The draft West Belleville Secondary Plan proposing where and what kind of development may or not occur has met with concerns from west end residents.
The draft Secondary Plan, an update on the Loyalist Secondary Plan, maps out the entire west end and allows for
11,400 more residential units over a 30 year period.
One of the highlights was the eventual extension of Bridge Street West out to Loyalist College, which is seen as becoming a community activity centre in future years.
Three residents said the idea from a high level sounded good but on the ground there would be challenges.
Those consisted of a wetland at the end of Bridge Street
West and associated small watercourses that are part of
the Potter’s Creek (Jones Creek to some) area.
“Are you planning on a bridge over the swamp?” said one
man.
Staff said those details would be worked out in the future pointing out that the secondary plan was a high level guiding
document.
Another had concerns about the abundant wildlife in the immediate area that could be affected.
Several told the committee that Avonlough Road was a mess
and that traffic was backed up at peak times on most days
of the week.
Another man stressed how busy the city had become with gridlock becoming a commonplace event.
He wondered if the plan would take traffic into account as
development occurred potentially boosting the city’s population by 30% over the 30 years.
He was assured that as development proposals came forward traffic studies would be part of the approval process.
The public will have until April 16 to make comment on the draft secondary plan.
The mapping for the west end indicates most land would be
set aside for low density housing with a few pockets of medium density development (high rise buildings possible).
The Bell Boulevard and North Front Street corridors would be
mostly commercial land and Dundas Street would be designated as being a revitalization zone focused on commercial uses.
Green space and a robust multi-use trail system also feature prominently.
After April 16 the plan will come back to the Planning Advisory Committee for study and a recommendation leaving
council to decide on its approval.
See the draft West End Belleville Secondary Plan here.
See Dillon Consulting’s background report here.
