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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 7, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Woodlot slated for development Continued from page 1 expensive homes ­ now find that they'll be facing an apartment building," said Barry. "It's smack-dab in the middle of the neighbourhood and they're talking about building some low-incomey sort of stuff." She says the community needs to work with Daniels to make sure development of the lot meets the needs of the residents. "The builders are going to build something and if no one says anything, they'll build whatever they want," she said. Agostino says each of the two different development proposals offer some advantages and some disadvantages. While the stacked townhouses might be more in keeping with the character of the neighbourhood, that building form would have a larger footprint on the lot than a more compact apartment building, and would require the removal of more trees. Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson says he prefers the apartment building proposal for the site, because it will save trees. He also notes that the lot has long been zoned for a dense form of development. In fact, high-density development was originally proposed for the site, but was downgraded to medium density during planning of the subdivision. A request by Metrus, the former owners of the site, to allow single-family homes on the lot was rejected. "We do need some density," said Robinson. "We have to have some places for all different people to live." However, the veteran councillor recognizes that the development won't likely be an easy sell for the neighbourhood. "A lot of people would like nothing (to be built there), but that won't happen," he said. Resident Lesley Hirst admits candidly that she's one of those people. "My preference, of course, is that the woodlot isn't destroyed and that it's left for nature. That would be my absolutely ideal, but I just don't get the sense that it's going to be possible." However, she wants to hear Daniels address neighbourhood concerns with issues like the sewer system and traffic flow in the community. "I think it's the details that we all really need to hear," she said. While Barry is also not hopeful that the community will be able to stop development of the site, she hopes residents will be able to work with Daniels to create a proposal that helps everyone. "I would love to see something for the community in the development," she says, suggesting an ice-skating rink or a small arts centre with a café. "It would be great to see something that's community-oriented and brings people together."