A new vacant-land condominium proposal and zoning change application on a parcel of land fronting Kitchen Road South would see the creation of 18 semi-detached homes built in that location.
The applications were introduced at a public meeting held jointly between the District of Muskoka and the Town of Huntsville on December 14, 2016.
Planner Wayne Simpson, who is representing applicants John Broadbent and a numbered company headed by Dave Goodfellow, spoke at the meeting. He said about 50 feet of the depth of the estimated 0.64 hectares of land proposed for development would be purchased from Broadbent by Goodfellow’s company, enabling the development to proceed with a private two-lane roadway and semi-detached units on each side.
Simpson said given slope elevation challenges associated with the lands, the units will be tiered with the finished floor elevation of each unit being roughly three feet below the adjacent unit. The proposal would see 10 units built on one side of the road and another eight on the other.
Simpson told committee the homes were intended to be more moderately priced with a mix of two-storey homes with a garage and some bungalows. He said there would be two and three bedroom units and that the typical foot print of the buildings would be from 1,000 to 1,100 square feet with a garage. “So you anticipate that the total living space will be comfortable for a small family.”
He said zoning variances being requested are intended to accommodate the design related primarily to accessible parking and parking in general as well as decks and outdoor space.
“The application is really intended to hit a part of the market place where there’s a need to build homes that are more affordable, attainable for people. The density would be reduced from what it could be under the current zoning,” he said.
Simpson referred to the proposal as a one-builder development and noted that Lesley-Anne Goodfellow was present in the audience and she would be responsible for the sales and marketing of the units.
Prompted by questions from Councillor Jonathan Wiebe, Town Manager of Development Process Kirstin Maxwell said a storm water mitigation plan would be in place to ensure there is no runoff from the development affecting either the road or other properties.
There were no comments made by members of the public about the development. District of Muskoka Chair John Klinck closed the meeting by reminding those present that additional information on the proposal or a notice of a decision on the same could be obtained by Town planning staff or planning staff at the District of Muskoka. He also reminded those present that once a decision is made, there’s a 20 day appeal period for anyone wishing to make a submission.
The development would be on municipal water and sewer services.
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Why would there be no discussion of anticipated unit costs. In terms of the Town’s/Districts needs size is surely less relevant than affordability
This seems like a good plan, in a part of town that is underdeveloped and for a client base that is also underdeveloped. I like it.