A proposed subdivision plan will mean another cluster of homes near Belsyde Avenue in Fergus.
Centre Wellington council held a public meeting on behalf of Wellington County on July 17 regarding a proposed draft plan of vacant land condominium.
The land, currently known as 370 Belsyde and 378 Belsyde Avenue East in Fergus, is adjacent to JD Hogarth Public School and is home to an old farm house and barn, the latter of which was removed just last week.
The proposed plan would divide the 1.39-hectare property to allow 22 single detached dwelling lots and common elements including a private road and 13 parking spaces. In her presentation to council, planning consultant Astrid Clos, on behalf of Bruce Youngblood, explained access to the subdivision will be via Scott Street, off of McTavish Street.
Clos stressed the old stone farm house currently located on the property will be retained and will be accommodated on a larger lot within the subdivision.
“In addition there would be 21 new lots or homes,” she added, noting all will have double car garages and have room for two cars in the driveways.
Clos said there is to be a six metre road, widening along Belsyde Avenue, to be conveyed to Wellington County. She stressed there are no current plans to widen Belsyde Avenue.
However, Clos explained it is current practice for municipalities to acquire such lands when possible during a development application.
Clos also explained that a vacant land condominium differs in that people own their lots and homes, but the lots are tied to common elements which in this case are the roads and the 13 parking spaces.
One item in the plans is an emergency access to Belsyde Avenue, but she stressed primary access will be Scott Street.
Clos added no new zoning is required and the proposed lots exceed current frontage requirements. She said in-fill is desired under the Places to Grow legislation, as well as within the county and local official plans.
“While this is not a greenfield site, the density is just under the 16 units per hectare, which is a target for such areas,” said Clos.
She noted that while these lots are for single family homes with larger lots, “we are achieving a fairly good density here.”
Councillor Walt Visser asked about the emergency access to Belsyde.
“Would that be a breakaway barrier?”
Clos stressed such access would only be used by emergency vehicles.
Councillor Kelly Linton asked about major modifications for the existing stone home.
Youngblood said there were no specific plans for the exterior but the interior would be completely renovated, while maintaining its heritage characteristics.
He noted that he’d completed a similar subdivision project (Highland Ridge) near the intersection of Belsyde and St. David Street.
In that project, the stone house received significant improvements and became a provincially-recognized, award-winning entity, Youngblood said.
“We’re proposing the same type of treatment (here),” he added. He said the difference is there are some nice architectural details “which we want to maintain and bring forward.”
McTavish Street resident Don Watson, whose lot backs onto the land, had concerns with water flows from the proposed subdivision.
He said he’d maintained an extra 25-foot strip of that land for the past number of years because of the high water issues.
Watson stated that without the berms he built or the additional work around the catch basin, water runoff will flood neighbouring backyards.
“I’m a little concerned with the elevations and how water runoff will be dealt with,” he said.
The proponent stated the intent is to have swales at the backs of the properties and to direct water from the front yards to the new roadways, which would head to municipal storm drains to Scott Street; swales at the backs of the properties would head to existing catch basins.
Assurances were offered for further investigation.
