IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A version of article was originally published by ThoroldToday on February 8.
Allanburg residents are worried about a new subdivision planned at the intersection of Barron Rd and Gainer St.
Barron Heights is set to have 86 dwellings, consisting of a mix of single detached and semi-detached units, as well as town house unit blocks.
On Tuesday evening, a public meeting was held regarding the zoning changes necessary for the project to move forward.
Allanburg residents attended the meeting in droves to share their questions and concerns.
“We’re not against the development in its entirety,” said local neighbour Adam Franic. “Affordable and available housing is vital to the improvement and continuity of our region. We want to ensure that this expansion is not simply for the financial development of the developer, packing as many high-price residences as possible without considering the well-being of the current and future homeowners.”
During the meeting, planner Eldon Darbyson, gave a presentation on behalf of the landowner Cola Holdings Inc.
He explained that the development would provide a variety of housing, but there are still a lot of unknowns on what that housing will exactly look like.
“We haven’t gotten as far as designing the dwellings or whether or not the property would be sold,” he told council members. “We’re not that far down the pipe but the zoning itself will facilitate the urban form.”
One thing's for certain: the subdivision will not specifically cater to low-income households.
“This subdivision does not include affordable housing,” said Darbyson. “However, we have designed it to include a variety of housing which will appeal to different incomes.”
One of the concerns of the surrounding residents is that the development will negatively impact the local fauna and flora.
“Some of us have already lost a strong connection with the wildlife now that the land to the west of the track has been clearcut,” said Franic. “The deer are no longer present. The birds and rabbits have already been pushed further afield and I expect this trend will continue.”
Then there is also the continued traffic safety issues that plague Allanburg.
Residents have previously flagged the lack of sidewalks in their neighbourhood, and there are concerns that an influx of new residents will make things worse.
“It’s already very treacherous at Gainer and Barron Rd,” said resident Aaron Racine. “We do have the police there often because people blow through going above the speed limit. My big concern is how we are handling triple the volume of people we already have there.”
Racine also said that previous traffic calming measures have not been successful.
“We’ve already tried to put in speed humps before the stop signs,” he said. “With all the extra cars going down there, two extra stop signs in Allanburg is not much to keep traffic at a halt.”
City Hall staff said that the results of a traffic study that started in 2021 would soon be presented to Council.
“We have a draft report that we want to take through the Road Safety Committee,” said Director of Community Services, Geoff Holman. “We know we have troubles there today without any more development. The increased traffic as the result of the development will necessitate some more capital investment in the road.”
The urbanization of both Barron Road and Centre Street are on the city’s radar, added Holman.
There are also concerns about the lack of public transit in Allanburg, but City Hall says they're in conversation with the Region about the issue.
At the end of Tuesday’s public meeting, City Hall staff promised to address the neighbours’ concerns in a report that will come to council at a later date.
