I am writing to oppose the…

I am writing to oppose the Province’s proposed Transit Oriented Community (TOC) MZO package near Oakville GO Station.

My biggest concern is public safety. This proposal enables extreme high rise density on multiple small sites while the surrounding road network is already constrained. In a medical emergency, minutes matter. The Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital is not adjacent to this site, and the route relies on busy corridors and highway access points. Adding thousands of new residents without clear, funded plans for road capacity, intersection operations, emergency vehicle priority, and reliable access routes increases the risk of slower response times for ambulances, fire, and police. A TOC should not compromise emergency access.

This proposal also assumes a walkable, transit first lifestyle that Oakville does not currently support at this location. The area around Cross Avenue, Argus Road, and the South Service Road is car oriented, with long blocks, heavy traffic movements, and barriers created by the rail corridor and the QEW. Daily errands and appointments are not realistically walkable for most people today. If the Province wants this to function as true transit oriented living, the plan should lead with safe active transportation and complete streets, not towers first and upgrades later. As proposed, it risks creating a high density community that still relies heavily on cars, worsening congestion and safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

The scale of density being contemplated is also unreasonable. The proposal enables 11 high rise buildings generally in the 45 to 56 storey range across these sites, with major zoning exceptions. That intensity is out of proportion for Oakville and for this area’s current infrastructure.

I am also concerned this approach could delay housing delivery rather than accelerate it. High rise, multi tower megaprojects are complex, capital intensive, and typically built in many phases. If the proponent is signalling this could take roughly 25 years to complete, that is not a fast response to the housing shortage. A plan that prioritizes mid rise buildings, stacked townhomes, and other gentle density could be delivered in smaller, faster phases, bringing homes online sooner while infrastructure and walkability improvements are built in parallel.

Finally, the proposal appears to maximize unit counts without demonstrating livability. A complete community needs safe streets, access to services, and a meaningful mix of unit sizes including family sized homes. If this plan is dominated by very small units stacked at extreme density, it will add pressure to local roads and services without creating a balanced neighbourhood.

I support adding housing near transit, but this proposal is not planned in a way that protects safety, emergency response, mobility, or quality of life, and it risks slowing real housing delivery by betting on a decades long high rise build out. Please do not proceed with these MZOs in their current form. At minimum, require a comprehensive transportation and emergency access plan with clear funding and sequencing before approving heights and densities of this magnitude, and pursue a scaled approach that delivers homes sooner with real walkability and safety from day one.