What's Going Up: Newmarket residents question location for 10-storey seniors apartment building

Some Newmarket residents are questioning the choice of location for a 10-storey seniors apartment building proposed for a woodlot in their neighbourhood at Davis Drive and Bathurst Street.

“It just seems so strange to put it in a location that is nowhere near the intensification zone,” Kimberley Lafreniere said.

While acknowledging the need for more rental housing in Newmarket, she said the community finds the location "confusing" as there are limited amenities within walking distance and there are other developable areas further within town. 

LJM submitted an application to the Town of Newmarket in July for the 226-unit rental building at 535 Davis Dr., which is currently an environmentally protected 5.2-hectare woodlot that would require a zoning amendment.

The proposed building would include multiple roof levels, 262 parking spaces, of which 218 would be underground, and the removal of 0.48 hectares of trees.

LJM president Liaquat Mian said the location is a “gateway” to Newmarket. 

“We had noticed there are challenges in the site and we have addressed all those challenges,” Mian said. “There’s an extreme shortage of seniors rental in that area, so we took the initiative.”

The application has been in the works for 23 months, he added, and included assessment of environmental impact.

As "good corporate citizens," LJM would plant 1.5 times more trees than get removed, Mian said.

An environmental impact study by Colville Consulting found the development is unlikely to affect at-risk or endangered species, he said. However, the firm did recommend several mitigation measures, including a separate tree protection plan and maintaining all trees not required for construction.

Lafreniere said the woodlot is home to all kinds of wildlife. 

“We’ve seen everything from turkey vultures, weasels, groundhogs,” she said. “To say there wouldn’t be a significant impact, to me, I think is incongruous with the fact that there is significant wildlife back there.” 

Arash Banisadr, whose backyard is adjacent to the property, said he is concerned about the destruction of trees behind his home, as well as the loss of privacy with a high-rise building.

"To me, it is not great to make a highrise building exactly beside the detached homes," he said. "In this area, we don't have any other highrise buildings." 

Transit is also a point of concern to the community, Lafreniere said, as public transit currently does not extend to the Davis-Bathurst intersection, however the application's transportation study suggests York Region could add transit service to the site. 

A town spokesperson said the planning department is still reviewing the application, which could come before council committee of the whole in early 2022. 

Mian said LJM plans to have an open house event for residents later this month, separate from the formal public consultation process, to answer questions and concerns.

He said it is an important development to help with York’s housing shortage.

“We need support from the community and the neighbours so that it is approved fast,” he said. “This really would help our seniors in the community. And the type of building we are going to do, the town will be proud of that building.” 

But Lafreniere questions whether the development will fit harmoniously with the surrounding less-developed area.

“From my perspective, I think there is a better suited location for this type of development, to not result in destruction of habitat,” she said.