Stratford hospital parking lot expansion narrowly approved despite concerns with site-plan oversight

A vote to approve a zone change allowing Stratford General Hospital to build additional staff parking at the corner of St. Vincent Street South and West Gore Street was much closer than expected after some councilors struggled with new provisions in the province’s recently passed More Homes Built Faster Act.

Ultimately Monday approved after a 5-4 vote, the zone change reduced a required open-space setback between St. Vincent Street and the proposed parking area – a holdover from a 2002 official plan amendment that restricted the size of a hostel established in the hospital’s old nurse’s residence – from 55 meters to 7.7 meters. That extra space will allow the Stratford General Hospital and Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance to build an 89-space parking lot for hospital staff.

“Staff currently rely on a parking lot situated on the Avon Crest property,” GSP Group planning consultant Kristen Barisdale said on behalf of the hospital. “It’s further away from the hospital and not a desirable location for employees who are working shift work, particularly for those who are working late into the night. The proposed expansion to the existing surface parking lot provides for a connection to the existing surface facilities that are there already. It does not include any new driveway access at this point for St. Vincent Street or West Gore. … The parking lot is intended to connect to the existing driveway that provides access from St. Vincent Street (at Youngs Street).”

At a public meeting in March, a number of concerns with the lot, including snow storage and removal, street lighting, and traffic safety along Cambria and St. Vincent streets, were brought forward by area residents.

According to city planner Robyn McIntyre’s report to council, engineering staff conducted a traffic study in March along Cambria Street at the hospital property’s north end that determined there isn’t an issue with speeding. Staff also looked at the history of the intersection at Youngs Street and St. Vincent Street South, where the existing entrance for the expanded parking lot is located, and found there had been no collisions reported there between 2014 and 2022. Staff confirmed the intersection is functioning as designed, so there will be no need to change the yield sign at that intersection to a full stop.

The staff report also noted that landscaping details, such as the inclusion of berms or dense vegetation to block headlights, as well as snow storage locations, sidewalks and lighting, will be discussed at a later stage in the development process as the hospital seeks approval on a more detailed site plan for the parking lot.

“I’m going to speak against the motion on the floor mainly because the concerns that I heard at the public meeting were about the berm and concerns about the traffic flowing onto to St. Vincent Street,” Coun. Cody Sebben said. “Given that the province has taken away any authority council has on site planning … I see unintended disruptions on Youngs Street for residents there, I see more traffic on St. Vincent Street that would otherwise be on John Street … and so I’m just not comfortable approving this without being able to have those concerns addressed at this point.”

In response to a question from Coun. Taylor Briscoe, city clerk Tatiana Dafoe also clarified that neither council nor the general public will have any further opportunities to express concerns or make comments on the final design of the parking lot expansion before the hospital’s detailed site plan is approved by city staff.

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