How Burlington´s growing pains became an election issue
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

Kelly Childs moved to Burlington in 2008 looking to escape “the hustle� of Toronto.It broke her heart when she learned that the block where she and her daughter operate Kelly’s Bake Shoppe had been sold to a condo developer.The cupcake emporium on Burlington’s main drag draws thousands of customers in a busy week with the promise of luscious treats, part of a charming strip of stores and restaurants leading to the lake.Read more:How rampant development and poor planning left residents of this Etobicoke neighbourhood stuck in trafficCouncillors reject eight-tower development over downtown rail corridorMilton’s rapid growth lays ground for highrise developmentOn a recent weekday morning, Kelly’s was crowded with a group of moms and babies. But directly north, the Blossom Lily restaurant, Thomasville furnishings, Elizabeth Interiors and Celli’s restaurant are already closed or have moved.The nearby 23-storey Carriage Gate Homes development and its “twin tower� — a developer has already filed a proposal for a 24-storey sister building — are displacing those stores. The notices on the empty shop windows and impending construction across from city hall have become a rallying point for a polarized community in advance of the fall civic election.Residents and businesses are divided among those who believe tall buildings will feed the vitality and sustainability of the city and those who worry development will drive up prices, pushing out Burlington’s character and dwarfing its civic buildings.“I’ve never seen this kind of tension — I’m going to call it the pitchfork. There are so many residents that are waking up to it,� Childs said. “It’s like the ether has just worn off and they’re going, ‘What the heck have we been silent to?’�Burlington is the latest battleground in the Toronto region where municipalities are struggling to welcome ...