A new subdivision proposed along Victoria Street North seeks to turn Breslau into a more complete community.
Guelph-based Thomasfield Homes has proposed a 135-hectare development that would offer more than 850 residential units and house about 2,200 residents in a mix of apartment-style, townhouse and single-detached dwellings. The community will include retail vacancies, office space, a potential schoolyard, parkland and an extensive trail network.
“I think people are looking for a balanced community, where they can shop (and . . .) walk to school or work,” said Tom McLaughlin, finance manager for Thomasfield Homes.
A proposed GO Transit station would anchor the new development at one end.
“We really embraced the opportunity to have the future GO site as part of this development,” said Bill Green, principal planner for the GSP Group that designed the community. The majority of the homes would be built within 800 metres of the station.
While the province has been slow to confirm plans for the only suburban GO Transit station in Waterloo or Wellington counties, Green said he has faith the government will confirm its plans soon. He expects the station to progress alongside the rest of the development and be operational sometime in 2015.
“They’ve been encouraging use to incorporate the design of the station into our planning,” Green said.
The proposed community would lie to the east of Thomasfield Homes’ newly built Hopewell Heights subdivision. The new neighbourhood would stretch further down Victoria Street North, crossing Greenhouse Road and running along the Canadian National Railway and Hopewell creek.
“The development, as they proposed it, is a really great fit in my opinion,” said Perry Grobe, co-owner of Grobe’s Nursery and Garden Centre on Greenhouse Road. He added that a new subdivision could only boost his business.
Planners, developers, and township officials agreed the plans have received an unusually warm reception.
“I think a lot of the residents in Hopewell Heights are excited about it . . . because it’s bringing something new to the table,” said McLaughlin.
Currently, Breslau residents have to drive into Kitchener, Cambridge or Waterloo to shop, bank or work.
“The main focus for the mix of uses is to reduce the number of automobile trips,” said Green. He envisions a bank, pharmacy, small grocery store and cafés in the retail space.
“It makes a whole lot of sense for folks to have everything they need right there,” said Grobe.
A swath of the parcel of land east of Greenhouse Road has been set aside to protect wetlands, and the area around Hopewell Creek would be preserved and act as a natural barrier between neighbourhoods.
“We’re rather pleased with that as well,” said Grobe, whose land abuts some of the protected wetland.
John Scarfone, manager of planning for Woolwich Township, said several things besides the GO station need to go ahead before the subdivision can spring up.
“Final approval cannot occur until final approval of the official plan and the secondary plan (go ahead),” said Scarfone. He explained that Woolwich Township’s official plan is waiting on the region’s official plan to finish its approval process with the Ontario Municipal Board. Then, once those two plans have passed, a secondary plan needs to be drafted.
That secondary plan will outline how Breslau should develop.
Scarfone said the township needs to determine where it wants more population, congestion and commercial space in Breslau before approving any major proposals.
“It’s a great location regionally,” Green said, adding that the proposed site is within minutes of Kitchener, Guelph, Cambridge and Waterloo.
But that centrality has also made the strip along Highway 7/Victoria Street North home to several failed proposals in the past. Those past applications, which include a race track and a golf course, were equally well-planned, according to Woolwich Township Coun. Mark Bauman.
Bauman said the new proposal further highlights the need to ensure that Woolwich Township’s secondary plan for Breslau is in place before council makes its decision.
Just like its neighbouring Hopewell Heights, this proposed development would rely on Kitchener for water services. That city would need to extend its municipal services cross-border agreement with Woolwich Township.
Bauman said Breslau — as an area slated for growth under the province’s Places to Grow guidelines — is set to outstrip St. Jacobs as Woolwich Township’s second-densest urban area. Elmira is, and will likely remain, the largest.
“Going into a growth spurt like that without a proper plan is just not sustainable,” said Bauman. “As far as I’m concerned, moving ahead without that (secondary plan) in place is irresponsible planning.”