Goodbye grain silos, hello condos in Waterford

They are a Waterford landmark, and soon they will be no more.

Norfolk County council has given developers the go-ahead to knock down several dozen unused grain silos on nine acres of inactive industrial land in the west end of town.

In their place will rise a 256-unit subdivision councilors hope will help address the rural county’s dire need for housing, especially for younger residents looking to buy their first home or retirees who want to downsize.

“The fact that Waterford is going to be home to one of the largest intensified developments in our history is daunting,” ward councilor Kim Huffman told The Spectator.

“It’s going to be a big change for Waterford.”

What makes this development — called the Silos of Waterford — different from other subdivisions springing up in town is the majority of units will be stacked townhouses and condominium apartments, including one-bedroom and studio units.

In a first for the small town, the development includes two eight-storey condo buildings beside a rail trail, with plans for a daycare and other businesses on the ground floor.

Councilors have concerns about the demands this new subdivision will place on municipal infrastructure, even as the developers have pledged to fund improvements to the sewer system and pay to widen and upgrade roads to accommodate the added traffic and parking spaces.

Speaking on behalf of the landowner – a numbered company – at council last month, John Vallee of consulting engineering firm G. Douglas Vallee Limited said the proposal meets all water and parking requirements while addressing Norfolk’s pressing need for different housing types.

“We’re trying to get out of the mindset of traditional Norfolk development (of) single-family homes that are 1,800 square feet and marketed to larger families,” Vallee said.

“We’re trying to envision that single person, young professional … that lives on their own. Maybe they don’t even need a bedroom. Maybe it’s a studio apartment. And they have one car, if they have a car.”

In an interview, Waterford-based development consultant Tom O’Hara said 90 of the 256 units in the Silos development will be under 670 square feet.

“Those will be the most attainable for individuals and couples,” O’Hara said.

“We are pricing some of these units less than we could secure on the open market. We’re trying to provide what is necessary for the community.”

Huffman and Norfolk County Mayor Amy Martin see the mix of housing options in the Silos proposal as a major plus.

“We build a lot of single, detached family dwellings in Norfolk,” Martin said.

“What about students coming home from university that want to return to Norfolk and open a new business, and they can’t afford to because they can’t afford an entire house? We have a housing crisis, and baby boomers are sitting in the houses that we want for young families.”

Huffman understands the need from both sides, as she has a widowed father looking to downsize and two adult children who want to move out but are financially stuck at home.

“We’re at risk of pricing out a whole generation from achieving home ownership,” Huffman said.

“Getting into the housing market is not a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a picket fence anymore. We need to expand our thinking.”

Getting the best deal

Waterford is one of Norfolk’s fastest-growing communities, with the population shooting up by one-third between 2016 and 2021 to approximately 4,225 residents.

That growth is centered in several large housing developments that attract families and retirees from Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area, with real estate prices rising accordingly.

O’Hara is also a managing partner in Villages of Waterford, a 156-home subdivision at the northern edge of town where detached homes are selling in the high six figures.

The Silos project is expected to add another 500 to 600 people, deepening residents’ concerns about Waterford losing its quaint rural character. Realistically, said O’Hara, the new homes will be built in stages over five or six years, “which will increase the population in a slow manner.”

“Clearly, it is a lot of people,” he said. “Having said that, if we want services in Waterford — and we are service poor — then we’re going to have to intensify our population.”

By services, O’Hara means the kind of dining and shopping options that current residents have to leave town to access and urbanites moving in expect to find locally.

But some residents worry bringing in even more people will tax essential services like education and health care. O’Hara says his development plans keep the need for more schools and recreational amenities in mind.

“We’re not simply trying to build homes, but rather look at what is needed in terms of those services and ensure that we are accommodating those as well,” he said.

“We feel over the next several years, Waterford will be an even better community.”

Huffman mentioned the area’s ponds and trail system, “eclectic” business district, and cultural centers like the Old Town Hall as “grassroots” mainstays that will “maintain that feel of what people are attracted to Waterford for in the first place.”

Newcomers bring new energy and new dollars to the county, Martin told The Spectator.

“They are shopping in our stores. They’re keeping our businesses alive,” she said. “They’re frequenting our libraries (and) putting kids in our schools. They contribute to the community.”

Council cannot dictate home prices or control who buys into the new development, but Martin hopes the Silos will provide housing options for Norfolk residents who want to return or stay home.

“There are countless people right here at home who are in dire need of different housing types,” the mayor said. “What we can do is chip away at the inventory issue.”

Martin pushed O’Hara to build accessory units in some of the duplexes in the Silos, boosting the rental stock and creating turnkey opportunities for new homeowners to become landlords and help pay off their mortgages.

Along with 32 ounce silos used by an agricultural supply depot, the land is currently home to warehouses, a school bus depot and a fueling station.

There is “a lot of upheaval in the community about the silos being taken down,” Huffman said, adding the county’s hands are tied as “they’re on private property and at the end of their lifespan.”

What councilors cannot do is ignore development applications altogether because residents want to keep their communities small.

Municipalities now face financial penalties for not responding to developers by deadlines established by the province. And should council ignore staff’s recommendation and turn down an application, developers can appeal to the provincial land tribunal, a costly process that often favors developers.

“So the best thing we can do is to work with our planners, work with our developers, and try to get the best deal for the people of Waterford as possible,” Huffman said.

In the case of the Silos, that means securing a commitment from the developer to build additional rental units, open a daycare, enforce parking inside the condominium blocks, and pay for a park and playground.

“There’s no real way to stop development,” Martin said.

“So shouldn’t we try to keep those decisions at the local level and encourage development in the way we want to see it?”

JP Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

CLARIFICATION: This article was updated on Aug. 17 to clarify three things: Whom John Vallee was representing at Norfolk council; a quote from Tom O’Hara about pricing some of the condos; and O’Hara’s role in the Village of Waterford development.