City And Developer Clash
The city and Argo Land Development are at an impasse, and the future of Millcroft Golf Course looks like fewer fairways and more backyards.
Argo purchased the land on Millcroft to redevelop it into homes, something the city says is unnecessary and will not help to meet housing targets.
“It is at risk of development at a time when we need more parks and green space,” Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said. “We can accommodate housing in other places. This is not affordable housing, this will be close to $2 million per home.”
Current houses for sale that back onto the course, and in the surrounding area, are selling for as much as $2.4 million.
The city is hopeful that a facilitator will be able to work between Burlington and Argo to discuss the land moving forward. Further instructions to staff will be discussed during city council meetings on July 7, 8, and 15.
In a letter to Meed Ward, Bland wrote Argo had considered selling the remaining land of the course to the city, though no price was mentioned.
“Had you lived up to our agreement to discuss options prior to pursuing an MZO, it was our intention to present to you the potential for a sale to the City of up to 70 acres of the balance of the golf course, for nominal consideration, if an agreeable development scenario for the balance of the lands could be achieved,” Bland wrote. “This scenario would satisfy your office’s desire to secure portions of the site for use by the surrounding community. This would also avoid the need for a further expensive, multi-month Planning Act appeal.”
Meed Ward said there was never any agreement to begin with.
The mayor said that in July 2024, following the OLT’s ruling and asking Doug Ford to step in, and a provincial election earlier this year, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack said a facilitator would be a good option for both parties. When it became clear to Meed Ward and the city that Argo is interested in developing further, the request for an MZO was sent instead of waiting on a facilitator.
“There is no deal, there is no discussion of a deal, we now have clarity about what the province is going to do or not do, and about what Argo’s intentions are,” she said.
The city and developer have been in correspondence for the last two weeks, which is available to read on the city’s website. Scott Bland, president of Argo, wrote to the city saying the homeowners who live in the area – and who oppose the construction – are being prioritized by public officials.
“This is all being done seemingly in effort to appease a vocal group of adjacent landowners, who believe that our privately-owned lands somehow belong to them,” Bland wrote in a letter dated June 17.
Bland did not respond to BurlingtonToday’s request for an interview.
Meed Ward said fighting the development has widespread support in Burlington, and city council has supported requesting a second ministry zoning order, which could halt the development.
“The 17,000 people who signed the petition from Millcroft Against Development have been expecting us to continue to advocate until we get an answer,” she said. “My message to the Premier is you need to issue this.”
Ward 6 councillor Angelo Bentivegna echoed the mayor’s thoughts. He said even with the course, the city is 104 hectares behind on urban green space.
“This renewed request comes at a time when the Province has placed a greater emphasis on protecting green space, and we are optimistic that our case aligns with those broader objectives,” he wrote in an email to BurlingtonToday. “Millcroft is not being prioritized at the expense of other communities. In fact, this is part of a bigger conversation about balancing growth with protecting what makes Burlington livable and sustainable.”
Some background:
Millcroft Golf Course was sold to Argo Land Development, who plan to turn part of the course into approximately 100 housing units consisting of 90 homes and a six-storey apartment building.
The city requested a Ministry Zoning Order, which was denied. On May 1 of this year, more than 400 trees on the golf course were cut down in preparation for construction.
The Ontario Land Tribunal ruled against the city’s request to stop the development.
The city has a housing agreement with the province to construct 29,000 new units by 2031. Meed Ward says there are currently 44,000 units in the city’s pipeline, with half of them in various stages of pre-construction.
