By Mike Anderson
The Cook’s Bay shoreline will look radically different after a proposed 20-storey condo tower, initially rejected by the Town of Georgina, was approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) in July.
In late 2023, following staff’s recommendation, council voted unanimously to deny an application from the Cortel Group, the project’s developer, to amend the Town’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law to allow 20-storeys – the Official Plan only allows buildings up to six-storeys.
However, the Cortel Group, a Vaughan-based developer owned by the Cortellucci family, was not prepared to take no for an answer.
It filed an appeal with OLT, along with minor modifications to the condo’s design, including a setback on the podium’s third storey to accommodate a new rooftop terrace. The OLT hearing was held in March, and the appeal was upheld on July 14.
The Town argued at the OLT tribunal that the project “significantly exceeds the permitted height and massing parameters and does not ensure compatibility with the surrounding low-res residential neighbourhood.” Also, it did not represent “orderly development of communities and the appropriate location and scale of growth,” as defined by the Planning Act.
The OLT decision is final, pending confirmation that York Region can provide the development with sufficient water and sewer allocation.
The 380-unit condo development, called the Lighthouse, features a 13-storey condo tower above a seven-storey podium, and an adjacent 2-storey commercial building. It will be built on an 8.6-acre site at 232 Cameron Crescent, west of The Queensway S., in Keswick.
The site is currently vacant but was slated in 2008 to be developed as a six-storey condo with 150 units and a seven-storey hotel with 100 guest rooms. While foundation piers were constructed, the project did not go forward, and the Cortel Group purchased the lands.
“The OLT decision was reviewed with legal counsel, and it was determined there were insufficient legal grounds upon which to challenge it,” a Town spokesperson told the Post.
“The outcome of the hearing is disappointing; however, the Town is required to abide by the OLT decision and will govern itself accordingly.”
However, the OLT’s decision is “site specific,” meaning the exemption from the Town’s height restrictions will only apply to this development. According to the Town, it will not set a precedent. Still, it acknowledges, future developments may push for the same exemption.
“The decision does not on its own set a precedent since it is a site-specific, but other landowners could use it to justify a request for increased height and density on their respective properties,” the spokesperson said.
Residents from the low-rise neighbourhood north of the proposed development had raised concerns at council in 2023 regarding potential traffic issues and shading from the 20-storey condo tower.
However, the Town says none of the recommendations made by staff have been adopted by the developer.
“There were no modifications to the development proposal as a result of feedback provided by the Town, although the applicant did initiate some minor modifications on their own accord as part of the OLT hearing,” the spokesperson said.
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