Director of Engineering Rod Bovay consults with Chair Councillor Jackie Denyes and City Clerk Matt MacDonald during Belleville’s Planning Committee meeting, May 1, 2017 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Residents of Belleville’s West Park Village area may have lost their fight against apartment buildings planned for Sidney Street near College Street.
A second apartment building, of a total of four planned for Belleville’s West Park Village area, at 450 Sidney Street, got the nod from the Planning Committee Monday night, despite the residents’ concerns about increased traffic, and loss of privacy.
Phil Spry of Maps Development Corp, pointed out the planned building has no balconies and is affordable housing aimed at singles and seniors. Spry emphasized that that was “affordable housing, not social housing.”
The first apartment building is already under construction. All four together would have 120 units.
A number of residents protesting the development appeared before council citing increased traffic and loss of privacy concerns.
Wendy Vanhorne questioned how the water system in the area would be affected.
Director of Engineering Rod Bovay said there haven’t been any such concerns.
Another resident Shelley McCredie, said the traffic problem was so bad in the area already she couldn’t get out of her driveway some mornings because of the long lineup of traffic at the light.
Councillor Paul Carr lost a bid to require changes to the buildings’ configurations and await a traffic study.
Councillor Mitch Panciuk argued there is an “acute shortage of low cost housing” and staff is satisfied with what is being proposed.
The committee is recommending that the second building be allowed to go ahead since planned reconstruction on Sidney Street would make a traffic study now outdated.
Planning Chair Councillor Jackie Denyes.
PLANNING
The committee did recommend that a holding symbol be put on phase three and four, awaiting a traffic study in the future.
The recommendation now goes to city council.
Technical issues to be dealt with
Belleville’s Planning Committee is seeking more information about a new housing development proposed for the city.
Reginald and Janette Barkema are applying to rezone 8.6 hectares of land now zoned for agriculture to allow low density housing just east of the Settler’s Ridge subdivision.
The development would include 90 single family homes and 20 townhouses.
Monday night, the committee agreed with a staff recommendation, and deferred any decision until some technical issues are dealt with.
