Several changes by the provincial government to development rules since 2022 means City Council can no longer attach conditions to site plans. In fact, municipalities across Ontario no longer have authority over site plans that conform to existing land use zoning. That’s how Amazon was “approved,” as that site was rezoned in 2021 by the previous term of council (more on Amazon below).
Barrhaven East has very few active development files compared to other nearby wards, which has allowed me to focus more attention on each file. Despite the province’s changes to the rules, I have still engaged with respective developers for opportunities to benefit our community, including suggestions to reduce the impact of their development. Frankly, success has been thin under the current rules–one developer agreed to pre-build a sidewalk to fix a missing link on Longfields Drive.
Despite the uphill battle and needing the developer to agree, I will continue to ensure all opportunities for community benefit are explored in full with each development file in the ward.
Barrhaven East has had 10 years of well-deserved stability after about 40 years of near-continuous growth. Here, development is now a light file, but pressures from growth continue to exist and flow through our community, mostly from Half Moon Bay, Riverside South, and Manotick. Items I’ve worked on, including starting the process to widen Prince of Wales, intersection improvements, and addressing the systemic issues in public transit will help manage the impacts of that growth. Those items, and more, will continue into the next term of council.
Construction is expected to resume soon at Amazon’s sortation facility in the South Merivale Business Park. Since its “approval” (how it happened explained in first section of this page) in 2024, I have developed a plan to mitigate the expected increase in truck and employee traffic, including signage for trucks, traffic calming on Leikin, and regular engagement with stakeholders, including:
I will set the plan in motion once construction is substantially under way, likely throughout 2027 and 2028. Despite the employment and economic activity it will generate, Amazon is a high-impact development, so there must be a hard barrier between there and the residential neighbourhood south of the stormwater ponds. I have also suggested to Amazon that they engage with the NCC for a direct access roadway between their site and Fallowfield Road.
Four years ago, I campaigned on attaching some of those items as conditions of approval if the time came (the development had been shelved at that time), but changes to development rules in 2022 mean it’s all reactive now. The town hall/information session I have committed to hosting will still happen, currently anticipated for spring 2027.
In principle, this is an exemplary suburban transit-oriented development, with storefronts on the sidewalk, mixed-use, and higher density centred around a Transitway station.
Priorities are listed above and throughout the website, but it doesn’t mean I’ll ignore everything else. Let’s chat about what’s important to you!