Things got heated at yesterday's meeting of the committee of adjustment, as Don Spiece, who owns Merrittville Speedway, was denied an application to expand a house on Port Robinson Road.
Said Spiece, “I thought Niagara was trying to help out families being able to stick together and the purpose of this is to take care of my parents so they don’t end up in a home.”
Spiece had submitted an explanation to expand a home on Port Robinson Road so he and his wife and their two children could comfortably live there, together with his parents.
Because the by-laws have changed since the home was originally built, the expansion is seen as a new development and therefore it needed approval from the committee of adjustment.
Said Denise Landry from the Thorold planning department, “You’re now proposing new development, therefore they need committee of adjustment approval to expand it as a single-detached dwelling that is no longer permitted use in this area. One task in our official plan is to consider the size of the expansion. The size of the expansion is more than double of what is existing now. So when we considered the size of the expansion we did not believe that it met the official plan policy.”
Committee member Edward Pizzo replied, “I just think I….I have sympathy for this one.”
When another committee member asked if a smaller expansion could be approved Landry responded that a new application would need to be filed.
“That would be a lot of work, probably another 10,000 dollars to redo the blueprints and everything,” said Spiece.
“It’s a very small house, it’s a very big piece of property. It’s no bigger than some of the houses on the same street. We’re just trying to take care of my parents. I think in Niagara, we’re supposed to be doing that, ain’t we?”
Pizzo decided to go against the Thorold planning department and filed a motion to accept the proposed expansion but found no other committee member willing to second his motion.
A long and hesitant silence dawned on the meeting as no other committee member was ready to file a motion to reject.
“The other members should get off their rear and give a yes or no. We can’t sit here all morning,” Pizzo demanded.
Finally, another committee member stepped up and raised a motion to deny the application which was swiftly seconded.
“This is very disappointing when you’re trying to take care of your family, over a few square feet,” said Spiece.
For the remainder of the meeting Pizzo was short with the other members of the committee but offered an apology at the end, “Thank you for the meeting everybody. I know I’m in a miserable mood but I’m a nice guy."
“We won’t put that to a vote,” laughed committee chair John Theisen, “I’m not sure about that.”
