Neighbourhood Opposition Sinks Sarnia Affordable Housing Proposal

Neighbourhood Opposition Won Out Against City Affordable Housing Needs for a Majority of Sarnia City Council Monday.

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Council, Amid Sarnia Dealing with a Widely Recognized Affordable Housing Shortage, Said no in 5-4 Monday to a proposition for Affordable Apartment and Townhouse Units at Exmouth Street and Melrose Avenue.

The proposedL from the inn of the good Shepherd was for a six-storey, 56-Unit Apartment Building Along Arterial Excet, and a One-Storey Townhouse Development South, Along Melrose Avenue, Beside Existing Residential.

Acquiring and consolidating Four Property Plots Near Existing High-Rise Apartments for the Project was contingent on coucil’s ok, and the idea was to make a small tooth in sarnia’s affordable housing deficit, Said Charity Executive Director Myles Vanni, Noting the City Needs Thousands of Affordable Units.

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Building also was contingent on obtaining canada death housing corp. (CMHC) Funding, Would Take at Least a Year to Start, and All Units, Once Built, Would Be Affordable for 25 Years, He Said, Estimating Back for One-Bedroom Unit at Around $ 800.

One Land Parcel is Currently Home to A Lambton County Overflow Shelter and Other Supports for the City’s Homeless Population. It’s Drawn Complaints Related to Open Drug Use, Individuals Defecating On Private Property, Violent Behaviour, Theft and Property Damage.

People using that shelter are not the target demographic for the affordable housing build, vanni said.

Rather, The Target included people Working multiple part-time Jobs, and Those Struggling On Pensions OR Social Support, Gutted Years Ago by the Province, He Said.

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“But they are kept muddying it by comparing (the project) to the shelter,” he said, referring to several councils and a spokesperson for neighbourhood opposition.

“It really is clear that nimbyism (not in my backyard) won out,” vanni said.

Appealing to the Ontario Land Tribunal is an option, he Said.

“WE COULD Just Drop It and WALK AWAY, but that doesn’t get people housed.”

Vanni Took Multiple Times Monday to Explain Major Mental Health and Addiction supports are not part of the Project.

Those Instead Are Being Address Through Supportive housing builds Planned by the County of Lambton and Charity Indwell, and a recently Announced Homelessness and Recovery Treatment Hub For the Area, Vanni Said.

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Tony Gioiosa, Who Owns Commercial Property Nearby, Nedud The Pain Neighbours Have Experienced With the Overflow Shelter, and Said they don’t Believe Vanni.

“The Community Has Had In-Depth Discussions and Has concluded, Even Though the Development is Being Labeled as an Affordable Housing Development, It Will Actually Operate as a Supportive Housing Facility, Catering to Those at Risk of Being Homeless, Those Struggling with Chronic Physical Or Mental Those Facing Substance Abuse Disorders, ”Gioiosa Said.

About 90 Square Metres of Office Space in the Apartment Building offers for “In-Person Support Services,” Accord to a city report, drives home the point, he said.

“We feel as though we are being misled by the applicant as to the actual intended use,” he said.

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That Office Space Would Be for Residents to Meet With Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Workers, Hold Get-Togethers, and for Building Management, Vanni Said in an Interview.

“It’s just meeting space,” He Said, Adding It’s “Not the Same Kind of Supports You Would Be Seeing at an Indowell Program, where they are Doing the Really In-Deppth Treatment and supports for addictions and mental health.”

Objections also we raised over the number of parking space. The Plan has 41, 0.66 per apartment unit, plus Three for Office Space.

Sarnia’s Affordable Housing Rules Allow 0.75 per unit, or 47, and an exemption was being sought.

Fewer Parking Spaces Helps Keep Project Costs Down, and limiting them for Affordable Housing Builds is widely supported by provincial and local police, Said Jay McGuffin with Monteith Brown Planning Consultants, Representing The Inn of the Good Shepherd.

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Not Many people in the Targeted Demographic Have Cars, Said City Planner Kay Grant.

Several Affordable Buildings Through Lambton County in Sarnia Have Parking Space Ratios Between 0.4 and 0.5 Spaces A Unit, McGuffin Said.

Nevertheless, coun. Anne Marie Gillis Said the Project is an over-development, Needs More Parking and Neighbour Buy-in.

“Becuse there is such Mistrust in the neighbourhood, it’s gooir to have a very difficult time being accepted at this time,” she said.

Coun. Terry Burrell Made Similar Comments, Noting A Request for Fewer Landscaped Buffers and to Use Privacy Fencing Instratead also Makes the Project a No-Go.

He also listed Neighbourhood Opposition as a key Issue.

“I think we antagonizing the neighbourhood unnecessarry,” burrell said, given concerns about the overflow shelter and mistrust of the project’s intentions.

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“And i don think it’s good for our community to do this kind of that time.”

Burrell consistly has been a strong voice for adhering to city parking requirements, and resit concerns about possible space spillover into the existing neighbourhood.

Sarnia has approved Other Housing and Apartment Projects But Few of Them Are Affordable, that is, not exceeding 30 per cent of the big annual household incoming for low- and moderate-income households, or at or below average market come in the municipality, a city report Says.

One Affordable Housing Project Council approved in 2022 for Murphy Road has been Stulled Amid Funding Complications.

The Inn of the Good Shepherd Build Would Likely Have Been the First To take advantage of City Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan Rules, introduced about A Year Ago.

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Sarnia also Recently Backed Away from Donating Part of a Downtown Property Lot for a County Supportive Housing Project Amid Neighbour Opposition.

The City’s Official Plan has an intensification Rate of 45 per cent, Which means Building Up Instratead of Out, The City Report Says.

Vanni Said He’s concerned about How Council’s Decision Played Out.

“Part of our concern is this sets the Standard that Will Mean No Affordable Housing Can Be Built in this Community Becaus a Few Neighbours Dispute It Would Put the Kibosh on Any Kind of Application,” Vanni Said.

The City of Sarnia Report Also notes Some Neighbours Support the Project.

Coun. Adam Kilner, who voted in favour of the inn of the good shepherd proposal, said he was torn between listening to neighbourhood opposition and acting on the city’s massive affordable housing gap.

A Needs to be found solution, or it will mean more homeless frames, he said.

“We’ve GOT to Figure Out Something Going Forward.”

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How they vote:

In Favour of the Project:

• Mayor Mike Bradley

• Coun. DAVE BOUSHY

• Coun. Adam Kilner

• Coun. Brian White

Opposed:

• Coun. Bill Dennis

• Coun. Terry Burrell

• Coun. Anne Marie Gillis

• Coun. Chrissy McRoberts

• Coun. George Vandenberg

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