Richmond Hill residents filled council chambers at a recent public meeting on a controversial application to erect a high-density development adjacent to single-family homes to the west. The applicant, Intracorp Projects Acquisitions Ltd., is proposing two nine-storey apartment buildings and three 15-storey apartment buildings at residential addresses on the north side of Weldrick Road West and the south side of Yongehurst Road. One of the 15-storey buildings would be marketed to seniors, and the design includes a public park on Yongehurst Road.
The proposal requires official plan and zoning bylaw amendments to permit the density and use of the development.
Intracorp has already appealed its application to the Ontario Municipal Board, citing the Town of Richmond Hill’s failure to respond within the mandated 180 days.
Frank Zeppieri, who lives on Yongehurst Road, is forming a residents’ group to fight the application. To date, he has collected more than 200 individually signed letters from his neighbours.
Residents’ concerns range from height and density to traffic and safety, from the impact on property values to the destablizing effect the plans may have on the neighbourhood of single-family homes.
“I think it’s just so outrageous that this thing is being contemplated outside the official plan,” Zeppieri said.
At the public meeting, local councillor Nick Papa advocated for having all the parties come together to try to find a workable solution.
“I am not in favour of this development as it is,” Papa said, noting that he would like to see the height reduced.
Frank Filippo, Intracorp’s vice-president of development and planning, said he believes the corridor slated for intensification ought to be widened slightly to include the site. To the immediate east, a different developer has proposed apartment towers on Yonge Street. Filippo would prefer to work with staff and residents and avoid the Ontario Municipal Board.