On Sept. 10, Guelph councillors will be meeting for the final time before next month’s elections. And it appears councillors will be asked to approve a number of proposed development projects that have appeared before them over the past year.

According to the agenda for the meeting, councillors are being asked to approve five residential developments.

The meeting gets started at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers on Sept. 10. Those looking to give a delegation on any of these items, or any other matters on the agenda for the evening, must register by 10 a.m. on Sept. 7. More details are available on how to register are available here.

71 Wyndham St. S.

First heard by council at a public meeting in July 2017, the London-based Tricar Group is looking to build a 14-storey, 140-unit condominium project just outside of the downtown core.

While the number of units has stayed the same, Tricar is now proposing the building be mixed use, with two commercial units on the ground floor facing Wyndham.

One of the main issues facing the project at the time was its height — at 14 storeys, it would be four storeys taller than what was laid out in the city’s downtown secondary plan.

According to the report from staff to council, this was the first site in the city to be filed under a section of the province’s Planning Act which permits additional storeys above permitted maximums, provided “the additional height or density is still considered to be good planning and that the owner provides an agreed upon benefit to the community.”

That agreed upon benefit, according to the report, is additional funds from the developer to the city to go toward acquiring riverfront parkland.

Diyode, a community workshop, is currently located at the property, but will soon be moving to a new space on Dufferin Street.

89 Beechwood Ave.

To be built on the former Optimist Club property, the 23 townhouses proposed for 89 Beechwood Ave. have not been popular among a vocal group of nearby residents.

Council first heard the proposal at a public meeting in September 2017. At the time, the project was larger, comprising of 34 townhouses. In response, a neighbourhood group was formed to fight the proposal, saying it was too big for the area.

“When they told us they were planning 34 units three storeys high with balconies facing over Beechwood Avenue, we just thought that seemed larger than what we thought our street could accommodate,” Cathy Darling, a member of the group, told the Mercury Tribune in July 2017, when the proposal first came forward. “We already have parking issues on our street now.”

In May, the size of the project was cut back to the current 23-unit proposal. However, the neighbourhood group said it was still too big, saying the city should instead look to the changes to the city’s official plan that had been approved in October 2017. Under those guidelines, the highest number of townhomes that could be built on the property would be 14.

However, according to the staff report recommending approval of the project, as the proposal was submitted before those changes came into effect, it would be processed under the old rules.

In its report, city staff are recommending that the southerly portion of the property be designated as specialized community park, as the existing city trail there will be dedicated to the city prior to site approval.

The neighbourhood group has continued to speak out against the proposal, having held a community gathering on the property Aug. 22 to bring attention to what would be lost as a result of the development.

98 Farley Dr.

The proposed six-storey, 93-unit apartment building at 98 Farley Dr. from Reid’s Heritage Homes is one of the newer applications on the list, having been before council for a public meeting just six months ago.

At the time, the proposal for a new residential building behind the Zehrs plaza at Clair and Gordon was a bit different, sitting five storeys tall and containing 92 units. That changed over the summer, with the building becoming shorter in length, but adding a storey to make up for it. This was done, according to a revised application submitted at the time, “to meet zoning regulations for parking and provide more common amenity area on site.”

The project’s original height, however, was too much for some nearby residents when it was the subject of a public meeting in March.

“This huge apartment building … is not at all suited in our neighbourhood. This building’s size is twice the height of the Zehrs, and 100 feet wider,” delegate Celine Akram said at the time.

233-237 Janefield Ave.

A proposal for a large condominium project at Janefield Avenue — containing 185 units over 12 storeys — first came to city council at a public meeting in July 2017.

The large size of the project drew the ire of nearby residents, saying such a development would not only make traffic a headache, but also block sunlight from the nearby gardens at Priory Park Baptist Church.

“I think what is proposed here, quite frankly, is a little over the top by any stretch of the imagination, and in my humble opinion is offensive and disastrous to the area,” area resident John Mitter said at the time.

A revised application came back to council this past May, this time with the project standing 10 storeys tall and containing 165 units. At 10 storeys, the building was at the maximum height permitted under the land’s zoning regulations.

Developers also shifted the building further away from Torch Lane, which they said would allay the concerns residents had over multiple entrance points. Now, entry to the building would be via a single entrance off of Janefield.

However, even with the downsizing, residents came back to city hall to voice their displeasure with the project.

“Chopping two storeys from an already oversized development isn’t a concession,” area resident Jim Albrecht told councillors.

“In my mind, you’ve got one entrance for all those people living in all those units, trying to get out onto Janefield along with the buses, along with the other people and all the school kids and whoever else doesn’t want to drive on the Hanlon, and there’s a lot of them.”

Another area resident, Cathy Beamish, said she was concerned the project, given its proximity to the University of Guelph, could become “another Chancellor’s Way.”

“Because of the proximity to the university, these will probably be rented to university students,” she said.

“We’ve already been fighting very hard on Janefield to stop the vandalism and the destruction when the parties go on the weekends.”

In their report to council, staff have recommended some changes to the development to address residents’ concerns, such as increasing the minimum side yard setback from the Priory Park Baptist Church, that the building must step back a minimum of six metres above the ninth storey facing the interior lot line and capping the height to eight storeys at the westerly end of the site.

119 Ingram Dr. and 35 Wideman Blvd.

The proposal to build 28 townhouse units on vacant land on two blocks of property — one bound by Ingram Drive, Wideman Boulevard and Victoria Road North, with the other bound by Wideman, Victoria and Simmonds Drive — is another relatively newer proposal, having been the subject of a public meeting less than six months ago.

The new townhouses would join a mix of other townhouses and single detached homes in the area. The land across the road on Victoria is also zoned for more townhouses, along with convenience commercial property.

Unlike the other projects listed here, there were no concerns raised about the proposal when it came up at its public meeting in April. In its report to council, staff say “the applicant received generally supportive comments from area residents on the development proposal.”