Neuhaus Developments is preparing to bring a new six-storey apartment building to Davis Drive but is questioning York Region delaying approval, and the difficulties of making residential development happen.
The developer has been in a planning approval process for the past two years to build a residential building at 345-351 Davis, with an estimated 63 units.
But Neuhaus CEO Khalid Yusuf said after undergoing a lengthy process, the region has flagged the proposal on a second submission, requesting a driveway move that he said would needlessly delay the project and require significant accompanying changes.
“It makes no sense to delay a project and cause an entire redesign for a small thing like moving a driveway,” he said, adding he believes the issue should have come forward significantly sooner. “I see first hand why we have a housing affordability problem, and it’s over small issues like that.”
The mid-rise condo has been in the works since 2019. Although other developers have tried to build on the site in the past, Yusuf said Neuhaus is not connected from any prior applications, having purchased the property shortly before a new submission.
He said they chose the site based on its pre-zoning and location on a dense corridor. He said the developer has done many similar projects along Yonge Street and believes the area is a good one in which to develop.
“It appeared to me Newmarket as a (municipality) was quite proactive,” he said. “It’s a very rare thing, and it seemed to me to be inviting as a builder because what one wants is very clear guidelines.”
Director of community planning and development services Karen Whitney said York Region is striving to minimize and consolidate the number of accesses along the bus rapid transit corridor, particularly with Davis Drive’s increasing density.
“There is an increasing need to ensure the safety of not only traffic access to developments, but for pedestrians walking along Davis Drive,” Whitney said.
She said the access requirements were identified before the site plan application, at a pre-consultation meeting in August 2019. She said the rapid transit corridor makes full access to Davis unfeasible, and access was to be shared with the neighbouring site at 355 Davis Dr.
“This requirement, among others, was conveyed through the Town of Newmarket in regional comments back in June 2020 and more recently in November 2021,” Whitney said.
Yusuf responded that the requirement was to contact the neighbouring property and try to get them to agree to a shared driveway, but despite their efforts, they could not come to an agreement. But he said municipalities only informed them two years into the process that a site-plan agreement compels the neighbour to cooperate. He said the plan is for the properties to be interconnected at the rear, allowing neighbours to use the access point, but the region wants the driveway moved to be evenly split between the two properties.
"If the same objective is achieved without doing this, I fail to see the reason to subject a project that has already been two years in the process to further delays," he said.
He added the move could result in unsafe grading, given their property is lower than the neighbours.
Yusuf said the process has gone smoothly enough otherwise. He said they expect construction could take approximately two years once site plan approval is in place.
He said the application fulfills zoning bylaw requirements. The development would also fulfill the required amount of affordable units under town policy, he said. The developer also aims for a LEED certification, a rating system for energy-efficient, environmentally friendly buildings.
It is unknown when the project might proceed to the next stage. Yusuf said they are working with the town and region to address the driveway access issue.
But he said he hopes the project can speak well for itself in time.
“It’s an exciting time in our industry. There’s big challenges, and big solutions are needed. We hope to be part of it.”
