Proposed Woodstock subdivision with hundreds of homes clears first hurdle

A subdivision with hundreds of homes, townhouses and apartments proposed for southwest Woodstock has earned early support from city politicians.

The development pitched by Karn Road Development Corp. and Cachet Development Inc. would include 429 single-detached homes, 231 townhouse units and up to 300 apartment units with a neighborhood park, a city staff report states.

As housing demand continues to outstrip supply, it’s important the city moves ahead with the project, Woodstock Mayor Jerry Acchione said.

He said intensification will be key to addressing the housing shortage.

“We have to do a lot more with less,” Acchione said. “Instead of all single-family homes, we have to look at more townhomes, condos, apartment buildings, and multi-units in general.”

City council last week supported a zoning change for the subdivision that allows low-, medium- and high-density residential uses on the roughly 67 hectares (165 acres) of vacant land between Karn Road and Beachville Road, west of Mill Street. The staff report says the proposed development would include three stormwater management blocks and seven blocks served by municipal roads and walkways.

Councilors also granted the project draft plan approval. Final approval goes to Oxford County council at a later date.

The two parcels of land that comprised the site were annexed to the city from the neighboring township of Southwest Oxford in early 2020. Most of the land is agricultural, though a large portion to the north and west is part of a woodland area with many natural heritage features, the staff report says.

Like other Ontario municipalities, Woodstock faces the challenge of protecting valuable farmland while building housing to meet its growing population.

People “need somewhere to live, but they’ve got to eat as well. So it’s that fine line of making sure we have enough good farmland to feed everyone but also live, work and play in the area,” Acchione said.

With most of the city’s vacant land developed or slated for development, Accione said council will need to consider expanding urban boundary lines.

Draft plan approval for the Karn Road development is subject to 57 conditions the developers must fulfill, including installing fencing adjacent to lands owned by the city or Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, planting street trees and improving or relocating public works that are insufficient for development, the staff report states.

The subdivision is one of two major residential developments lined up for Woodstock. The other subdivision awaiting final approval would see more than 1,000 residential units on the site of the former Woodstock Meadows golf course.

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