A virtual public open house to discuss a new housing development planned for 50 Westmount Dr. is set to take place on Wednesday evening.
The stacked 114-townhouse unit project is being planned by Morgan Planning and Development Inc. on the property of the former Mount Slaven Public School.
The townhouse units will be divided into six blocks and will be three stories in height. Each unit will have access to a private patio or balcony and common amenity areas. The current site plan includes 143 parking spaces.
Ward 2 Coun. Ralph Cipolla says he is pleased about the prospect of the long-vacant site being put to good use.
"It's been empty like this for 10 years," he said. "It's nice to see something going on here."
The City of Orillia purchased the site in 2009 from the Simcoe County District School Board for $626,000; it was one of several sites purchased by the city at that time.
The city later ended up selling the site to Better Life Development from the GTA; they had planned to build a retirement home on the site, before it was then acquired by M5V Developments.
While M5V Developments is the same company that designed and built the Sundial Lakeview Retirement Residence, which opened in 2017, Cipolla doesn't believe the new development will be strictly intended for seniors.
Cipolla says he's received feedback from many residents in the area who would like to see the development plan "scaled back."
"They say there are too many units," he said. "But we need housing in a really bad way."
Cipolla admits that 20 years ago, he would agree with residents' concerns about the size of the project.
"With today's need for housing, I think it's really appropriate," he said. "Intensification is a prime concern of the province and all of us as well."
Cipolla says the new development won't change the current makeup of the neighbourhood and could improve it.
"I think these units will be sold for somewhere between $800,000 and $900,000," he said. "The tax dollars on 114 units in here, multiply that by about $4,000, it's over a million and a half dollars in tax money that would help pave some roads."
If residents would like to have their say or make any suggestions to the developers, Cipolla encourages them to attend Wednesday's virtual meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"Maybe the developer will look at it from a different perspective," he said. "If everyone in the neighbourhood is saying, 'No, we don't want it here', or 'We only want 60 units instead of 114,' the developer may say, 'OK, I can see your point and maybe change it.'"
Following the public meeting, Cipolla says city staff will review the proposed plan, and it will go through council for approval.
To attend Wednesday's meeting, residents should email [email protected] for the link.
