Article content continued
This Brampton tower has been met with both optimism and opposition. Some neighbours have aired concerns at public meetings about the impacts of the building shadowing their residences. Developed by G-force Urban Planners, an urban and regional land development consulting firm, the proposed tower would require an amendment of the zoning bylaw to permit the 1.3-acre project.
Though it’s a modest development by inner-city standards, the project represents a pivot in the outer suburb towards high-density planning – one that’s needed. By 2041, the population of Brampton is expected to grow to 890,000. That’s up from 617,994, based on data from the 2016 census and forecasting by Hemson Consulting, which projected growth at 13 per cent.
The proposed development is a 10-minute walk from the Brampton Gateway Terminal and Shopper’s World, a site flagged for major transformation – and perhaps the most dramatic example of density planning that’s hitting the suburbs. The mall, built in 1969, is the future home of a master-planned neighbourhood being proposed by RioCan. Plans, submitted for approval this fall, indicate that the 58-acre site would house a series of residential buildings – from three storeys to 28 storeys – that contain 5,000 units. The incoming neighbourhood, which could take 30 years to complete, would feature mixed-used apartments, retail space, office buildings, townhouses, a community centre and library. In short, many of the features of a major urban hub.
As Natalie Stogdill, senior advisor of public relations for the City of Brampton, sees it, these changes to land use around the LRT line are a “significant catalyst for economic growth in the city, reinforcing Brampton’s position” on what she calls “the Innovation Corridor.”
