Brantford city council has approved plans for a 764-unit subdivision on the former Arrowdale Golf Course.
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Councilors voted 6-5 in favor of an official plan amendment and a zoning bylaw amendment to authorize the proposal from Elite MD Arrowdale Holdings.
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Council members who voted in favor of the amendments included Mayor Kevin Davis and councilors John Sless, Dan McCreary, Rose Sicoli, Gino Caputo and Greg Martin. Those who voted against the amendments included Michael Sullivan, Linda Hunt, Brian Van Tilborg, Richard Carpenter and Mandy Samwell.
Although councilors were divided over the proposal, all but one voted in favor of a meeting with the developer to ensure the property is properly maintained.
The meeting is to take place before the end of April and is being held to address concerns of area residents and the idea was brought to council by Hunt. The property is located in Ward 4, which she and Coun. Richard Carpenter, representative.
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“In the past year, since it has been owned by the developer, we have seen what we would call sub-standard property maintenance,” Hunt said. “Property maintenance has become a big concern for neighbors.
“There are those on Elgin Street who are walking out their front door and seeing this everyday.”
Hunt cited grass being left to grow as a high as six-feet as an issue while others cited litter not being cleaned up.
Over the past year, residents and the city have been reactive – that is responding to problems which often take too much time to resolve, Hunt said.
Hunt said her resolution calls for the city to be proactive to ensure the developer keeps the property up to standard.
Councilors were told by city staff that the city received numerous complaints about the property.
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Van Tilborg said the biggest shame is that Arrowdale was a gem – a jewel in community.
“The (residents) got to look at something beautiful and gorgeous every day of their lives,” Van Tilborg said. “Then, in no time with the change in possession, the weeds started growing and the property became unkempt.”
People would call but then it took time to get a contractor to the site to take care of the problem, Van Tilborg said.
The city sold the property to Elite MD in 2020. The developer wants to build a mix of single family homes, townhouses, condominiums, a six storey and an eight storey apartment building on the 32-acre parcel of land at 282 Stanley Street. The property is bordered by Stanley Street, Elgin Street and Rawdon Street.
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The proposal includes a parkette and a walkway.
Van Tilborg and Carpenter spoke against the proposal prior to the vote.
Carpenter said the city used the need for affordable housing as an excuse to sell Arrowdale.
“Now we’re going to have a development on this site where we thought we were going to have 300 houses and now were going to have 764 units.
“We’re going to have a six storey apartment building right next door to a Brantford cottage.”
The issue has become so controversial that people have become afraid to talk about it, Carpenter said.
“It will never be forgotten,” Carpenter said. “This will always be a legacy of this council.”
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