A 1,300-home development could be on its way to west Orillia.
Charter Construction LP and Mark Rich Homes Ltd. will make requests for official plan and zoning bylaw amendments to permit the West Ridge Trailside neighbourhood at a public meeting April 17, which will be held at 1 p.m. in city council chambers.
The proposed project extends from Bass Lake Sideroad, across the length of Line 15, and ends near the Lakehead University campus.
There are plans for single detached and semi-detached dwellings, townhouses, and apartment buildings in the area, with space set aside for a school and a commercial block.
A stormwater management facility, neighbourhood parkette, and new trail systems are also proposed for the area. Forty-one hectares of the land would remain protected, including a woodlot and the Bass Lake wetland area.
The developers, who will be represented by Morgan Planning & Development Inc. at next week’s meeting, are seeking zoning amendments to add environmental protection zones, neighbourhood commercial zones, and the addition of West Ridge residential zones to the area.
If approved, the project will add more than 50 people/jobs per hectare to the area.
Ward 3 Coun. Jay Fallis said, due to the size of the project, it is important it provides clear benefits to the city.
“This is a big-scope project. In my mind, we want to make sure that we do everything we can to make sure it’s beneficial for Orillia,” he told OrilliaMatters.
Given the size and significance of the project, Fallis said he will be pushing to see a wide variety of housing types in the area.
“I’m really looking to try to ensure that any project of this nature accommodates some different builds, accommodates a healthy neighbourhood … (and) not just one form (of building). There is some accommodation of larger builds in this area, or areas that are zoned off for that purpose, but it’s certainly something that I’ll be very concentrated on,” he said.
“If we’re trying to address things like sprawl, then this is definitely one of the major areas that we can look at doing that.”
While he noted some of the land will remain protected, Fallis said any development will inevitably affect the environment to some degree. He hopes to see the project mitigate issues surrounding sprawl and the environment wherever possible.
“It’s been zoned for development for quite a while. If you’re building something, it’s going to have an impact on the environment,” he said.
“There’s no development that can happen in specific areas of the project, but it’s always a concern, and … talking about the sprawl element, if we do build, we have to make sure we get the best bang for our buck (in that regard).”
Due to the demand for housing, Fallis anticipates this project, if approved, will roll out faster than other developments in that area.
One concern he has is the potential effect on traffic in the area.
“One thing that I’m really concerned about that we’ve seen a lot in West Ridge has been traffic calming,” he said. “I do recognize elements of this design resemble parts of the rest of West Ridge.”
He encourages residents to express their opinions on the development ahead of next week’s meeting.
“I always welcome emails. I know all of council welcomes emails, gathering public input, and you can also send an email to the clerk’s department to have it appear on the agenda,” he said. “It is very helpful to hear what people have to say about something.”
Fallis said residents with comments may reach out to him directly at [email protected].
According to last week’s council information package, questions about the development can be submitted to the city’s planning division prior to the meeting date.
Written submissions may be sent to Ali Chapple at [email protected] or dropped in the mail slot at city hall, marked, “Trailside — public meeting — planning division.”
