Some St. Davids residents may be getting new neighbours — and not everyone is happy.
During the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s open house on a proposal for five townhouses on Tanbark Road, some residents spoke up with concerns about the development before them.
The houses would be built in a row going south from the southeast corner of the York Road intersection. A single-detached home is also proposed just east of the townhouses, fronting York Road.
The homes would feature Georgian, Italian and Victorian design elements, said Zamima Khan, a planner with Quartek Group.
Quartek Group is representing the developer, Karamjit Singh Sunner, according to town documents, whose company name is listed as 2358417 Ontario Inc.
A public meeting on the proposed development is scheduled for Oct. 7 in council chambers.
To move forward, the town would need to rezone the site from low-density residential to medium-established residential.
“We hope to establish more to the character of St. Davids,” said Khan.
But some residents had questions. Bram Maharaj raised concerns about the area’s stormwater infrastructure.
He said that last year, there were three floodings in the area.
“The infrastructure is not there to support the water that’s coming down from the Escarpment.”
His second question concerned the Tawny Ridge project, the second phase, which put on hold for an engineering assessment to accommodate the flooding and the sewer system.”
“Has this been put through the same sort of rigour?” he asked.
Maharaj was referring to the Tawny Ridge Estates development at the northeast corner of Tanbark and Warner roads. Phase one is approved, but phase two remains under review. That project is located just south of the one discussed on Monday, Sept. 8.
Connor MacIsaac, the town planner presenting the development during the open house, said the developer has submitted a complete application, including a functional servicing report and a site plan.
These documents assess services such as water, wastewater and stormwater management.
“They’re currently being reviewed by town engineering and regional engineering staff, as York Road is a regional road in this area,” said MacIsaac.
Lauren Kruitbosch, an associate director for the office of the chief administrative officer at the town, said, “The town’s public works department has various engineering staff, including certified engineering technologists and certified technicians. The town also arranges for peer review of items when required.”
Other worries were also highlighted, particularly about the design of the proposed homes.
Local resident Gerry Merchese questioned why bungalows were not proposed instead of townhouses, arguing that two-storey buildings would be out of character for the neighbourhood.
“They don’t fit with the demographic of who lives here,” said Merchese.
Khan said bungalows were considered, but the applicant chose townhouses to make “better use of the land.”
