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Page - 6 - Mississauga News, Apr. 6/94 City buying woodlot for $1.1 million After almost 15 years of negotiation, the City of Mississauga, has final acquired an 11 acre (4.5 hectare) portion of the Cawthra woodlot from the Ontario government. It was back in July 1979 that the City first opened a file on the acquisition of the heavily-wooded northernmost part of the woodlot, adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Way at Cawthra Rd. This month, city council approved the acquisition of the property from Ontario. Robert Johnston, Mississauga's director of realty services, says the land deal has gone through several variations in its long history. At one point, Ontario put the property on the open market as surplus land, prompting Mississauga to slap a holding zone on it. There was also a suggestion that high rise development. could go on the lands. There were proposals for seniors subsidized housing and a nursing home on the area at another juncture. An environmental study that showed the sensitive nature of the whole woodlot and an end to provincial funding of homes for the aged ended that scheme. The deal that is finally being con summated involves the City, Ontario, the Peel Board of Education and the Peel Non-Profit Housing Corporation (PNPHC). Two seniors apartment buildings, with a total of 186 units, are scheduled to be built by PNPHC on what is now parking and landscaped area beside the Cawthra Arena. Land is required from the nearby Cawthra Secondary School she to reconfigure the parking lot. Mississauga is paying $1.1 million to Ontario for the additional part of the woodlot, which is a designated area of natural and scientific interest.
[COMMENTS BY DON B. - 15 years the City fought to keep the Cawthra Bush zoned for residential homes, that was the reason it took so long. Also the City's logging program was passed in record time, just as a deal had been reached to buy the land. The City then started to log the land while it was still owned by the Ontario government! After all the City knew the land transfer would have environmental strings attached, to restrict City activities. Shows how little the Ontario government trusted the City of Mississauga. ]
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