ARTHUR – Two new houses won’t be coming to Smith Street in Arthur – at least not in the way property owners had hoped.
The owners want to split a 0.1 hectare (0.24 acre) property at 341 Smith Street in half, demolish the existing residence and build two detached homes on small, narrow lots.
In order to do so, they need council to rezone the property from low- to medium-density residential and approve bylaw amendments allowing for smaller lot sizes and frontage areas.
Council was unanimous in its decision to do none of the above during a Sept. 8 meeting, which was the third time council reviewed the application.
Wellington County planning staff have no concerns with the application and say it conforms with provincial policy and the county’s official plan.
During a public meeting on July 14, no members of the public spoke for or against the proposed development, but Mayor Andy Lennox expressed concerns about the building type, saying semi-detached homes would be more appropriate, and about the reduced lot size, which he worried wouldn’t provide enough space to store snow.
The lot widths would each be 9.1 metres, compared to the 12 metre minimum outlined in the zoning bylaw.
The proposed lot sizes are 270 square metres, while the bylaw permits a minimum of 370 square metres.
County planning staff say they “are satisfied that a single detached dwelling would be able to function within the proposed lot area and frontage.”
In a planning report they state “the proposed application represents an appropriate and desirable use of the land” consistent with local and provincial policies and “is a compatible form of intensification and provides a desirable form of housing in the community.”
Planning consultant Robert Russell responded to Lennox’s concerns in a letter and by delegating during council’s Sept. 8 meeting.
The letter claims the properties will have sufficient snow storage area, as the plan provides “substantially more” snow storage area per square metre of driveways than many properties constructed in accordance with the zoning bylaw.
Russell pushed back against building semi-detached homes instead of single-detached because “the owner feels that the market isn’t there for a semi-detached at this point.”
Councillor Steve McCabe said “you say that the snow storage is fine, but what if it isn’t?”
He also expressed concern about the small lot sizes.
“I think I get the idea of what’s being proposed, don’t get me wrong that way, but that’s still quite a significant change,” he said.
Township chief building official Darren Jones noted that since the initial application, the owners have revised the proposal to meet side yard and rear yard set backs, and if it weren’t for those changes, municipal planners would have concerns.
Lennox said the narrow lots “seem really tight to me, given the nature of our community. And the total lot area is significantly under what our expectation is in our zoning bylaw.”
“I want to be flexible in terms of allowing for redevelopment of a property like this, but I struggle with where to draw the line,” Lennox said.
“We put in our zoning bylaw conditions that we believe are appropriate for our community … to modify to this extent just seems almost like a reach too far.”
Lennox said he is concerned the smaller lots mean less space for people to enjoy activities outside with their families.
Councillor Penny Renken said she opposed the proposal last time, because of its size, and was disappointed to see it return to council without significant changes.
“I was hoping they might have come back with a little more allegiance to the bylaw,” said Renken.
Councillor Sherry Burke said, “I do appreciate the fact that they are building single detached homes, which I do think some folks are looking for, but based on the difference (between the proposal and the bylaw) I can’t support this application as it sits in front of us today.”
Councillor Lisa Hern said she was “extremely frustrated when I read this – it just didn’t seem to go in the direction that I was hoping for as a councillor.”
Council voted unanimously to reject the application.
