Norfolk County Council has cleared the way for a new four-storey 15-unit apartment building on Evergreen Hill Road in Simcoe.
Councilors on Tuesday voted in favor of changing the zoning of the property at 76 Evergreen Hill Rd. to urban residential from neighborhood commercial.
The rectangular-shaped property covers 0.16 hectares (.39 acres) and has been vacant for some time. The property has 54 meters of frontage along Evergreen Hill Road, councilors were told.
Planner Mohammad Alam told councilors a couple of concerns, including the lack of visitor parking spots, were raised by nearby residents at a September public meeting.
Alam said county planning staff worked with the applicant and, as a result, the project was reconfigured.
The building will have 22 parking spots including five for visitors. The original plan didn’t include any parking spots for visitors.
Alam also said the proposal will contribute to the county’s much-needed rental housing supply.
The property is east of Queen Street South and is surrounded by low to medium density residential developments that include single detached, semi-detached homes, duplexes and townhouses.
Plans to build a three-storey 18-unit apartment building in Delhi have also been approved by Norfolk council.
The plans include four barrier-free units on the ground floor of the building at 161 Wellington Avenue. The vacant property is the former Kinsmen parking lot and is on the north side of Wellington, east of Main Street, Delhi.
Councilors on Tuesday approved an application to change the zoning from downtown designation to downtown designation with a special provision to allow a residential building with no commercial development on the ground floor.
Plans call for the apartment building to have 16 parking spaces including two that are accessible. It will have full municipal water and sanitary services.
Planner Jennifer Catarino told councilors the land has sat undeveloped since the 1990s. It is surrounded by single detached one to two-and-a-half storey homes.
Previously owned the the county, the property was sold to Nextien Rental Corporation for $140,000 last year.
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