Tecumseh residents had a chance to air their concerns Tuesday evening on the Tecumseh Hamlet Secondary Plan Area.
Town officials held a public information session, which briefed residents on the status of the project, that seeks to develop unused and farm lands.
The proposed area is on the western side of the town, bounded by County Road 22, Banwell Road, and County Road 42.
Development would include approximately 4,300 residential units, housing 8,800 people. The plan calls for 40 per cent open space, featuring parks and the addition of a new school.
Georgeo Ahad is a resident of the eight or so houses at the corner of Banwell Road and Intersection Road.
He told town officials that it was a shock to learn through information pamphlets that he and his family would eventually be impacted.
"I observed an image of a six-storey building in the future plan which is directly on my property, completely disregarding our residents. There are many words that I would use to describe how how I feel, but the ones that stand out the most are betrayed and abandoned. At no point did anyone from our town come forward and speak to myself or my neighbours in person regarding the plan, and how it would affect and eliminate our residence."
Ahad asked with all the empty farmland that surrounds them, why was his property being chosen as a new development?
"Why is our town not including us in this plan by rather excluding us out of it? Why is our town not caring about our small community and standing up for us?"
David Pedro is Ahad's neighbour, and said residents have been living there long term, including a former neighbour who lived there for 40 years.
"We all purchased our homes with the expectation of raising our kids there just like they did, and that's what we've been doing. I've been there for nine years and we're just completely floored, to see what was going on."
Resident Patricia McGorman was opposed to the plan entirely.
"We're looking at prime agricultural lands that once we pave over them, we are going to be in a position where we're not getting them back."
Administration says they expect to bring a report back to council in early November that provides responses to the issues raised and recommendations on next steps.
An environmental impact study still needs to be completed before any development can begin.
Earlier this month, the province announced it would contribute around $15.1 million, to support the installation of 1.8 kilometers of trunk watermain and 1.7 kilometers of trunk sanitary sewer.