Cooksville East Infill Housing Survey
If you happen to live in East Cooksville (See map to see boundary for East Cooksville), this is for you.
As a resident you may have noticed that as homes change hands, new owners often tear down the old house and build a replacement home. Some residents of East Cooksville have expressed concerns that some of these replacement homes are being built in a way that compromise the privacy of existing home owners. Another way of saying it is that there is concern that “monster homes” are being built that are much higher than neighbouring older homes and are often being built very close to the property line. As a result, there are issues with the massing, height, and yard setbacks of the homes which are inconsistent with the established character of the neighbourhood.
One solution is to tighten the height, massing and setback requirements by a modest amount in your neighbourhood to maintain the character of East Cooksville. Please click here to learn more about what this solution might look like.
Before I approach Council to look at making such adjustments, I want to hear from residents. To that end a survey was mailed out to everyone who lives in the East Cooksville Catchment the week of July 30th. This was further supplemented by another mail out the week of August 30th. If for some reason you have still not received a copy of the survey you can click here to respond to it. I am extending the response time for the survey to September 30th.
FAQ
Q: Have height, massing and setback requirements been tightened in other parts of Mississauga?
A: Yes. Most of South Mississauga has much more stringent height and setback requirements compared to what is allowed in the rest of the city including East Cooksville. Examples of neighbourhoods with tighter requirements include Clarkson-Lorne Park, Streetsville, Meadowvale Village and Malton.
Q: Will these changes, if brought forward mean that large homes will not be built in East Cooksville?
A: No, residents will still be able to build homes larger than the existing homes but somewhat smaller than what is currently allowed. (Please click here to learn more as to what kind of restrictions could be put in place.)
Q: Will the proposed restrictions be identical to those in South Mississauga?
A: No the restrictions if any will be tailored to the needs of East Cooksville and will be made in consultation with residents.
Q: Will agreeing to these restrictions mean a change to the R3 Zoning for East Cooksville?
A: Yes and No. The zoning for the neighbourhood would change from an R3 Zone into an R3-Exception Zone. This means that the basic zoning of R3 remains ie only single family homes on approx. 50 foot lots will be allowed. The Exception will refer to the fact that the area now has more restrictive zoning regulations concerning height, square footage/area, lot coverage and yard setbacks.
Example: The Malton Infill study recommended reducing the maximum allowable height for a home from 10.7 metres measured to the midpoint of the roof to 9.0 meters to the highest ridge of the roof. As a result Malton’s zoning changed from R3 to R3 Exception zone
Q: What is an Exception Zone?
A: When a property or neighbourhood has an Exception Zone, all of the regulations of the base zone apply unless they are superseded by a performance regulation. For example, the base R3 zone permits 35 percent lot coverage, but an R3 Exception Zone may reduce the lot coverage to 30 percent. In this neighbourhood (currently zoned R3) we could consider increasing the minimum yard setbacks, and reducing the maximum height, lot coverage and dwelling square footage. We could also add in a maximum dwelling depth provision that isn’t considered by the base R3 Zone, If approved, all of the properties in the neighbourhood would have an R3 Exception Zone. However as mentioned above, the basic R3 zoning will stay ensuring that homes continue to be approx. 50 foot lots with single family homes.
Q: Is the City considering a change to the type of housing (detached houses), or the minimum lot frontage (minimum approx. 50 foot lots) for East Cooksville?
A: No, the City is NOT considering a change to the types of housing or the lot size.
Q: What would the process look like?
A: Once we have collected the feedback and if a majority of respondents are interested in exploring the option of putting in more restrictions, Planning and Building staff will conduct an infill study for East Cooksville. As part of the study, Planning staff will consult the area residents with respect to potential zoning changes for detached dwellings in the Cooksville East neighbourhood. An information report would be brought forward to Planning and Development Committee with preliminary findings and the opportunity for public input. Subsequently, a recommendation report would be brought forward to Planning and Development Committee with recommendations for changes to the zoning by-law. It is possible that at the end of the study no changes will be recommended for East Cooksville! Changes if any will be made only if the neighbourhood wants it.
Example:
Existing Regulations
New Regulations
