Just last week, Ward 39 (Scarborough-Agincourt) Councillor Mike Del Grande shared his displeasure over the apparent lack of attention paid by developers planning condos in the Bridlewood Mall area to the concerns expressed at an earlier public meeting by local residents.

The proposal calls for a massive redevelopment of the Warden and Finch avenues area, seeing eight buildings ranging in height from eight to 30 storeys, for a total of 1,370 units, along with an expansion of the shopping mall from 320,000 to 470,00 square feet.

Not surprisingly, residents blew a gasket last year when Del Grande first informed them of the plans. A community meeting saw residents criticize the plan to a representative of the developer, pointing out a number of legitimate concerns including traffic and density. Yet the plan has returned virtually unchanged, Del Grande said.

"The community's very upset that they never listened one iota," the councillor said.

In an interview with The Mirror, Malibu Investments Inc. director Terry Lustig said the company wants to work with the community on the plan.

However, just what options residents have in opposing this plan seem somewhat limited. Del Grande is already hinting it may have to go to Ontario Municipal Board, which if past rulings stand will simply rubber stamp the plan in favour of the developers while costing the city money in legal fees.

It may not even get that far, however, as this development in many ways meets the criteria established by the city for future planning and density levels.

Ward 40 (Scarborough-Agincourt) Councillor Norm Kelly told The Mirror the city expects to be home to more than a million more residents within the next 25 years. To make that happen, main roads such as Warden and Finch and commercial centres such as Bridlewood are expected to become centres of much higher densities and intensified development.

The fact that the public transit and road systems are not able to meet this increased density is not considered a problem. The general philosophy seems to be that if they build it, the mass transit and improved roads will come.

It all sounds like a recipe for disaster, and Bridlewood is not the only location in Scarborough where it's happening.

A similar plan is in the works in the Markham and Ellesmere roads area where a developer wants to knock down a retail plaza and put up six buildings ranging in height from four to 32 storeys in a mix of condos, townhouses and seniors' residences for a total of 1,200 units. And that's in an area that already has four apartment towers and density issues.

Yet that plan is also moving ahead, defended as it were by the city's intensification criteria for arterial roads.

Recently, councillors in the Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue area were criticized for asking that signs warning potential condo buyers about traffic chaos in the area be installed. The area had simply been overwhelmed by condo development and increased density.

The warning for Scarborough from that situation is the fact that Yonge and Sheppard is home to two different subway lines (not RT lines) and Hwy. 401, yet the increase in density made for a mess of local traffic.

The same will happen in the Bridlewood area, and at Markham and Ellesmere if these proposed developments are permitted at the densities now being suggested.

We can't say we haven't been warned.