Plans for upscale homes tucked around a landmark stone building go to a neighbourhood meeting Wednesday.
Stratford investors last week purchased what’s commonly called The Dobbie House at 45 Blair Rd. They want to revive a 13-townhouse plan for the site, approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2000 after neighourbood opposition.
Terry Finlay intends to sever the 27-room stone mansion from the 1.3 hectare (3.3-acre) property overlooking the Grand River, restore it and move in with his wife and young child.
The rest of the site would be developed with business partner Julie Jackson — who knows of the history of community upset when there’s talk of redeveloping the site.
That’s why an informal neighbourhood information meeting is set for 7 p.m. at City Hall, 46 Dickson St. Jackson wants residents to see the plans early and give them a chance to comment.
“We do want to show them we want to work with them,” Jackson said.
She wouldn’t offer any detail about what’s planned before the meeting.
Finlay, who runs an interior design firm in Stratford, talked about Georgian-style townhomes mimicking the look of the four-square Dobbie house, built around 1857. He said lowrise housing is suggested at the foot of the hill at the east side of the house.
“esthetically, I’m going to be very fussy about how they’re going to look because I’ll have to look at them every day,” Finlay said.
“I love the neighbourhood. I love the downtown. It shows a lot of opportunities.”
There’s little the city can do to stop or control Dobbie redevelopment, said Janet Babcock, city planning commissioner. With a municipal board order from 2000 tied to the land, all that’s allowed is modifications to where buildings are located.
Along with approving 13 townhouses near the house, and two units inside it, the municipal board also allows homes along the hill abutting Blair Road. There, the board made no change to 1960s-era city zoning allowing a highrise apartment block, Babcock said.
Along with hearing concerns about Dobbie project, Babcock expects to hear questions from Dickson Hill residents about two new homes planned about 100 metres south.
The former O’Donovan house at 14 Crescent Place has sold. An enclosed pool beside it is set for demolition, making way for two new homes, Babcock said.
That’s allowed because the original, mid-1800s subdivision plan for the area remains in force. With the pool gone, two building lots are available to build on, she said.
The city proposed a Heritage Conservation District for the area 15 years ago, but residents of the historic enclave rose as one to oppose regulations. In the end, city council only approved heritage protection to public lands in Dickson Hill, like streets, parks and cemeteries.
If a conservation district were in place, the city has tools to control where new buildings are constructed and what they look like, Babcock said.
by Kevin Swayze, The Record