With eight-storey buildings, long-term care homes, fourplexes, and more possible on numerous properties in the city, Coun. Tim Lauer is calling on the public to weigh in before a decision is made on proposed Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments.
While various amendments were passed on Monday – including ‘down-designating’ much of Orchard Point after considerable intensification over the years, or requiring slightly larger garages in housing developments to encourage parking inside of them – Lauer raised concern there has been little public engagement on issues that could have a “significant” impact in certain neighbourhoods.
In particular, Lauer highlighted plans to pre-zone places of worship through the city for various development types, meaning these developments would not need to request zoning bylaw amendments to proceed.
“It's not something that is common knowledge. I don't believe that the folks up on Laclie at Kingdom Hall realized that an eight-storey building could go in there without a meeting,” Lauer said on Monday.
“I don't believe that people three doors up the street here on Andrew know that a homeless shelter could go in beside them, without any further recourse or discussion.”
As a result of Lauer’s concerns, which were shared by other members of council, a variety of proposed amendments were deferred to council’s Sept. 23 meeting.
Although a previous public meeting was held in April on the matter, Lauer and others highlighted there has been very little public response.
“I do not believe the public has quite got their head around this one, or is aware of what could possibly happen in their neighbourhood,” he said.
Depending on their location in the city, Lauer, in a statement to OrilliaMatters, highlighted a variety of neighbourhoods that could be impacted.
“If approved, fourplexes, triplexes, townhouses, long-term care homes, and retirement homes will be permitted without recourse on any church property located in a stable neighbourhood – Jamieson, Skyline, Fittons, Douglas at Nottawasaga, Regent at James, Westmount, Coldwater Road are just some of the affected areas,” Lauer said.
In addition, downtown places of worship and ‘intensification areas’ through the city could be pre-zoned for emergency shelters and more, Lauer said.
“Included in this pre-zoning amendment … is pre-approval for uses such as emergency shelters, youth transitional housing, safe bed facilities, long-term care facilities, respite care facilities and retirement homes,” he said.
“This again affects churches on Coldwater Road, Westmount and Laclie, as well as churches at Peter and Neywash, the Gospel Hall on Andrew, Guardian Angels on West, as well as churches at Peter and Coldwater Street.”
Under the proposed amendments, eight-storey buildings would also be permitted for church properties within intensification areas, including “Cornerstone on Coldwater, Kingdom Hall on Laclie, Westmount Pentecostal,” Lauer said.
“These are significant changes and will have significant impacts on some neighbourhoods, which is why it is important to me that people are made aware of what’s about to happen and be afforded the opportunity to voice any concerns they might have – thus the push for a two-week delay,” Lauer said.
Lauer said he is generally opposed to prezoning, arguing each neighbourhood has its own idiosyncrasies to consider, which “the zoning process allows for those considerations to be addressed.”
“No one knows a neighbourhood better than the folks who live there, and anything that circumvents their input, in my opinion, weakens the system,” he said.
While many of these amendments are meant to forward initiatives in the city’s affordable housing action plan, Lauer also argued the amendments will not “not necessarily create any affordable housing.”
“If a place of worship is sold, the zoning stays with the land with no obligation to the new owner to build anything affordable,” he said.
More may be read about the Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments in Monday’s public planning meeting agenda. The items deferred to the September 23 council meeting are listed under Schedule B2 in the accompanying city staff report.
