Six Towers Up to 48 Storeys Proposed Next to Aldershot GO

A site next to the south parking lot at Aldershot GO Station could end up under six towers of 30 to 48 storeys, and Burlington councillors start working through it this week.

The proposal comes from Infrastructure Ontario, a provincial Crown agency, and covers 121 Masonry Court, land owned by Metrolinx inside a Major Transit Station Area on the south side of the tracks. The six buildings would hold 2,713 residential units plus roughly 2,100 square metres of commercial space, enough room for about 80 retail and office jobs.

Also in the plan: a half-hectare public park, 1,287 parking spots, 1,629 bike parking spots and around 11,000 square metres of combined indoor and outdoor amenity space.

City staff documents heading to the committee of the whole list a long set of concerns, starting with scale. "The proposed development significantly exceeds the planned people for the subject site and would likely require investments in supporting infrastructure that was not contemplated by the City, Region and public agencies during the MTSA Area-Specific Planning Project," the documents read, adding that more information is needed on how transportation, water, wastewater, hydro and other infrastructure would keep up.

Unit mix is the other sticking point. 89 per cent of the proposed units are one or two bedrooms and 11 per cent are three bedrooms, against a city housing target that calls for a quarter of new apartments to have three or more. Staff also want a comprehensive plan for all of the Metrolinx land south of the tracks, more detail on the nearby CN Aldershot Rail Yard, and answers on parkland locations, urban design and utilities.

What happens next

The towers go to the committee of the whole on September 14 and to a Regular Meeting of Council on September 29. A final submission establishing the zoning the buildings would need is not expected until sometime in 2027. Infrastructure Ontario has held three engagement events in Burlington so far, including a local advisory committee meeting and a virtual open house on July 7, and an in-person open house at Central Arena on July 14.