Norfolk County councilors have approved a new 18-unit stacked townhouse development at 600 Norfolk St. N.
Councilors voted in favor of amending the county’s official plan to change the property’s designation to urban residential from commercial to accommodate the development.
The property is surrounded by residential and industrial to the east, residential to the south and commercial to the west.
Councilors voted in favor of the proposal despite concerns from nearby residents about parking who have shared their objections with Coun. Alan Duthie (Ward 5).
“I’ve had several calls related to this development and the number of parking spaces,” Duthie said. “If there are 18 units, it’s certainly conceivable that there could be 36 cars – two people living in each unit.”
Duthie wanted to know how staff could reach the conclusion that the number of parking spots including in the proposal – 29 – is reasonable for a development of this size.
“The calls that I’ve received are really concerned that if there isn’t enough parking on the property, they’ll be parking on the street which is very tight,” Duthie said. “There are narrow roads and all kinds of industrial activity in the background.”
Duthie was told that although the development is categorized as townhouses, it will, in reality, be more like an apartment building. The parking requirement for apartment units is 1.5 spaces per unit and the proposed development meets the requirement.
As well, Norfolk County is experiencing a significant shortage of rental units and encourages infill developments in the form of rental housing to meet market demand.
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