From
The Star today
Highrises planned for historic property
Peel school board quietly okays 99-year lease deal letting firm build on Mississauga's Britannia Farm
Apr 15, 2008 04:30 AM
Theresa Boyle
Staff Reporter
Part of a historic farmstead in central Mississauga deeded to local schoolchildren in 1833 by King William IV, Queen Victoria's uncle, could soon be home to up to eight highrises.
The Peel District School Board has approved a deal for a 99-year lease with a private asset-management firm that wants to build office towers on 12 hectares of the Britannia Farm.
"It became very clear to us as a board that there is absolutely nothing we could do with this farm unless we had some revenue," board chair Janet McDougald explained Friday, adding the 80-hectare property is sorely underutilized.
She acknowledged the decision has raised the hackles of residents who want the land to remain untouched and object to the way trustees quietly voted on it. A majority of board members voted in favour at a closed-door meeting last month. Residents learned of the plan at a public meeting Thursday.
"The board specifically, intentionally, did not make this public because we wanted to have this open public meeting for stakeholders who have provided us with so much time and effort and their input into what they thought the future of the farm should look like," McDougald said. "We wanted them to hear it from us first rather than reading it in a newspaper."
Those stakeholders include the Friends of the Old Britannia Schoolhouse, a group of residents primarily interested in three heritage buildings on the site, including a schoolhouse built in 1852.
"I'm not happy with the commercialization of a portion of the historic property. And I do have concerns, especially related to decisions in the future," said Eva Ardiel, executive director of Friends of the old Britannia Schoolhouse.
The property is the largest swath of undeveloped land in central Mississauga. It is generally bounded by Hurontario St. to the east, McLaughlin Rd. to the west, Bristol Rd. to the south and Matheson Blvd. W. to the north. Under the plan, the towers would be constructed along Hurontario, and the three historic buildings would have to be moved elsewhere on the farm.
Asked if development of part of the farm is in keeping with what William IV wanted, McDougald said, "The Peel board absolutely does think that we have honoured the trust. ... The revenue will allow us to improve and protect the property for students."
She said the provincial funding formula provides no monies for the farm and that the board had difficulty balancing its budget last year.
The board now allocates $500,000 annually for the farm and two field houses in Caledon. But that doesn't go far, she said.
While the old schoolhouse is well utilized by students, most of the land is "virtually unused," McDougald said. She envisions putting in walking trails and platforms and possibly even opening up the green space for use by the general public.
The board's agreement to lease to Toronto-based Osmington Inc. was the result of a tendered process. It allows Osmington to apply for rezoning to allow construction of 85,000 square metres of office space. It's not clear how high the buildings would go.
Details on the amount the board will get won't be released until June, after the lease is signed. McDougald said the board will invest the cash and use the interest earned to maintain the farm.
Park Royal resident Janet Seabrook said she was appalled that, after a lengthy public process, the board approved the plans without getting further community input. "The process may have been open for the first three years but for the last one, it hasn't been open at all."
McDougald said the board has been consulting for years with the public and used that input to develop guidelines for keeping most of the farmstead green and open, ensuring it's used for educational purposes and that its natural and heritage assets are protected.
