Burlington Sustainable Development Advisory Committee Meeting

Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
Room 247, Level 2, City Hall

Tim Park (chair), Jim Feilders (vice-chair), Carolyn Barnes, Katie Rauscher, Bob Burchett, Susan Mattine, Hashem Hosseini-Mousavi and Glenn Portch

Ben Hoff (Urban Strategies), John Marotta, Ben Gilbank and Anika de la Flor (Quadreal), Councillor Rick Craven, Councillor Paul Sharman, Lola Emberson and Jo-Anne Rudy (Clerk)

Chris Maynard, Herb Sinnock, Farzaneh Farahani, Herb Lewington, Jillian Gorbold, Virginia Linaja, Matthew McAuley and Tania Barlow

Katie Rauscher declared an interest and refrained from participating in all discussions related to policy and development as she is employed by a Burlington developer.

Minutes approved from meeting held May 16, 2018.

Ben Hoff, Urban Strategies, provided an overview of the Georgian Court Redevelopment which will consist of traditional townhouses, back to back townhouses, mid-rise and taller elements. Ben noted that the design maximizes mobility options and provides for enhanced open spaces. Anika de la Flor, QuadReal, shared their Sustainability Policy and added that QuadReal aims to be a global sustainability leader.

Add the following under Additional comments: “The key directions on a few precincts include the following: "Require developments to achieve a minimum of two uses within a building." A suggestion is increase the minimum number of uses as the square footage of office and commercial space proposed increases e.g. 5,000 sq. ft. - minimum 2 uses; 10,000 sq. ft. - minimum 3 uses etc.”

Delete the following two sentences from the first paragraph under Summary of Above Discussion and Recommendations/Action Items: “Using the affordable housing formula would require approximately 55% of the units to be affordable. The applicant needs to clarify the rental or purchase situations and projected value options within the development.”

Jim and Susan advised that this training was very informative and noted that Oakville has done a good job strengthening their private tree by-law and has created a map that identifies all town trees.

Carolyn advised that this workshop was an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the formation of the Bay Area Climate Change Office (BACCO) by providing input on its structure and priorites and discussing Best Practices for engagement on climate change. A public meeting will be held on June 27 at the RBG from 6 to 8 p.m.

Councillor Sharman advised that Council approved funding for the design/build of a new floating wave break at LaSalle Park Marina to an upset limit of $4 million. He noted that there was a lot of concern regarding interference with the Trumpeter Swans habitat; however, the city is committed to work with the Trumpeter Swan Coalition to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Katie advised that the SDC display at Central Library will be in August and volunteers will be needed for set up and take down.

Planning for the Fall Tree and Garden Care event on September 13th is going well. Presenters are being confirmed and agenda finalized. The following motion was moved by Katie, seconded by Susan:

Approve an expenditure of up to $1,000 to purchase more reusable bags.

The SDC annual tour will be held on October 10th from 6 to 8 p.m.

Glenn stated that a summary was provided by Tim and Jim from their meeting with city staff and noted that a workshop will be held in the Fall to discuss mandates, protocols, templates and how to improve effectiveness.

In an attempt to use technology better the subcommittee will implement a working method to use a shared online drive in order to minimize emails.

A discussion took place about maximum density/capacity numbers and the importance of receiving data so factual decisions and recommendations can be made. Phil Caldwell, Senior Planner, Mobility Hubs, will attend a future meeting.

Project managers were assigned to specific projects of interest to SDC and will be responsible for coordinating, gathering comments, creating documentation and follow up.

Dialogue will continue at the Awareness Sub-committee.

Jim advised that they are still looking for volunteers and reminded members of the Eco-film “A Silent Transformation” playing on September 19th at Central Library at 6 p.m.

Tim advised that he received an email from Danielle Manton, Manager of Committee and Election Services to advise that following a discussion with staff on policies and best practices during an election, the decision has been made that all citizen advisory committees meetings will break until after the municipal election in October 2018. During the break, sub-committees can continue to meet to work on ongoing commitments, projects events, etc. Any planned projects or events can continue to move forward and committees will receive the required support from staff. 

Chair adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m.

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