At the October 28th City Council Meeting, Regional Councillor Gurpreet Singh Dhillon introduced a discussion regarding Brampton’s current driveway design specification policy. The discussion was in response to a recent viral video and complaints from residents in regards to flawed driveway and housing designs, a statement from the councillor said.
During questioning by Councillor Dhillon, it was identified by city staff that the driveway in the video was part of a pilot project approved by a previous Council in 2013, and that this particular design was optional, and agreed upon by the original home purchaser.
Currently, City of Brampton policy states that the length of a driveway from the garage door to the property line must be a minimum of 5.5 meters. However in recent years, Brampton residential lot and driveway sizes have decreased significantly, while boulevards sizes have increased. City staff stated that this is to ensure that the underground City infrastructure remains completely in the City owned boulevard. Nevertheless, local residents remain frustrated.
“Though most current developments were approved before mine and my colleagues tenure, I want to ensure that going forward our residents will have their voice heard when it comes to the designs and characteristics of the neighbourhoods they reside in,” said Councillor Dhillon. “We must ensure that homes and driveways are built to meet the needs of our residents, not to satisfy builders and developers so that they can maximize profit.”
The discussion was then referred to the December Planning & Development Committee meeting by Councillor Dhillon, so that more information can be brought forward by staff, and to offer Council members time to research the matter.
“Today’s Council discussion was a constructive one, and only the first step in addressing the issue. I would like to thank our local residents and media for highlighting it and bringing it to our attention. I am confident that this will eventually lead to positive policy improvements.”
The City of Brampton’s December Planning & Development meeting is scheduled for December 7, 2020 at 7pm.
