Neighbourhood residents are concerned about a proposed eight-storey development along the shores of Lake Simcoe at Orchard Point.
As a designated "intensification area" in the city, Orchard Point has seen rampant development in recent years, and Driftwood Road resident Melissa McKee is one of several area residents upset with the latest proposal for development in the neighbourhood.
Coland Developments Corporation has plans for a 45-unit condominium complex on a piece of land spanning between 625/643 Atherley Rd. and 642 Driftwood Rd., which will include 95 parking spaces.
The L-shaped building will begin at four storeys and climb to eight storeys along Atherley Road, and the developer has sought several zoning bylaw amendments that are set to be discussed during a public meeting on Dec. 14.
Developers are seeking permission to build up to eight storeys, where four is currently permitted, to build a parking lot adjacent to a body of water, and to permit a reduced interior side yard setback for a slightly raised underground parking facility.
“This is just going to be again a building consisting of luxury units. That's not needed right now,” McKee told OrilliaMatters. “We need low-income housing." Obviously, that should be the goal.”
The project will not mesh with the neighbourhood’s character, with Driftwood Road currently home to several detached houses, said McKee.
“This particular plan does not support the character of the existing neighbourhood … there's only three houses,” she said. “And then you're talking about inserting an eight-storey building, so it doesn't really fit in.”
McKee noted the development is unlikely to support affordable housing or active transportation in the city, and she said there will be minimal buffer areas between the development and the rest of the street.
With all the development in the area, she is also concerned about the environmental impacts of the project.
“After that, it's going to be pretty bare in terms of nature,” she said. “With all the development, everything’s kind of come to this end of the point, (and) all the creatures, they’ll have nowhere to go.”
As a neighbourhood resident since she was nine-years-old, McKee said she has seen the area undergo dramatic changes.
She recalls being able to bike around the area when it was less busy and recalled seeing a variety of wildlife in the area.
“I used to be able to bike anywhere on the street,” she said. “There was so much wildlife … because you're surrounded by water – you’d see otters, we’d have beavers, we’d have herons, we’d have muskrats, we’d have lots of raccoons. We’d have it all.”
“I would like to see some of the wildlife stay here. I would like to be able to bike around all this development," she said.
These days, however, the neighbourhood looks quite different with all the development taking place.
“Right now, it's borderline dangerous. You can't do more than 10 kilometres an hour trying to get through the street because all these trucks and construction, they have nowhere to park,” she said.
McKee said she understands that change happens, but on top of the numerous developments getting built in the neighbourhood, she says the eight-storey proposal is “overkill.”
“I'm not trying to pull the the NIMBY card,” she said. “I understand that and I will embrace change, but this is drastic. This is overkill,” she said. “I don't think an eight-storey building is going to help.”
Ali Chapple, a senior planner with the City of Orillia, said the proposed development will include a 30-metre setback from Lake Simcoe and environmental considerations.
“Environmental protection is a key consideration when evaluating development proposals. In terms of the development proposal for 625 Atherley Rd., 30 metres of shoreline protection area will remain intact and untouched,” she said in a statement to OrilliaMatters.
“Through the development of the site, it is likely that trees would require removal; however, an extensive replanting and revegetation plan is being proposed with the development.”
Chapple said the parking lot will include a retaining wall to help ensure overland water flow is directed to stormwater facilities that will be “specially outfitted to treat stormflows prior to reabsorption.”
Regarding the neighbourhood, Chapple said Orchard Point’s designation as an intensification area means that eight-storey buildings are permitted.
“Highway corridors are typically ideal places for high-density development. Notably, similar buildings in the surrounding area are also eight storeys, such as the Orchard Point condominium development and the Panoramic Point condominium development,” she said.
Chapple said the potential for a designation change for the area will be brought to council in a report anticipated in winter 2024.
However, she said the property along Atherley is not part of the Orchard point zone.
“The proposed property received site-specific upzoning in 1989 for increased density, in part due to its location and access to the provincial highway corridor of Atherley Road,” she said.
Even if the neighbourhood sheds its intensification area designation, McKee said she thinks “the damage is done” to Orchard Point.
Given the fact the city’s policies and the provincial policy statement support developing intensified land uses at 625 Atherley Rd., Chapple said developers could challenge the city if it chooses an alternative direction.
“Should council choose an alternative direction, it may result in the applicant seeking an appeal through the province’s Ontario Land Tribunal,” she said. “If that occurred, the city may then be required to defend its position at the Ontario Land Tribunal, which would be a cost borne by the taxpayer.”
The public meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Dec. 14 in the newly renovated council chamber at Orillia City Centre.
