M. Barkwell left Council Chambers as per his previously declared pecuniary interest at 2:21 pm.
The Chair requested staff to advise on the manner of giving notice for the proposed official plan and zoning by-law amendments. He also asked staff to briefly describe the proposal and summarize the correspondence, if any, received to date.
Mr. LaHay confirmed that the required notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act and circulated to each owner of land within 120m, and a sign was posted on the subject property, and that the initial public meeting was held on March 6, 2019. He summarized the revised application, explaining that it proposes to re-designate the lands from the Urban Settlement – Fenelon Falls Fringe area designation in the City of Kawartha Lakes Official Plan to an Urban Settlement – Fenelon Falls Fringe area designation with a Special Policy to permit residential development in the form of townhouses, including waterfront townhouses with a 15 metres water setback and apartment dwelling units with an overall density of approximately 44 dwelling units per gross hectare and to rezone the lands from the Future Residential Development (FRD) Zone, Rural Residential Type Three (RR3) Zone and Rural Residential Type Three Exception Fifteen (RR3-15) Zone to a Hamlet Residential Exception (HR-*) Zone or other appropriate residential zone category with site specific residential zone provisions. The revised proposal consists of 26 townhouse dwellings, all with internal driveway access in four 3-unit townhouse blocks, one 4-unit townhouse block, two 5-unit waterfront townhouse blocks and two 30-unit apartment buildings consisting of 4 residential floors with a level of parking below for a total of 86 dwelling units, without a private stormwater management pond. The proposal will be developed on full municipal water and sewer services. The application appears to conform to the Growth Plan however further comments are required to demonstrate consistency with the Provincial Policy Statement. Mr. LaHay summarized the comments received to date, as detailed in his report, noting that subsequent to the writing of the report additional comments with various concerns relating to building height, increased number of dwelling units including proximity of townhomes adjacent to the waterfront, traffic, site access, construction noise, existing site hazards, environmental impact on lake, lake access, and water/sewer capacity were received from the following members of the public:
- C. & J. Traill of 66 West Street North
- M. McFarland of 35 King Street
- D. Mainella of 7 West Street North
- D. Gospodaric of 12 Oriole Road
- K. & S. Sparkes of 4 Oriole Road
- J. Laffin of 8 Bass Street
Additionally comments were received from Community Services with no concerns, the Ministry of the Environment recommending a 30m setback from the high water mark, and Curve Lake First Nation requesting an archeological study. Staff are recommending that the application be referred back to staff for further review and processing until such time as comments have been received from all circulated agencies and City Departments, and that any agency and public comments and concerns have been addressed. He responded to questions from Committee members.
The Chair inquired if the applicant wished to speak to the application.
Beverly Saunders of EcoVue Consulting spoke as the applicant identified the site as an existing brownfield site that has adequate servicing for the proposed development in line with Provincial Policy. She stated that there has been a lot of community consultation including the previous public meeting, a sales office, and a public open house. She noted the application was revised due to the applicant purchasing additional land. Addressing some concerns, she stated that a Traffic Impact Study (TIS), Environmental Impact Study (EIS), and Shadow Study have been submitted to address concerns. Overall she stated that the design of the buildings will match the neighbourhood, and she responded to questions from committee members.
The Chair inquired if anyone wished to speak to the application.
D. Strasbourg of 68 West Street North, who also owns 56 West Street North, spoke against the proposal stating that over 250 people could live in this development, and that this would be too many for the dead end of West Street North. He identified other possible locations that this development could be built, and questioned whether this application was already a foregone conclusion based off of the amount of money spent by this corporation.
D. Gospodaric of 12 Oriole Road noted that she was more supportive with the original proposal, stating that the increase of density will change Fenelon Falls. She stated that traffic is already backed up in Fenelon Falls, and questioned what the developer might give back to the community, whether it be developing parks, or upgrading roads and services. In conclusion she recommended scaling back the development.
B. Ward of 16 West Street North spoke in support of the development, and noted the various uses of the land over the past 63 years. He stated even though his property is directly across from the proposed entrance to the development, that moving forward with the proposal is a positive thing.
J. Laffin of 8 Bass Street presented noise concerns about the potential for blasting into the bedrock to create the foundations for the buildings.
No other persons spoke to the application.
The Chair permitted Ms. Saunders to respond to the public concerns presented today. She stated that this development has worked hard to address all comments and concerns by submitting various studies. She stated that the TIS notes that West Street North does not need to be upgraded, and that Kawartha Conservation is reviewing the EIS noting the species at risk as general impacts have been addressed. She noted that she did not know what noise impact there might be from the construction.
The Public Meeting concluded at 2:49pm and M. Barkwell returned to the Council Chambers.