De-registration of Subdivision
May 12, 2020
Presentation to: Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee
Subject: De-register plan of Subdivision for Millcroft
We are participating in this meeting today to ask for your support of Bylaw 28-2020 which is intended to de-register the plan of subdivision for Millcroft. The importance of the by-law is to ensure that the full impact of the proposed development on the Millcroft Golf Club is reviewed using the entire planning process.
We Love Millcroft is a group of concerned Burlington citizens, and more specifically the Millcroft Neighbourhood. In this time of the Covid 19 pandemic, we would like to acknowledge and show our appreciation for all who are working on the front lines to serve our community. We believe the pandemic has created a new sense of community and caring for each other. The pandemic has changed the world we knew and perhaps the new normal will change the way in which we view the proposed development as well.
Millcroft Greens has come forward to a group of neighbouring residents and City officials with their intent of shortening the Millcroft Golf Course to build new housing. There are many stakeholders to this decision including the city, residents, golfers, charitable organizations and corporations who currently host events at the Golf Club, and commuters who pass through the development to access Highway 407, the QEW and or the Appleby Go Station. This by-law will ensure that the concerns of the stakeholders together with other considerations such as the environment and other pending development plans will be properly addressed. We Love Millcroft as a group are opposed to the proposed development and will be engaged with all stakeholders including the owners of the golf course and the City to attempt to find a satisfactory, made in Burlington, solution. If necessary we will attempt to influence the municipal planning process for a positive outcome for residents.
I feel honoured to be able to speak on behalf of a group of Citizens of Burlington which is currently ranked #1 by MacLeans magazine. As a 31 year owner and taxpayer of a property which abuts the land of proposed development, I share concerns with many others in our neighbourhood about the proposed changes.
Our Millcroft Neighbourhood, including the golf course, is a master planned community that was conceived and largely built by Monarch Construction over a period of roughly 20 years. The golf course and its clubhouse were specifically laid out to have homes and townhomes interwoven throughout the 18 holes. In speaking with our neighbours, I realize that a large number of us moved from other municipalities because of the Golf Course and accessibility as major attractions. When I speak about accessibility, I am referring to proximity to Toronto, Hamilton, the airports and the inherent benefits that lower density offers to the amenities the City has to offer including recreational facilities and cultural attractions, restaurants, shops and services. These are all beneficial to well-rounded individuals and family life. The neighbourhood is an integral part of Burlington which provides a unique character that appeals to citizens who are teachers, medical professionals, lawyers, business owners, police officers and executives of corporations to name a few. As a group, we also represent a cross section of age and it is as likely to encounter a stork as a happy retirement sign on a front yard. Our newer neighbours, who moved from Oakville, made the comment that they had lived on a court previously and during that 10 years didn’t recognize what their neighbours looked like. In a matter of weeks, they had met a large number of neighbours in our community. We are a friendly active group who are out walking, running, cycling, golfing, enjoying private or street parties and our local parks.
Millcroft is a neighbourhood that demonstrates pride of ownership as evidenced by Civic Rose Award winners and homes generously donated for the Junior League House Tour charity. The current housing including townhomes have been built with setbacks and proportional building to lot sizes that allow us to enjoy our private yards and greenspace, a sought after feature for our lifestyles.
The location of Millcroft Golf Course within the City limits makes it attractive because of accessibility and convenience for busy people, corporate and charitable events. The existing “target”course has RCGA ratings from red tees to blue tees of par 62.3 to 66.9 compared to a championship course of par 72. It is already considered a short course and the proposal of making it even shorter will make it less desirable to golfers and questionably viable on an ongoing basis. The removal of the driving range a number of years ago has already negatively impacted demand at the club. Our children attended group golf lessons, and a cadet program that involved young teenagers cleaning clubs, caddying and learning to play golf in an organized summer program ended with the elimination of the driving range. These community programs were important for engaging our children and their love for the game. It was an integral part of family life in the community and also contributed to the ongoing success of the club. Over the years, the clubhouse has been a destination for community functions such as meetings, brunches with Santa and weddings. Our golf course community delineated by stone pillars and the Mill, which had a working water wheel and an aerating fountain in the main pond, has been the background of many milestone photographs. We recognize that this is a business and the golf course needs to be successful. The proposed changes will logically lead to yet another phase of development and the death of this unique golf course community.
We Love Millcroft is encouraging Council to carefully consider and respect the original design of this community and how it has contributed to the City’s status as the best City to live in. In summary, housing development on the original golf course property which eliminated the driving range has already had a negative impact on Millcroft Golf Course. We believe that proper and thorough review of any future development facilitated by the de-registration of the existing subdivision plan through by-law 28-2020 is an important step for the City of Burlington to define the future of one of its signature neighbourhoods.
