A developer’s proposal to build a cluster of high-rise residential buildings along Pack Road is facing opposition from neighbours, who believe the Southwest Area Secondary Plan ensured the property would become a mix of medium-density and low-density housing. Southside Construction has applied to rezone 6309 Pack Road to permit a cluster of high rise buildings with a maximum height of 16-storeys closest to the roadway, plus 206 single detached lots and 36 townhouses in a subdivision on the southern half of the property. The high-density residential portion of the development is currently designated for medium-density housing in the Southwest Area Secondary Plan (October, 2024). “The biggest shock was that the changes being proposed simply did not reflect what was originally proposed in the secondary plan,” explains John Kononiuk of the North Talbot Homeowners’ Association. The association opposes the planning application because of the impact the high-density buildings would have on their neighbourhood of single-family homes on the other side of Pack Road. The planning application predicts about 4,000 people would eventually live on the property, including the high-rise blocks having a density of up to 300 units per hectare. Neighbours say the high-rise area would be among the most densely populated areas in London. “Spread these high-density buildings throughout the various developments that (the city’s) looking at. Don’t concentrate them here on Pack Road,” says Kononiuk. The homeowners’ association emphasizes it wants to collaborate with the developer and city staff on an amicable solution. They hope to reach a compromise that would lower the density, reduce the building heights along Pack Road, and take into consideration the traffic impacts of the development. “The amount of traffic that will be generated on Pack Road and the noise pollution created by it will have a significant impact on the homes that already exist here, Kononiuk adds. Southside Construction Management was contacted by CTV News about its proposal for the property at 6309 Pack Road, but has yet to reply. The planning application is scheduled for consideration by the Planning and Environment Committee on July 15.
