Guelph Council Approves Beechwood Townhouse Pitch

  • 01/29/19
  • |          Guelph

Revised proposal comes after previous version resulted in a 6-6 tie last year

Second time is the charm for Granite Homes’ proposal to build townhomes at the site of the former Optimist Club.

However, residents near the development site remain unhappy with the newly approved townhouses in their neighbourhood.

At Monday evening’s council meeting, councillors unanimously approved a proposal to build 22 townhouses on Beechwood Avenue, just outside the downtown core.

A slightly different proposal, which would have seen 23 townhouses on the property, had initially been recommended for council approval by city staff when it come to council in September.

However, council was split, voting 6-6 on the project’s future. While a tied vote typically signals a defeat on council motions, it was a different story for 89 Beechwood, as a motion to deny the project was never brought up.

Instead, council voted in favour of having the developer take another crack at the project and bring it back to city hall for another vote.

With the latest revisions, Granite Homes believes the issues raised by the neighbouring residents have been addressed, with Dave Aston from MHBC Planning, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, appearing on behalf of Granite, saying the sight lines to Howitt Park have been opened up through the removal of one unit, and making the end units of the rear portion a storey shorter.

However, the changes were not enough for some of the property’s neighbours.

“We’re not against development, but the specific development must be compatible with the neighbourhood,” Sally Humphries with the Beechwood-Chadwick-Hearn Neighbourhood Association (BCHNA) told councillors, adding the proposal from Granite Homes “does not meet that rubric.”

“We met with Granite Homes and city planners and indicated a maximum 17 units on the site with smaller massing would be an acceptable plan to maximize sightline and parkland area,” added Byron Cunningham, also with BCHNA.

Cunningham noted the 17 units would be three more than allowed for low-density housing under the city’s current official plan. Official Plan Amendment 48, which laid out those guidelines, came into effect after the initial submission for developing the Beechwood property.

One of the main concerns is that, despite Granite Homes’ changes, the sight lines to Howitt Park would be reduced, with several delegates saying this was a safety issue.

“We’re concerned that the proposed development will drastically reduce the effective park frontage … and increase security concerns due to reduced visibility in the park,” Ben Robinson, who lives in the area, told council.

With this being the third iteration of the project, and the second to come to council for a vote, Coun. Phil Allt noted this is a compromise that not everyone is going to be happy with.

“I know the developers aren’t completely happy, I know the neighbourhood isn’t completely happy,” he said.

“And from my days as a negotiator, one of the things that we recognize is if both sides are not happy at the end of a contract, you’ve probably got a reasonable solution.”

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