Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors want to keep St. Davids small.

After residents campaigned against a mixed residential develoment proposal in St. Davids, council on Tuesday night approved a low-density portion of the Tawny Ridge project and rejected the higher-density parts of the plan.

The project, proposed by St. Davids’ Riverview Estates Inc., would add 32 single-family homes, 24 townhouses and 30 stacked townhouses.

The contentious plan was submitted to the town in two phases, each requesting different bylaw amendments.

The applications approved by council would permit the construction of 12 single-family homes fronting Tanbark Road.

The remaining 74 residential units proposed to fill out the area between Tanbark Road and Warner Avenue were rejected.

The decision was made after four separate, complicated votes on four bylaw amendments, all of them split.

Couns. Wendy Cheropita, Maria Mavridis and Nick Ruller voted in favour of the entire project. Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa and Coun. Erwin Wiens were absent for the votes.

Couns. Tim Balasiuk and Adriana Vizzari voted for the 12 low-density units but against the rest.

The density of the project proposal was greater than that permitted by the low-density zoning but lower than medium density, Craig Rohe, an Upper Canada Consultants planner said in a report filed with the project application.

The project would help the town meet its intensification targets and diversify the housing stock, he said.

Couns. Sandra O’Connor and Gary Burroughs voted against the entire project.

O’Connor said she was concerned the flooding infrastructure would not be able to support the increased density.

And, “I believe that in any intensified developments of that size, that there should be a park,” she added.