Creditview Animal Hospital

Creditview Animal Hospital
MOVING

Proposed for Summer, 1998

From 4040, Unit 5 to 5330 Creditview Road
Mississauga, ON. L5C 3Y8
Changing from(905) 566-VETS(8387) & 566-PETS(7387)
to (905) 567-VETS & 567-PETS

THE INITIAL CONCEPT,

Proposal, Fall 1995

I was looking to relocate my veterinary practice from it’s congested location at the Deer Run Plaza when 5330 Creditview Rd. went up for sale by the owner. It appealed to me as it was in my neighbourhood (actually walking distance from my home) and not far from my existing practice and clients. I had a professional appraisal done on the property. I also retained the planning and consulting firm of W.E. Oughtred and Assoc. to provide a preliminary report on the feasibility of the proposal. The resulting report was positive but recommended a rezoning of the property rather than a temporary variance of the bylaws.

Investigation, Winter 1996

The site has been a poorly maintained rental in a mature owner-occupied upscale community on the banks of the Carolyn Creek of Streetsville. Therefore, my main concerns were for the views of the neighbours and so approached the immediate neighbours for their input.
The closest neighbour was immediately to the south. They were enthused with the prospect of having a stable neighbour. This would eliminate the various rental tenants who had occupied the property through the years, from limo and tow truck drivers to the occasional pit bull breeder! In fact, the next neighbour to the south had lost a small dog to marauding pitbulls! The third house on Creditview, south of the property was also very much in favour of the planned use.
The immediate neighbours to the west, on Carolyn, were less accessible and shielded by the ravine. They had no major objections to the proposal. Both the neighbours across Creditview (on the East side) were supportive of the project. The north edge is a wooded, ravine wetland. Several personal attempts to meet the northerly neighbours proved unsuccessful.

Official sanction, Spring 1996

With the neighbours support and the consultant’s preliminary report, I met with the ward Councillor, David Culham, in February of 1996. He was excited about the prospect of having an eyesore in his ward cleaned up. He was appreciative of a stable tenant making environmentally sound use of the valley lands by establishing a bird sanctuary. The extended community would also benefit from the wildlife clinic, a first for Mississauga. He assured me that the project would have his support. He could see merit in the proposal providing it fulfilled the city planning requirements for a veterinary practice.

Conditional Purchase, Spring 1997

I entered into negotiations on the purchase of the property in the spring of 1996. Unfortunately, the vendor felt the site could be subdivided into 4 individual lots for single family dwellings. With that impression, it was listed on the MLS listings in the Toronto area. A year later we agreed on the price and conditionally signed an intent to purchase the property in the spring of 1997.

THE GROUNDWORK

Application for rezoning, Spring 1997

We applied to the City of Mississauga for rezoning of the site from R3 to R3-Special Section to allow a veterinary practice in a residential area. The operation would consist of relocating an existing small animal practice, establishing a wildlife clinic for local injured small mammals and birds and providing a sanctuary for the rehabilitation of the recuperating birds before their release back to their natural habitat.
In the process, the site would be developed with a view to maintain the ecologically sensitive environment of the valley lands and fulfill the city requirements for the physical facilities of a veterinary clinic.

From dream to reality, Summer 1997

The first tangible sign that things were finally moving was the erection of the sign on the property in June of 1997 inviting public comment to the proposed use as a veterinary establishment.
In 5 months, only 2 calls were made to the planning department, one from a neighbouring veterinarian. Site development professionals worked together with the planner to meet the City’s requirements for a veterinary clinic. They were bound by limitations imposed by the greenbelt designation under the jurisdiction of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority. The process was complicated by various dedications to the city of conservation lands, easements on the property, right of way for maintenance of the waterway, a sight triangle at the corner and future road widening along Creditview Road.
The planning department was satisfied enough after several revisions to proceed to the public meetings.

