Paris subdivision residents were promised townhouses but could get a highrise instead

When Sarah Prasaud bought her home in the Mile Hill neighborhood of Paris four years ago, she asked the subdivision developer what was planned for the other blocks.

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She was told “townhouses,” she said at a public hearing with Brant councilors on Sept. 10.

Recently, though, she learned the developer is now trying to build an eight-storey apartment building beside her home instead.

“I would have never purchased a home in that subdivision, knowing what was going up there,” she told councillors.

The mother of three cited concerns about security and traffic, as well as a lack of privacy. She said the family is considering moving, but she’s also worried it won’t be easy to sell.

In 2015, the area in question were conditionally approved for 235 units in townhouses and apartments up to four storeys. The plan also included around 16 commercial units, county planner Dan Namisniak told council.

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Since then, 101 units have been built.

Now, an agent for Losani homes has applied for a zoning amendment to allow for an additional 211-unit apartment building, as well as 80 homes in the form of back-to-back townhouses, row houses and stacked townhouses.

It means an extra 157 units, Coun. John Bell pointed out.

Losani initially applied for a zoning amendment in 2020, and a public meeting was held in 2021. Then, the application was put on hold, Losani agent Emily Elliot told councillors.

In the years since, “there’s been a great deal of growth and development in this part of the community” and “significant changes” in planning policy, as well as a new official plan that was adopted by the county and is now with the province for approval, Elliot said.

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As a result, Losani reconsidered the design, met with county staff and, in April 2024, submitted a revised application.

The county’s new official plan designates the area as a community corridor, which allows for residential buildings up to 10 stores.

But even if it’s permitted, residents like Kevin McDonald still feel “misled” by Losani, and the promotion of Paris as “a small town.”

McDonald’s family moved to the community in 2021 after searching for the perfect location.

“We moved specifically into this subdivision knowing it was low- to medium-density … We were assured back then that there would only be two-storey townhomes, single residential family homes, and the possibility of a small commercial area,” he told council .

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Seven other locals voiced similar frustrations, and councilors received emails from around 200 additional residents, begging them to “do the right thing” and “reject these proposals.”

The public hearing was held to gather information and community input. County staff will use that to inform their recommendation to council, which will then make a decision on height and density.

Namisniak didn’t specify a timeline for the staff report.

Just one kilometer away on Court Drive, Losani is also proposing another eight-storey building with 153 units. Next to that site, an eight-storey building with 108 units has already been approved.

Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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