Councillors changed their final decision on the rezoning of land that will allow for the construction of a 41-unit townhouse development in the Virgil area.
During last Tuesday’s council meeting, a former decision to deny the rezoning and official plan amendment was reversed — the development was given the green light to continue.
Councillors revisited a discussion from a committee of the whole planning meeting in November, in which they were against rezoning lands east and south of 419 Line 1 Rd. — they intended to finalize their vote during the Nov. 26 meeting.
Jesse Auspitz, principal planner at NPG Planning Solutions, and lawyer Tom Richardson, from Sullivan Mahoney, presented to council voicing their support for a rezoning.
Since the original decision to deny the rezoning on Nov. 12, Coun. Wendy Cheropita said she learned several new things about the development leading her to change her mind.
“I learned that they are three-bedroom, two-storey homes that are going to be designed for families and I learned that the price position is going to be under $1 million, which in Niagara-on-the-Lake is under the mid-range,” she said.
The development is very acceptable and would encourage more families to move to the area, Cheropita said.
Couns. Sandra O’Connor and Gary Burroughs remained firmly against the rezoning, being the only two who voted against it on Tuesday.
The density of the development will make for a nearly 50 per cent net increase of what the zoning is in the neighbourhood, O’Connor said.
“That’s not just a little bit higher as stated by the planner — that’s a lot higher,” she said.
Kirsten McCauley, the town’s planning director, confirmed that the development is “a bit higher” than what is permitted in the town’s official plan.
“However, I do think that we’ve done a detailed analysis to determine that it is still considered a compatible zoning,” she said.
Coun. Erwin Wiens said it is important to get this development moving forward for the sake of housing diversity in NOTL.
“We have a crisis at our hands,” he said.
“That’s what we want, is young people. We want a high school, we want a medical centre. If we want all of these things, jobs … and public transit, this is what we need.”
Wiens also cited the Pleasant Manor addition that is being built, which will bring 250 new jobs to NOTL, which will mean more housing needed to accommodate new employees.
