Slim council vote greenlights Stouffville Gateway project amid resident growth concerns
By Gene Pereira, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Stouffville Council has approved a comprehensive draft plan of subdivision for the Stouffville Gateway development at the northeast corner of Main Street and Highway 48.
Passing by a slim 4-3 vote at a special meeting held Oct. 14, the project moved forward amid heavy reluctance from councillors who noted that residents are feeling the community is growing too fast.
The roughly 17-acre development, spearheaded by developer City Park Homes (Stouffville) Inc., transforms the multi-parcel land assembly into a mixed-use community. The approved plan includes Block 1 featuring 165 townhouse units across three styles, consisting of 72 three-storey back-to-back townhouses, 48 three-storey traditional townhouses, and 45 two-storey traditional townhouses backing onto protected green space.
It also incorporates a commercial block fronting Main Street featuring a five-storey hotel and restaurant building alongside a small retail plaza. As part of this design, the historic Major John Button House located at 5270 Main Street will be carefully relocated and integrated to preserve local heritage.
Additionally, the project sets aside a private 600-square-metre open space parkette, a 2.92-hectare Natural Heritage System block with passive recreation trails, and designated road-widening blocks along Main Street.
The project narrowly passed 4-3 after a contentious debate that highlighted deep divisions on council over the pace of community development. Ward 3 Councillor Keith Acton voted against the project, pointing out that managing growth was the No. 1 concern raised by residents during spring surveys and door-to-door campaigning for the upcoming municipal election.
“I’m probably going to repeat myself a lot from when we had this application for rezoning, and I still feel the same way,” said Acton. “I think that we can always look at this with a different lens outside of the planning scope… And for me, this piece of land is such an important part of our gateway, and this application doesn’t meet that vision.”
Ward 4 Councillor Rick Upton echoed these concerns.
“Similar to Councillor Acton, I have been knocking on doors, and the No. 1 concern I hear from our residents is the speed at which our community is growing,” said Upton. “We have until 2051 to meet our provincial growth obligations, so why are we rushing to build faster than the infrastructure and support?”
Councillor Sue Sherban was another no vote on the motion.
“I too have a concern, in regards to the growth,” said the Ward 6 councillor. “Not to mention, not needing what our original vision was of the entrance to our town.”
Sherban further noted, “I realized one of the reasons… is wanting to move forward to try to meet the ability to have affordable housing, and that if this plan came forward, therefore, they would still be able to be in the window of getting the $150,000 credit per home, and that would help with the affordability… to move the project forward for that, I feel this is going too quickly, and not for the right reasons, and for that, I won’t be supporting this.”
While he brought forward the motion, Ward 1 Councillor Hugo T. Kroon cast a reluctant supporting vote.
“To some extent, I agree with the three previous speakers,” he acknowledged. “This is certainly not what we wanted. This is not what we envisioned, but, unfortunately, there are forces outside of our control, not the least which is the housing market. The hotel and the pub, and the other commercial activity, is kind of something that I know the mayor and senior staff have worked very hard on to come to this compromise, and I think it’s something we’re going to have to accept…
“So, with a heavy heart, I am supporting this proposal.”
Mayor Iain Lovatt addressed community anxiety over rapid expansion, noting that while residents feel the town is growing too quickly, actual building permit numbers tell a different story.
“I do hear anecdotally the general statement that we’re growing too quickly, and I don’t know we’re actually growing too quickly,” he said. “We’re planning for growth that will happen.”
Actual building permit numbers tell a different story. Development Services Commissioner Dwayne Tapp confirmed that only 16 new residential units were issued permits in 2025, with 106 units permitted so far in 2026.
“In terms of residential growth, we really haven’t seen a ton, we haven’t really seen a ton,” said Lovatt. “And so, I don’t disregard what councillors are hearing at the door. I do believe that there is a definite feeling amongst the community that we are growing too fast. But it’s not translating to building permits at this point in time.”
The project follows a series of successful planning approvals granted earlier this year, including Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments finalized in August and September 2026.
While the Draft Plan of Subdivision has now received council approval, construction is not immediate. The development must still move through detailed engineering, servicing, and technical reviews with external agencies, including the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Transportation.
This will be followed by mandatory future Site Plan Control and Draft Plan of Condominium applications for each individual block before final ground-breaking can occur.