This week at our Public Planning meeting, Council had before it an application for infill housing in the 2b area that would extend River Ridge Blvd. It should be noted that there has been a plan in place for some time now for additional housing in that sub-division. However, the applicants were asking for multiple amendments to the current zoning – to allow for higher lot coverage, added height, and changes in the setbacks (both rear and side), which would result in 24 units being jammed into the area.
The area already has a residential zoning that conforms with the surrounding neighbourhood. It is therefore simply unacceptable for an applicant to come forward with an application with multiple amendment requests that are not in line with the current zoning and/or existing neighbourhood. As I said at the table “Building a community is more then just simply building houses” and jamming as many houses as possible into every scrap of open space isn’t conducive to effective community building.
Communities grow and evolve through appropriate development – development that is in line with the community’s vision as defined in our Official Plan.
Council voted to have the applicant review and reconfigure the plans to adhere to our current zoning and remove 4 units that would be abutting the wildlife park.. Let’s hope the applicant has heard the concerns of Council and comes back with a plan that meets our standard.
