A 'transit village' without rapid transit could revive westbound BRT, city staff and councillors say

A 25-storey residential highrise development near the corner of Wonderland Road and Oxford Street West is one step closer to approval at city hall after it was voted through council's planning and environment committee, Tuesday afternoon.

Still, questions remain over whether added traffic from the proposal, billed as the hub of a future transit village, will outrun the pace of the city's ability to adapt — especially since council scrapped bus rapid transit (BRT) to the area.

"I think this a case of, if we build it, they will come," said Coun. Skylar Franke during Tuesday's committee meeting, referring to the long-dead west London BRT leg that failed to come to fruition. "It's a good location, people are able to walk and get groceries."

The highrise's proposed location is at the corner of Beaverbrook Avenue and Horizon Drive, a stone's throw away from a major arterial intersection and just a few blocks away from the north London Costco location. Its proposed footprint replaces a Swiss Chalet at that location, with the tower directly beside other pre-existing businesses.

Pushback from people living near the site was strong during the meeting, with the common thread in reasoning being traffic. Many argued the 219 additional units brought by the development would add strain to an already busy area, especially with a lack of reliable public transit to the area.

In 2019, council dismembered the BRT plan, severing the west and north legs and approving only the east and south legs. The $72 million route was slated to run from downtown along Riverside, up Wharncliffe Road in mixed traffic, then from Oxford to Wonderland Road in dedicated lanes.

During Tuesday's meeting, staff insisted that with increased development in the area — including a proposed development near Cherryhill — more focus on transit and other traffic-calming measures will come through adaptations to the city's master mobility plan.

"This is that chicken and egg situation," said Heather McNeely, the city's director of planning and development.

"As [high density housing] comes along, that puts more pressure on the master mobility plan. In terms of recommendations that come out of that, potentially bringing this next [western BRT] leg on."

In the vein of transit, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said the situation underlines how important it is for the London Transit Commission (LTC), which is currently under review, to apply for assessment growth funding to catch up with transit needs in the area.

Despite reassurances from some council members, others were opposed to the plan, including the councillor whose ward encompasses the development site.

"I don't think the traffic study was at all adequate," said Coun. Sam Trosow, who pointed to the cumulative effect on traffic multiple developments in the booming northwest may have. "I know we're calling this a transit village, but come on, we all know we don't have the transit corridor."

In the end, committee members voted 4-1 in favour of the development, with Coun. Corrine Rahman's vote being the sole negative response.

"I spend quite a bit of time in this area and I know the struggles of trying to traverse this area. We're creating a lot of anxiety for current residents of the area that we are not going to address these concerns," she said, also adding that schools in the area are overcapacity already.

Council will debate the proposal, and decide its fate, during their next full meeting.