C of A rejects Stacked townhouses proposed variances

C of A rejects townhouses variance requests, approves McDonald's, industrial expansion

Posted November 6, 2026

New Tecumseth's Committee of Adjustment (C of A) turned down an application for several variances to the Town's zoning bylaw that would have moved forward a 72-unit stacked townhouse development with underground parking on five combined properties on Victoria Street East and Lorne Street in Alliston.

At issue was the use of "minor variances" including reducing the minimum lot area per dwelling from 130 to 55.25 square metres, the front yard setback from 4.5 to 0.6 metres, the exterior side yard setback from three metres to zero and the rear yard setback from 7.5 to 3.21 metres. Additionally, the 93 underground parking spaces requires an amendment.

The committee's rejection went against the Town's planning department recommended approval as being in line with the need for additional housing, efficient use of existing urban land and increased residential density in an area designated for transitional downtown development.

Instead the application submitted by 2551832 Ontario Inc., through Luca Chandler of Studio Deep, for properties at 169, 175, 181 and 189 Victoria St. E. and 10 Lorne St., will have to go through the Town's zoning bylaw amendment process.

Two other applications on the final agenda of this committee's term, were approved. They include approval to permit the one-storey construction of a McDonald's Restaurant, and Dollarama store on Queen Street North, and the 5th Line. A variance was required from the two-storey minimum.

And Toronto Metal Inc, on the 5th Line, was approved for encroachment onto environmental protected zone, with several conditions attached including:

Compensatory tree planting of 27 trees within the Long-Term Stable Top of Slope and Top-of-Bank setbacks;

• Construction and maintenance of a fabricated chimney nesting structure for Chimney Swift bird species;

• Installation of a double row of light-duty silt fencing;

• Maintenance of a 30 m Vegetation Protection Zone (VPZ) setback, as illustrated on Figure 5 of the EIS;

• Restriction of vegetation removal between April 1 and August 31; and

• Implementation of erosion and sedimentation control measures.

Each of the projects still require site plan approvals before development can take place.