Burlington seeks zoning order to protect Millcroft Golf Course

The City of Burlington is once again asking the province to step in and put an end to building homes on the golf course in Millcroft.

Right now, certain parts of Millcroft Golf Course are being redeveloped for new homes. But the city, along with residents, don’t want that to happen, and they also don’t want the developer to go after more land on the golf course and build even more homes.

Hundreds of trees have already been cut down to make room for 90 new houses. It is all part of the mega-redevelopment of the course by Millcroft Greens Corporation – a plan both the city and residents are not happy with.

“When they are actually taking the trees out, and you know that there’s birds and animals in them nesting, people were in tears in the area,” said resident Dennis Parass.

Right now the builder only plans to redevelop certain parts on the edge of the golf course, but the city wants to make sure the other land on the course stays untouched and remains green space.

On Tuesday, city council voted unanimously to ask the province to issue a ministerial zoning order (MZO), which would prevent any further redevelopment on the course.

“Today was on the balance of the land. That is, currently zoned parks and open space in our official plan, but we want the extra protection of an MZO because somebody can appeal that plan, they can apply to change it, that’s what happened with the first development. And this just gives us some extra protection if the province steps in and issues that MZO,” said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward.

It was the Ontario Land Tribunal that approved the redevelopment of certain parts of the golf course last year. The city and residents don’t want that to happen again with the rest of the course.

Residents say Ontario Premier Doug Ford has an open invite to come out and take a look at the course first hand.

“We welcome Doug Ford. Doug Ford has met the Millcroft Against Bad Development team on a couple of occasions. He mentioned he would come out. We welcome him to our backyards as well. We will make it happen. And we will do it on their schedule, unless of course it’s a very stormy, rainy day and they might not want to get their shoes wet because this course does flood, even in a half an hour of heavy rain,” said resident Cynthia Shanahan.

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