The province has zoned parts of the Millcroft Golf Course for about 138 homes, weeks after Burlington council turned down a plan to build homes on the course.

Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing made two Minister's Zoning Orders, numbered 009-2026 and 010-2026, on the golf course lands on Friday, Oct. 23. A zoning order lets the province set what can be built on a property directly, rather than leaving it to the city. Together, the orders permit approximately 138 single-detached homes and townhouses across six areas of the course.

That is the same number of homes council said no to. The application before council proposed 138 homes, made up of 73 single detached houses and 65 townhouses.

The proposal, known at City Hall as Millcroft Greens Phase 2, went to a public meeting along with a staff recommendation report on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Then, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, council refused the two applications the development needed: a change to the City's Official Plan, its long-range land-use rulebook, and a draft plan of subdivision dividing the land into lots.

The developer, Millcroft Greens Corporation, asked the province for a zoning order. Its request had the backing of two cabinet ministers: the Minister of Seniors and Accessibility and the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Housing for older residents is also part of the picture. The orders add long-term care and retirement homes to the list of uses allowed at 4274 Dundas Street.

The City made a request of its own: a zoning order to keep the course green. The province partly granted it with a third order, Zoning Order 011-2026, which keeps approximately 30 hectares of the golf course lands as Open Space. It holds the existing open-space zoning on five areas of the course, with one change: a cemetery or crematory is not allowed there.

There is a catch. The open-space order is suspended until the Minister is satisfied that occupancy permits have been, or will be, issued for all the homes planned under Order 009-2026.

Residents made their views known. The province said most comments from the public and community groups supported the City's open-space request.

What the provincial orders mean for the proposal council rejected is not yet clear. City staff are reviewing the decisions to understand how they affect the development council refused, the City says.

According to the City, the last day to appeal council's refusal is Wednesday, Oct. 28.