‘The defining characteristic of Burlington’: Dispute goes on over Burlington city waterfront

Of all the development disputes across Burlington, the one that seems to inspire the most passionate debate is almost certainly about the waterfront.

Located at 2020 Lakeshore Rd. and commonly known as the Waterfront Hotel development, the property sits at the base of Brant Street and directly beside Spencer Smith Park.

The project now proposed for the location would see a mixed-use development replace the existing six-storey hotel with two towers - 35 and 30 storeys - connected by a five-storey podium.

It would include 557 residential apartment units - mostly one-bedroom units, a hotel with 122 guest rooms, as well as 4,445 square metres of commercial space and 4,348 square metres of office space - along with 598 parking spaces.

Opposition to this proposal from the community has been consistently vocal for years. Critics say the planned structure is too big for the area, would add to traffic problems and does not fit with the parkland it would be adjacent to.

At the forefront of the opposition to the project is Citizen's PLAN B. The local advocacy group has spent years fundraising, meeting with officials, making presentations, lobbying the government and collecting information.

Group member Ron Porter said this particular project is so important because of what this location means to the whole city.

The waterfront is the defining characteristic of Burlington. The waterfront is Burlington. If you look at any of the travel or tourist-type stuff they always talk about the Burlington waterfront," said Porter. It's community. It's green spaces where people can gather, which is what a town or city is supposed to be about."

The location of 2020 Lakeshore Rd., which is directly beside Spencer Smith Park, means it is front and centre for many of the community's biggest events. It's also adjacent to the scenic Burlington Pier.

Throughout the year the park is used by people from around the city and beyond for everything, from a photo spot to just a nice place to take a walk.

Don Fletcher, also with Citizen's PLAN B Burlington, said he believes the egalitarian nature of the area is what makes this development so important.

We're trying to do something for the community because there's not a price to pay. People can come down here for free and enjoy a nice afternoon and what do they want to do? Do they want to walk along the promenade and be faced with a 35-storey building that makes them feel like an ant? There's no human scale in any of this," said Fletcher.

Alternative concepts for the site have been presented by Plan B members. These concepts have included more green space, reduced heights and an enhanced focus on the pedestrian relationship with the structure.

Vrancor, the developer behind the project, has argued that as currently envisioned, the project will lead to something truly impressive.

Representatives with the developer had not responded to questions by press time, but back in 2021, Lilia Koleva, a partner architect involved in the development, said the towers will be built with a gentle curve designed to reflect the lake.

The owner and the project team is envisioning a truly landmark project with high quality of design and design excellence achieved through the iconic tower curves, noble materials and subtle lighting accentuating the built form," said Koleva.

Opponents to the current plan are calling a recent decision by the province's Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) a major victory.

The OLT, which is the legal body that will have the final word on whether the development goes forward, concluded in January that the application to develop the site was made" on the day a complete application was accepted by the City of Burlington.

That date was after the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing shifted the Urban Growth Centre (UGC) and Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designations from the downtown toward the Burlington GO station area.

This means the applicant can no longer rely on the UGC or MTSA designations to justify the proposal. Both designations were used in their arguments for the development.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said the response this proposal has received shows how important it is to Burlington.

It is incredibly unique and people love our waterfront and they want to make sure that it is open and accessible to the public and that any development that happens in, around or adjacent respects the fact that we want to keep it open and usable by the community," said Meed Ward.

For more information on the project, visit www.burlington.ca/2020lakeshore.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Disputes over developments is nothing new in Burlington. To that end, we wanted to take a closer look at why the waterfront site in particular has inspired such passion from residents and such strong opposition to the proposed development.