Council says yes to a massive new subdivision that will transform area near Cherryhill
It's the latest of three developments expected to dramatically transform the area in the coming years
A proposal to bring over 3,800 housing units spread across dozens of buildings to an area near London's Cherryhill neighbourhood received the go-ahead from council, Tuesday.
The development proposed by Esam Group would see a total of 51 buildings — 18 of which are highrises — completely reshape the area that's long been home to a previously flood-prone green space, near the intersection of Oxford Street and Proudfoot Lane.
It would include walking and cycling paths, green space, and the extension of the road system in the area.
"This development has it all," said Ward 3 Coun. Peter Cuddy, one of the 13 councillors who voted in favour of the subdivision. "We need to hit our housing targets, and this is really a good way to do it."
Plans to develop the area have been in the works since the early 1990s. The area is almost 37 hectares, or 80 acres, in size. The green space had been prone to flooding but recent work by the city to improve drainage downstream through the Mud Creek restoration project, along with London's high demand for housing, put the development back on the table.
Housing demand was a clear reason to give the development a green light, according to Mayor Josh Morgan.
"It's exciting when we have an opportunity to approve a development that represents about 8 per cent of our commitment to the province of Ontario and our housing target," Morgan said.
"To be able to have a city where we have the opportunities to take intense residential development ... to get over 3,800 units of intensified development in a part of our community that can handle it, that's a good opportunity to seize."
Ward 13 Coun. Sam Trosow, however, didn't agree that the area could handle such intensification. He accounted for the sole vote against the development that's located in his ward.
He pointed out that the Esam Group's development is happening alongside two other housing development projects approved for the same area, around Oxford and Wonderland. They will see a combined 91 storeys and 627 housing units built.
"When you add 3,817 units, [6000 people,] to the same situation that's going on with the other developments in the area ... the transit and the transportation infrastructure is not keeping up with this level of development. " Trosow said.
The question of transit availability has crept its way into discussions surrounding all three developments. In 2019, council elected to leave an Oxford Street corridor out of the nascent Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan.
"I understand that there's an argument that says, if you give the approvals for these, it'll induce the demand for more transit, and I hope that's right," Trosow said.
LISTEN | Is Cherryhill's infrastructure ready for a mega development?
Those concerns were echoed earlier in the day by Martin Horak, an associate professor at Western University who specializes in urban politics, when he spoke with CBC News.
"From a transportation perspective, I am pretty concerned. We don't have rapid transit there. Council decided against putting it there, which in all honesty, I think was a big mistake," Horak said.
"We might be in for gridlock in a few years, unless council starts acting now on the rapid transit file."
During Tuesday's council meeting, Morgan said he believes traffic concerns can be mitigated over time. Other councillors, like Coun. Susan Stevenson, said they would support future measures to combat traffic in the area.
The development is planned to come in multiple stages, spread out in blocks, that are scheduled to be gradually built out into the 2030s.
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