CITIZENS WEIGH IN ON PROPOSED REAL ESTATE PROJECT IN HUDSON
Hudson’s town council got an earful from residents on Monday at a public consultation meeting about a request to allow project-specific zoning variances for a new residential-commercial building proposed to be built at the corner of Main Street and Cameron Street.
The project at 426 Main St. is the local guinea pig for a new municipal process, called SCAOPI, that councillors hope will give citizens more opportunities to offer constructive feedback on real estate projects that don’t conform to existing zoning requirements. Public consultation is an essential part of the process. (While SCAOPI has been used in other towns in Quebec, this was the first project in Hudson to go through the process.)
SCAOPI is an acronym for the even-less-catchy “specific construction, alteration or occupancy proposal for an immovable.” In this case, the building as proposed is slightly taller and has slightly larger balconies than would normally be permitted. It also includes less green space and has two fewer parking spots than the zoning bylaws require.
Coun. Jim Duff said the SCAOPI process, which adds an extra $3,000 to the typical permit application fees, provides more opportunities for citizens to provide meaningful feedback on a proposed project, beyond simply accepting or rejecting it.
Opponents to a project can still rally fellow citizens to sign petitions to trigger a referendum, but SCAOPI allows developers the opportunity to come back with adjustments to a proposed project to try and improve its appeal to the community.
“In my view, the best thing you can do in a municipality is to find ways to say yes. You have to find a compromise most people can live with,” Duff said.
“The developers are super keen to work with us on this, and they are open to adjusting their plans.”
Duff noted that the town can’t refuse development on the site if it conforms to existing bylaws, and it can’t block a project just because some people don’t personally like it. It also can’t change the rules midway through a project.
So what did Hudsonites think of the proposed project at Main and Cameron? Some said the 20-unit residential building (with one street-level commercial space) was too big. Others called the design ugly. Many complained that it would remove much-needed green space in the centre of town.
A few spoke in favour, noting that it would add to the town’s tax base and provide more options for those who prefer apartment living.
While some citizens disliked the idea of bending zoning rules for a specific project, Mayor Jamie Nicholls pointed out that variances are not uncommon in other cities and towns. And as it turns out, it was actually the developer’s willingness to accommodate the town’s preference to maintain an unbroken chain of storefronts on Main Street that triggered the need for a zoning exception. A purely residential project would have required less parking and green space, and could have been easily adjusted to conform to the existing guidelines.
Coun. Helen Kurgansky said although she is personally not in favour of this particular project, the benefit of the SCAOPI process is that it opens the door to discussion with citizens.
“That’s democracy. You discuss and you exchange, and let’s see how it all moves forward. What’s wonderful about this is that the citizens will have a chance to voice their concerns or their interests,” she said.