The developer behind a new St. Davids subdivision came to town with a request to change its plans for a new block of townhouses and was met with disapproval from half of council, with questions about the proposal will impact St. Davids’ already-strained stormwater system.
At Tuesday’s general committee of the whole meeting, council voted against approving a amendment to a part of the Tawny Ridge Estates residential development, located north of Chestnut Avenue and south of Warner Road.
The developer is asking the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake to let it alter its plans for one block of the overall development. It wants to build 18 on-street townhouses on a one-acre plot of land next to Chestnut Avenue, instead of 20 block townhouses, which the town approved zoning for in March.
Town staff recommended council OK this zoning change, finding that the new plans are compatible for the site and the surrounding area. However, council was split on its vote to approve staff’s recommendation report, voting 4-4, meaning the zoning change wasn’t approved.
William Heikoop, a planner with Upper Canada Consultants, spoke on behalf of the developer on Tuesday. He told council the Tawny Ridge team wants to change its plans so homebuyers can own the whole property (the unit and the land around it) rather than buying a condo, which comes with monthly fees — fees they’re finding people are less willing to pay at the moment.
“The market is down a little bit. Sales are not moving very quickly and those condominium fees are challenged when getting into that sales environment,” he said. “The developer here is willing to drop a couple of units to come forward more with a more saleable, desirable product.”
However, some of the councillors who voted against the zoning change voiced concerns about whether the project’s stormwater management plan is sufficient given that St. Davids is experiencing increased pressure on its system, which has led to flooding in people’s homes and on their properties during heavy rainstorms.
“My concern is the challenge of stormwater in St. Davids,” said Coun. Gary Burroughs. “As we try to resolve the issue, this space is yet another challenge.”
The plan, Heikoop said, calls for the installation of a stormwater system with oversized pipes and an additional feature that’ll slow down the flow of rainwater out of the pipes during the storm, holding water in the pipes.
However, Burroughs remained concerned about allowing the development forward without having solved the stormwater problem.
“We’re about to spend a fortune trying to create additional ponds so that we can deal with stormwater,” he said. “Why is it that we’re going to try and proceed with this when we haven’t got the other built to handle it?”
Heikoop said no more water will come off from this site than what’s flowing out today, explaining that its stormwater management plan is configured for a development with a lot coverage of 73 per cent, while the highest lot coverage on this block of land will be 57 per cent.
He added that this latest proposal will mitigate flooding in some ways, like having less non-porous land like concrete and asphalt and more natural land, which can absorb rainwater.
“We’ve gone above and beyond our requirements,” he said.
While the developer didn’t get the thumbs up it needs to move this part of the project forward, this isn’t the end of the road — council will return to the staff report at its next meeting and dedice to either reject the new plan or propose modifications that should be made.
