Owen Sound council has approved a zoning change to allow a proposed life-lease residential development to move ahead.
The plan for 10th Avenue Estates is an 85-unit development with a mix of apartment and townhouse units on 6.5-acres of vacant land, east of 9th Avenue East. It’s essentially on the other side of the road from Notre Dame Catholic School, behind existing houses.
Neighbours in the area raised concerns at a public meeting in July about potential traffic issues the new development could create.
A staff report reviewed by council Monday says a transportation study was updated in wake of that public meeting. But it does not recommend the addition of another permanent road to the new development, a request that was made by several neighbours who live in the area of 10th Avenue East/23rd Street A East.
“Here, there was a road connection contemplated. And it was shown in the Official Plan,” Owen Sound’s Director of Community Services Pam Coulter told councillors. “But when there’s no warrant for that road, one of the tests in the municipal class (environmental assessment) is to say ‘is it warranted?’ What the traffic study and what the peer review is telling us, is that because there’s no warrant for the road it would be hard to justify the construction of a full road under that municipal class (environmental assessment) process.”
During the July public meeting, a spokesperson for the applicant indicated anyone who lives in the new life-lease community will have to be at least 55 years of age.
“That’s excellent,” Deputy Mayor Scott Greig says. “We all are aware of many individuals in our community who are two-storey, two-and-a-half storey brick homes, one person living there. These are much needed resources to be freed up for new families. Any every attempt that we can to contribute to the housing affordability crisis is critical.”