Townhouse plan worries Fonthill homeowners
A proposed townhouse development in Fonthill is prompting a litany of concerns from nearby residents, most notably the ageold issue of drainage in the area of sandy soil.
On Tuesday night the town held a public meeting to gather public comments in regards to a request made Dehaan Homes Inc. to rezone a parcel of land at 190 Canboro Rd. The proposed zoning change would see the property rezoned from a residential 1 zone to residential multiple 1 zone, allowing for the construction of 14 townhouses with a minimum three-metre front-yard setback. The proposed development would see 0.3 hectares of the parcel used for construction of the homes, 0.2 hectares for an internal roadway and 0.3 hectares for landscaping.
While the town and Niagara Region’s planning departments; public works; fire and bylaw services; and conservation authority have made no objections, residents in the area voiced several concerns about the proposed development that would replace a single, vacant home on the property.
Bill Gibson, whose Oakridge Boulevard home backs onto the proposed site, was first to speak, delivering a report to council citing several concerns, including fears over drainage issues that have come with other developments in the area.
“The backyards of all the properties are lower than the existing grade of the proposed properties,” said Gibson, voicing fears that homes on a higher elevation will limit privacy for existing backyards, block sun, limit breeze and deprive residents of their view. Drainage, he said, is a primary issue.
“If you get a freak rainstorm … that water could cascade down into our properties,” said Gibson, whose concerns were echoed by other residents.
Nora Peat, who lives across the road from the property, said drainage has been an issue with past developments to the north of her property, saying runoff is already ripping acres of topsoil from the hills in the area.
“All of these properties are hills of sand and nothing else,” she said, adding, “there’s clearly going to be an issue of drainage.”
Several residents, including Gibson and Peat, said they aren’t necessarily proposed to the property being developed, but hedged that sentiment by noting the current proposed development is too dense for the property.
Craig Rohe, of Upper Canada Consultants, spoke on behalf of the developer to the density issue, pointing out the town’s official plan currently calls for 10 to 20 units of housing per hectare.
“Currently we’re at 18.7,” said Rohe, noting the 40-foot wide lots are comparable to development in east Fonthill, as are unit sizes of 1,700 to 1,900 square feet.
For its part the developer plans to curb any drainage impact of the development according to Upper Canada Consultants engineer Jason Schooley. He said there are no plans to change the grade of the property, with preliminary designs including swales to collect water into an enclosed storm sewer system for storage and treatment before being discharged at the same rate it is currently flowing off the property.
“Our design is to not impact anything downstream,” he said, adding, “whatever is there will be almost exactly the same.”
Council received the report on the proposed development alongside the public comments. Moving forward town staff will develop a response to the request for a zoning change, delivering their report on the issue to council for approval.