Urban design panel to include residents

St. Catharines residents will have a say in how city neighbourhoods grow in years to come.

Monday, city councillors voted to add two residents to a panel of experts being established to review and provide feedback on proposals for new residential developments, with a goal of ensuring future residential developments fit in with the neighbourhoods surrounding them.

Councillors also voted to refer aspects of the pilot program that deal with infill housing back to city staff for more information, following a presentation on the issue by Glenn Barr – a consulting engineer specializing in urban design – who was concerned that guidelines meant for infill developments could have an unintended impact on all low-rise residential properties.

St. Andrew’s Coun. Joseph Kushner, called the initiative a “breakthrough in our community, because to date we have had infill developments that have been very disastrous and it’s something we have to live with.”

“With the changes that we’re proposing tonight, I see good development. I see development that will not antagonize residents, and in some cases it could mean less costs for developers because they will do their homework better and there will be fewer appeals to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board),” he said.

Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson agreed.

“For too long, residents get bulldozed by developments that come into their neighbourhood,” he said.

Regarding adding non-accredited residents to the design review panel, the city’s urban design planner Scott Ritchie said the recommended composition of the panel was based on similar initiative in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which also includes a panel of five experts.

Kushner, however, successfully amended the recommendation to add two residents to the panel, to ensure the city also gets “the view of the residents of our community.”

Williamson also spoke in support of the inclusion of residents on the panel.

“The composition of this committee is going to be really important in terms of making sure that we have a stronger voice of the people in the neighbourhoods,” he said.

During a presentation on the project, Ritchie told councillors that the guidelines are intended to “encourage innovation in contemporary design, but while also ensuring that we’re being sympathetic to surroundings and character.”

“The intent is not to restrict door hardware or the colour of siding and the width of the shutters. It’s not that level of detail,” Ritchie said, adding city staff will report to council next year regarding the effectiveness of the pilot program.

“That one-year target is also an opportunity to take a look at the urban design guidelines and assess if they’re doing what we want them to do, or if there are improvements that could be made,” he said.

Despite the assurances, St. Patrick’s Ward Coun. Mathew Siscoe remained concerned.

“I have been opposed to this idea from the beginning. I feel like council is trying to legislate good taste. I don’t feel that this is going to wind up doing what we hope it will, and I understand the concerns that have been raised by residents,” he said.

“I think we’re going down a path we don’t necessarily want to go down.”