Opposition to plans for a new subdivision in St. Davids has residents sharing more than a few questions and concerns at an open house about a large-scale residential project being proposed in their neighbourhood.
Local construction company Riverview Homes Niagara wants to build a new subdivision called Tawny Ridge Estates in the west end of the village, adding 86 new homes to a block of land at Tanbark Road and Warner Road.
At an open house Wednesday, Feb. 8, planners from Upper Canada Consultants shared details of the proposal, which includes a collection of single-detached homes, townhouses and a four-storey apartment building facing Warner Road.
The details did not go over well with some of the subdivision’s would-be neighbours.
“There’s no precedent for an apartment building to be put in this area,” said local resident Gienek Ksiazkiewicz. “It just doesn’t fit within St. Davids’ historical value, and the ambiance.”
Senior planner Craig Rohe said the goal of the developer is to offer a variety of housing types in the neighbourhood, increasing the density of the neighbourhood — as per the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s new Official Plan — and providing options for older residents looking to downsize their living spaces.
“There’s been a lot of thought given to the most appropriate way to lay out this site,” Rohe said.
The total development area covers 3.73 hectares, or 9.2 acres, of land. The project would be completed in two phases: phase one concerns a strip of land parallel to Tanbark Road, for the 12 single-detached dwellings, and phase two the rest of the property, with the apartment building, six blocks of townhouses in the centre, and eight single-detached dwellings near Tulip Tree Road.
The developer is requesting an Official Plan amendment to increase the allowed housing density on the site and to permit an apartment building, plus other exceptions for building heights, yard setbacks and more.
For phase one, the zoning bylaw amendment requested is to rezone the land from residential 1 to residential 2 with site-specific provisions. For phase two, the majority of the land for which is zoned for residential development, the request is to rezone to a residential multiple 1 Zone.
A Facebook group for the development was set up in June 2021, and registration is currently open for hopeful future residents of the estates at tawnyridgeestates.ca.
The website lists the types of units that will be available as detached bungalows, two storeys, freehold bungalows and bungaloft townhomes.
Ksiazkiewicz was one of about 10 residents who questioned the planners during the open house. Afterward, he said he would liken the conversation to a “beauty contest” in which the planners, on behalf of the developer, were attempting to convince residents of the project’s advantages, “smoothing over any objections.”
“There’s a place for apartment buildings, but I don’t think it’s here,” he said. “It would destroy the neighbourhood.”
Courtland Valley Estates resident Bruno Laliberte said while residents are not opposed to development in St. Davids, he and many other residents are concerned about this development, and called the rezoning requests “excessive.” He also voiced concerns that increasing the neighbourhood’s population will lead to traffic issues on local roads.
“We’ve lived here 10 years, and I can assure you that the traffic flow even within our division, which is self-contained, is pretty heavy at times,” he told Rohe.
This project and others in development this year in Niagara-on-the-Lake come after the Ontario government passed Bill 23 in late 2022 — the bill is reducing or eliminating roadblocks for developers: according to Premier Doug Ford’s government, this is part of its goal of increasing housing options in the province.
“The province’s directive right now is that we’re in a housing crisis right now and we need to provide more housing,” Rohe said.
A public meeting on the Tawny Ridge Estates development is being held Tuesday, March 7, scheduled for 6 p.m. or soon thereafter.