Changes sought to redevelopment plan for crumbling cookie factory site
After 14 years of decay, redevelopment of the former McCormick-Beta Brands cookie factory property at 1156 Dundas Street may be regaining momentum.
The developer has applied for several zoning amendments, but Michael Kaye says some of those changes would undo concessions he and other neighbours fought for seven years ago.
A senior lifestyle village rising in height and density towards Dundas Street was put forward by the developer in 2015, including repurposing the historic factory.
“We thought there was a deal made,” says Kaye. “The community input was there, council was there, this was all decided on. This was voted on. This was a done deal.”
Kaye says two of the changes are of greatest concern:
- Permission to build townhouses rather than single family homes backing onto the rear yards of existing homes on Albany Street
- Increasing the height of an apartment along McCormick Boulevard from four to six storeys
A former cookie factory at 1156 Dundas Street is seen on Oct. 5, 2022. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)
He believes the request reneges on the compromises reached seven years ago during public input meetings.
In their report to the Planning and Environment Committee, city staff support townhouses behind the existing homes, but not the taller apartment building.
“Staff are recommending that the current zone regulations for density and height are appropriate for the block and should be maintained,” the report reads.
The McCormick Area Secondary Plan that governs development in the area is seven years old.
It pre-dates approval of The London Plan, approval of the bus rapid transit route along Dundas Street, and the housing crisis.
Kaye emphasizes his neighbourhood is not opposed to development or density — it simply already accepted a plan for the site.
“If you look at this property and what was agreed to, I think it was an over reach of density to begin with, and I think if you look at the plan now, the density is still there,” he says.
The Planning and Environment Committee will make a recommendation before council reaches a final decision Oct. 17.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.