Hyde Park Power Centre shopping node and the Hyde Park village main street, reads a letter going to council’s planning committee next week.

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While city staff want low density, such as single-family homes, built on the land, the builders envision medium density up to eight storeys in height with stacked townhouses. That means it could accommodate more than 1,000 homes, said John Fleming, a former city hall planning director who owns the firm City Planning Solutions that represents builders.

“We’re saying, let’s use it effectively,” Fleming said. “The (shopping centre) is a massive draw and it’s near the main street. Why not build it out as a mid-rise neighbourhood? Staff is recommending low density and that would squander an opportunity to help with the housing supply.”

In April, city council approved 50 hectares of land that was zoned for manufacturing to be used for residential development to help meet the growing demand for housing. A staff report on that official plan amendment also is on the planning committee agenda.

While city council has approved several high-density, highrise residential towers, more needs to be done with medium-density development, Fleming said. “We’re saying it’s a great location for mixed use. It’s what everyone has been calling for. We need to address the missing middle.”

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Three builders – York Developments, Copp Realty and C-Cubed Holdings – look to add more than 1,000 homes in the form of fourplexes, stacked townhomes up to four storeys and eight-storey apartment buildings. They would be located at 1790 to1848 Blue Heron Dr., 1510 and 1568 Woodcock St., 1605 Woodcock Pl. and 1640 Fanshawe Park Rd.

In addition to the Hyde Park commercial industrial area, other industrial sites recommended to be rezoned for housing include:

• Nearly eight hectares of former Kellogg factory lands, north of Florence Street and Kellogg Lane to east of Eleanor Street. This could see homes, such as condominiums or apartments. The former cereal factory is now a mixed-use commercial and entertainment district with further redevelopment planned.
• 6.7 hectares at 1525, 1557, 1579 and 1635 Fanshawe Park Rd., made up of under-used parcels with existing commercial industrial uses. 
• A vacant parcel of 0.43 hectares at 2251, 2253 and 2257 Trafalgar St. with two residential properties. The lands are abutting light industry to the west, east, and south.
• York Street from Colborne Street to Rectory Street on both the north and south sides of York.

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In addition to converting industrial land for home construction, city hall also will need to increase its urban growth boundary – the designated area in London where homes can be built, staff note in the report. 

“There is an identified need for additional residential lands by 2046,” the report reads.

In fact, it’s forecast that in 25 years London will have a “deficit” of 462 hectares of land for low-density residential building and a surplus of just 49 hectares for medium-density and 213 hectares of high-density for apartment buildings.   

ndebono@postmedia.com

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