Norfolk County Council has approved plans for a 24-unit townhouse development in Waterford.
Councilors voted in favor of the development at a Tuesday meeting of council despite concerns of some residents and over the objections of Ward 7 Coun. Kim Huffman.
The proposed development is slated for a vacant 0.7 hectare property at the northeast corner of the Old Highway 24 and Lam Boulevard intersection in the Yin Subdivision.
“The residents of Waterford are adamant that there not be any development on this site that is residential,” Huffman said. “They want business development.
“Commercial land is paramount in Waterford.”
There is overcrowding in Waterford schools and there are residents who purchased homes nearby on the understanding that the property in question was zoned commercial.
Huffman said she is aware of the provincial pressures for more housing.
“But I am adamant that this is not the time and place for this development as a gateway to our community,” Huffman said.
count. Linda Vandendriessche (Ward 2) voted in favor of the proposal.
“Development has to occur somewhere and, hopefully, everywhere,” Vandendriessche said. “This area was a residential area in the past and then it turned into commercial and now it’s coming back to residential.
“I wish, I wish that I lived in a community where I had this problem.”
count. Mike Columbus (Ward 3) also supported the proposal.
“Originally, when this came to us back in May (2022) I did not support this proposal because it was 100 per cent residential,” Columbus said. “Now, it’s kind of a saw-off.
“There have been changes to the original application, it meets zoning requirements and has compatibility with the neighborhood.”
The development will also increase Norfolk’s tax base, Columbus said.
The original proposal for the site called for 40 residential units that included a terrace.
The revised proposal and the plan approved by councilors reduces the number of units to 24 and includes a two-storey commercial building. The commercial building is located on Old Highway 24 and proposed uses include a clinic/doctors office, convenience store, service shop, financial institution or restaurant.
The proposal was brought to council by G. Douglas Vallee Ltd, on behalf of Pramukh Development Ltd. The developer required a zoning bylaw amendment to allow residential development on the site.
Prior to the debate, councilors heard from Wendy Frankow, who lives in a condominium complex on Winterberry Lane that backs onto the site of the proposed development.
Frankow told councilors she has previously spoken in favor of keeping the property of the proposed development zoned commercial.
A lot of points have been raised and discussed, she said.
Frankow said the proposal reduces the setback between the properties resulting in the kind of crowding that she thought she had left behind when she moved from a bigger city to Waterford.
“My original stand was for the property to remain commercially zoned and I continue to support that,” Frankow said.
Many residents of the area that she has spoken with also want the property to stay commercial, she said.
“Good urban planning is not geared to be about a quick build or just profit by one developer,” Frankow said. “Our town has grown quickly and everyone wants to be responsible about the urban planning of the community.”
Councilors also heard from John Vallee, president of Vallee Consulting Engineers, Architects and Planners.
During his power point presentation, Vallee showed councilors what the townhouses would look like when viewed from across Lam Boulevard. The driveways and garages will be located at the back not the front of the homes.
“So what you see is a nicely landscaped, manicured streetscape,” Vallee said. “You don’t have that clutter that goes with bikes and trikes that go with driveways.
“It really provides a nice gateway into the Yin Subdivision and into Waterford.”
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