I, Max Lysyk, P.Eng., the…

I, Max Lysyk, P.Eng., the Development Manager for 1628755 Ontario Limited, represent my family, the Lysyk’s, the owners of the property municipally know as 360 Columbus Road West in Brooklin, Ontario. I am the grandson of the original owners, George H. Lysyk and Olena Lysyk as my family has owned this property since the early 1960’s. We submit the following comments regarding the Province’s proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation:

We are in support of amending the current limits of the Greenbelt Plan within the Province of Ontario in locations where mapping mistakes were made back in 2005 during the Greenbelt’s implementation. In our opinion, these errors occurred due to high level/desktop reviews used to establish the Greenbelt Plan limits, instead of confirming the limits through detailed site walks. This resulted in many parcels of land throughout the Province, including our property (360 Columbus Road W, Brooklin, ON) to be deemed undevelopable even through there is no difference between the land that abuts the Greenbelt and the land within the Greenbelt. Our property (360 Columbus Road W, Brooklin, ON) is approximately 38.75 hectares (95.75 acres) in size, of which, approximately 12.07 hectares (29.82 acres) currently fall within the Provincial Greenbelt Plan. Of the 12.07 hectares (29.82 acres) Greenbelt lands, 4.14 hectares (10.23 acres) has been actively farmed and is identical to the land outside of the Greenbelt Plan limits.

There is currently a development approval application (Draft Plan of Subdivision) with the Town of Whitby for the 26.68 hectares (65.93 acres) not within the Greenbelt. We ask that the Province consider removing the 4.14 hectares (10.23 acres) of actively farmed lands from the Greenbelt Plan on our property, as it does not contain any significant natural heritage features. In fact, there is no difference in the land being farmed and proposed within the draft plan of subdivision, and the same field being part of the Greenbelt. This is yet another example of land that was split by the Greenbelt Plan when the use of the property is, and has been, the same from north to south. We feel that this was an error when the mapping was prepared in 2005, and ask that this be rectified through the Province’s current amendment exercise. The lands proposed for removal are readily serviceable and can easily be incorporated in the current development approval application for the lands outside the Greenbelt. Additional information and details can be found within the attached documents which includes a planning summary of the subject property, providing a review of the site context, the current planning status and two preliminary development options for the lands that currently fall within the Provincial Greenbelt area. Lastly, construction of new homes on the Greenbelt lands can be achieved by 2025, subject to municipality approvals.

The Province has set a bold target of building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years to address the housing crisis and is considering removing land from the Greenbelt that can be replaced with protected land in other areas of the Province. The area suggested for removal from the Greenbelt Plan at 360 Columbus Road West in Brooklin, Ontario can accommodate 52 or 55 single detached dwellings as shown on the attached concept lotting plans or can certainly accommodate higher density housing if preferred by the Province.