High-end neighborhood set for fight over plan to build townhouses

A new fight is breaking out over infill housing in a high-end London neighborhood, this one trained on the site of a land deal linked to the War of 1812.

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It’s yet another clash over the kind of higher-density housing London needs to meet its growing population, but which can draw the ire of nearby single-family homeowners and some politicians while also raising likely cries of NIMBYism.

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Royal Premier Homes is the local developer that wants to rezone the site of the 1800s-era home at 634 Commissioners Rd. W. to allow two rental townhouse complexes with 28 units. The old home, which is on the local heritage register, will remain.

It’s located on a stretch of Commissioners just west of Wonderland Road that’s dotted with some of London’s higher-end homes, each sitting on large lots.

And while the proposal hasn’t yet reached city council’s planning committee, there’s already pushback from the veteran politician who represents the area, Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen, who notes council approved 10 units a year ago – and now the developer wants 28.

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“Given that we just gave a higher density approval about a year ago, I don’t see the need to be jacking it up again at 28,” he said. “When you factor in the mood from the neighborhood, they were more than accommodating for the initial increase in density but not for the additional.”

The building footprint won’t change, but nearly tripling the number of units on the site is too much, Van Meerbergen said.

Even amid the provincial call for London to build 47,000 new homes by 2031, and with a rental vacancy rate at a record-low 1.7 per cent, the character of the neighborhood and the intensity of infill is still important to consider, he said.

Royal Premier Homes details in its planning and design brief that since the land was rezoned a year ago, the housing market in London has “changed significantly.” Farhad Noory, CEO of the London-based developer, said they’re now pivoting to offer the units as rentals instead of being owned.

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“The rental (supply) is so short in the City of London right now,” he said. “So our marketing strategy changed from doing the regular townhouses, to stacked townhouses and to make it a rental project.”

While city staff have not yet weighed in on the new application, during the previous rezoning staff recommended moving forward, calling it “an appropriate form of infill development” that abides by the London Plan, city hall’s blueprint for growth which calls for greater housing density .

According to a heritage study, the lot can be traced back to the aftermath of the War of 1812 and a veteran who was granted 11 hectares based in part on his war service. The house that sits on the property today was likely constructed in 1870 by the subsequent owner to replace an original stone house.

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Van Meerbergen commended the developer’s plan to maintain the historic home, but said the neighborhood was “barely OK with the first addition of density,” let alone the new proposal for 28 units. He recognizes several new townhomes and low-rises have cropped up in the area in recent years, but says infill has to be done “correctly.”

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful area, and most people are not against infill, but it’s got to be done proportionally,” he said. “It’s got to be done so it fits in with the existing neighborhood.

“We all agree we need to build more homes, that’s a given. But by the same token, we have to maintain the character of our city and the character and quality of our neighborhoods.”

More information on the project and how to weigh in before the April 9 public meeting can be found on the city’s website.

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