Centre Wellington council approves in-fill development on South Street

ELORA – Faced with a ticking clock and to avoid an Ontario Land Tribunal hearing, Centre Wellington council approved a zoning bylaw amendment to allow a small infill development on South Street in Elora.

Council heard from three delegations on the matter at its June 15 meeting.

Hugh Handy, vice president of GSP Group and speaking on behalf of Keating Construction, said the company has tweaked the proposal following public meetings in December and January, where neighbours raised concerns about density, traffic, parking, height and compatibility with the existing neighbourhood.

Handy said they have reduced the number of units from 25 to 23 and added a wraparound porch to South Street-facing units and changed them to bungalows to better fit in with the neighbourhood. The balance of the townhouses will be limited to two storeys.

But residents were still concerned.

Randall Howard said neighbours submitted an alternate proposal that has not appeared in any documents and said it has been “white-washed out of the record.” He added neighbours still have concerns about intensification and wondered why this proposal has such high density compared to a similar proposal on Sideroad 19 in Fergus.

Howard said the underground stormwater tank system proposed for South Street to accommodate run off is unproven, and to remove so many trees will only cause more drainage problems.

“Residents have worked hard to come up with a proposal to keep everyone happy but the process has shut us out,” he said.

“We respectfully ask you to defer the decision until the briefing is complete and you can consider the alternate proposal.”

Bob Jackson, another neighbour in the area, also asked for a deferral. He too raised the Sideroad 19 proposal that was approved and said the South Street proposal has 40 per cent more density.

“We need a consistent application of planning policy,” said Jackson.

Councillor Lisa MacDonald noted the application had come to council late in the game.

“I recognize we can’t defer,” she said. 

“I think we’ve run out of time, especially with the OLT (Ontario Land Tribunal) … We have several applications at the OLT right now and our legal fees are just skyrocketing.”

Senior development planner Deanna Maiden agreed that if the decision was deferred, the applicant could appeal to the OLT due to the non-decision.

But rather than being boxed into a corner, councillor Bronwynne Wilton said she appreciates the latest proposal.

“I think this type of project is exactly what we’re looking for right now,” she said, adding townhomes suit the needs of many demographics and infill projects are far better than urban sprawl, both in terms of saving agricultural land and keeping infrastructure costs low, which in turn keeps taxes low.

Council unanimously approved the proposal.