A previously approved 35-unit townhouse condominium proposal came back before council Tuesday night for further rezoning, due to “compliance issues technical in nature,” according to intermediate city planner Paul Klassen.
City planner Denise Landry explained that “There were discrepancies on two of the provisions, in terms of the way staff were interpreting it, and it had to do with the individual lot areas. The development is the exact same.”
Council had already approved the private development, slated to be built on the north side of Richmond—between Silver Maple Road and Winterberry Boulevard—in April of 2018, Klassen stated.
As part of the agreement between the city and the developer, Landry assured councillors, “The intention is to ensure” one forested section of the development will not be “developed, as it’s a protected woodlot.”
“Yes, this environmental land will be dedicated to the city,” reiterated William Heykoop, a planner with Upper Canada Consultants. “You are not seeing any changes other than the wording of the bylaw.”
But Peter DiPaola, a resident of Honey Locust Circle, was not convinced.
“If everything is the same, why do we need the rezoning?” he asked.
“Something is obviously changed, so I’m concerned there’s a different intent to this. I would encourage councillors to dig deep and represent every single taxpayer, including those who may not show up because they have other things to do.”
DiPaola said he attended council “representing residents on my street,” adding, “There is significant concern in the city that there is a large propensity to do different types of housing for different reasons. Why all of a sudden is there a change? The people have a responsibility to understand what the motives are, and maybe they’re reliable; I don’t know, but I ask that you do a thorough, thorough job and analysis on this.”
Asking why he received a letter in the mail regarding the development and some of his neighbours on the same street did not, Landry explained that staff’s policy is to circulate information to residents who live within a 120-metre radius of the affected area.
Since the development will be private and accessed by a private road, the development corporation will be responsible for the road’s maintenance, garbage disposal, and snow plowing, said city officials.
“I think the reason I voted for this last time,” said Coun. Anthony Longo, “is this will be similar to the condo built on Sullivan Avenue, where it’s a controlled corporation. They make the rules, and it’s not being built for students. It’s a vacant land condo.”