Public meetings, Fall 1997/Winter 1998

By all accounts, this proposal made the best use of the property, enhancing the local neighbourhood, the Streetsville community and the City of Mississauga.
The first community meeting, called by Councillor David Culham, was held at the Rivergrove Community Centre on Nov 6/97. There was resounding approval from all who attended.
The Public Hearing at City Hall was set for Nov. 17/97. At this meeting some of the neighbours had minor concerns about property boundaries, the operations of a veterinary practice, it’s impact on wildlife and commercialization in the area setting a precedent. Council felt that some of these needed further investigation so referred the application back to the Planning Department for another report.
To gain a better understanding of the neighbourhood concerns, David Culham called another community meeting at the site on Nov. 29/ 97. This was well attended and all the valid concerns were tabled and noted by the Planning staff in attendance. Their report is due in January and the next Public Hearing is scheduled for Feb/March 1998.

THE BENEFITS

Real estate values

It will raise real estate values of the area properties just due to the fact that the purchase price is in excess of the appraised value of the land and building.
Harmony in the neighbourhood
It will rid the area of a transient rental nuisance and a source of disturbance to the immediate neighbours
It will stabilize the occupancy of the property thereby contributing to the harmony of the neighbourhood
Proper development
It will ensure proper development and maintenance of the land and building to conform to it’s residential nature and environmental sensitivity
Restricted access
It will restrict the access to the Carolyn Creek floodplain thereby reducing trespassing and vandalism to downstream residential properties
Community goodwill
It will generate community goodwill in the area for the wildlife that has been displaced in our quest for urban housing and development
Beautify the neighbourhood
It will visually enhance the local neighbourhood with attractive, ecological landscaping and appropriate plantings to dampen vehicular noise from Creditview Road
Local facility
It will provide a local health and educational facility to pet owners and animal lovers including nature lovers, bird watchers and budding environmentalists
Local economy
It will contribute to the area economy by employing staff locally, training volunteers and generating taxes
Educational facility
It will provide a learning opportunity to local clubs and organizations like the Scouts and Guides

It will enhance the education at the local schools by offering school visits, classroom projects, hospital tours, co-op programs, environmental awareness programs and volunteer opportunities
Human health advantages
It will encourage the human-animal bond by virtue of it’s accessibility. This has been proven to be an important component of mental and physical health
Local wildcare facility
It will provide the Animal Control Department of the City of Mississauga a facility where they can refer or take injured wildlife and birds for treatment
Feasability study
It will provide a base to study the feasibility of establishing a showpiece bird sanctuary as part of the Garden Council Project for the City of Mississauga
Politically positive
It will provide the officials of the City of Mississauga some positive publicity and relief from the poor animal rights image that was generated across the continent from the recent “Canada Geese Fiasco”.

THE CONCERNS

In an attempt to discredit the application and create opposition in the neighbourhood, several non-verifiable issues were raised which ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. All of these had a personal or political bias. The following is a list of the 'concerns' in order of importance. None were presented with any factual evidence as to their validity.
- Commercial development on Creditview Road (a 5 lane regional road)
- Setting a precedent for rezoning (a very unique property)
- Safety of traffic and pedestrians (low volume professional use)
- Decline in property values (totally indoor operations)
- Bird sanctuary operations limited (personal bias)
- Veterinary clinic operations too smelly and noisy (uninformed)
- Deterring visiting deer by the smell of dogs (indoor operation)
- Wildlife release on property (mis-informed news paper article)
- Contaminating Carolyn Creek (municipal sewage, seal septic tank)
- Parking concerns (low volume professional use)
- Human rights of non-animal owners (???)
(I have added extensions that may enlighten the reader but to those who are interested, I have set up a page with detailed information as to why these concerns are unfounded)

THE ANALYSIS

There is no doubt that the benefits of this proposal far outweigh the concerns. The immediate neighbours, the planning department, the local politicians and real estate development professionals all think that this is the highest and best use of the land and that there is great merit in the application.
It is unfortunate that a couple of neighbours have developed personal agenda’s to thwart the efforts of the past 2 years. However, it will take more than just personal opinion and political oppression to sway the Ontario Municipal Board if this application goes to an appeal.
We need your support to improve this neighbourhood and the provision of services to innocent wildlife that have been injured or displaced in our quest for housing and development. Please come out to the public meetings and show that you care for this project. You can access the petition and fax or mail it in to the numbers/address provided.
We intend being available for community discussions every Saturday afternoon at the site to answer any and all of your concerns and share with you our plans, dreams and aspirations. Please come out and sign the attendance sheets at these community drop-in sessions.

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Changes last made on: January 04, 1998