Midtown Oakville: Big Changes Ahead
June 9, 2014
Completion of the Class EA
On May 27, 2014, the Town of Oakville completed its Midtown Oakville Municipal Class Environmental Assessment. This was a three year long study undertaken by the Town to design a new transportation and municipal storm water network for the midtown area.
The midtown area is the focus of growth and is a transportation hub for the Town. The results of this study and the proposed options were presented to and accepted by Council on May 27, 2014. Essentially, this means that the Town will be moving forward with implementing the new proposed transportation and municipal storm water works system for the Midtown Area (pictured above). The Proposed changes include:
- A new North/South QEW crossing
- Trafalgar Road interchange improvements
- A new North/South QEW active transportation crossing
- A new Cross Avenue extension across Trafalgar Road
- Iroquois Shore Road widening
- A new Royal Windsor Drive interchange
- New East pedestrian connection – Crossing QEW
- New West pedestrian connection – Crossing QEW
What Happens Next?
In the coming months the Town will be proceeding with the detailed design and implementation of these changes. So what does this mean for property owners in the midtown area? The preferred option identifies 41 individual properties that will be ‘impacted’ when the plan is implemented. These ‘impacts’ include:
- Loss of land through expropriation;
- Possible impacts to commercial operations while construction occurs e.g. loss of business, access etc.;
- Possible need to relocate; and
- Changes to traffic patterns as the new roads are built and expanded.
These impacts can be temporary or permanent, and can result in quite significant costs to the property owners. For those property owners facing expropriation or other impacts on their businesses, the Expropriations Act sets out specific rights and entitlements a property owner has during the expropriation process. Under the Act, property owners are entitled to recover most of the reasonable costs and damages they incur as a result of the expropriation.
It is important for all property owners in the midtown area to assess the impacts on their properties and businesses and take steps to protect their interests.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding these potential impacts to Speers Road property owners, please contact OMH lawyers Hal Watson at 905-842-8030.
The foregoing should not be considered to be legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Please consult a lawyer to get advice and an opinion on your unique circumstances.