Huntsville’s planning committee has approved an easement and site plan application for the construction of 21 townhouses on lands comprising 48 West Elliott Street and 169 Main Street West.
The three-block condominium development would be accessed from a private road off West Elliott Street.
The easement approved by committee through a consent application would grant the easement of a 204m², and a 6m wide parcel of land at 169 Main Street West, in favour of lands at 48 West Elliot Street to facilitate the connection to storm and sanitary sewers.
The lands are developed with a parking lot and pole barn for covered vehicle storage and have an area of approximately 7,131m² and 40m of frontage on Main Street West, according to the planning report compiled by staff for Huntsville’s planning committee on April 13.
In 2016, “a Zoning By-law Amendment was approved to facilitate this development (By-law 2016-45). A draft plan of subdivision (File S2015-7) was also approved, along with a common element condominium description (File C2015-6),” adds the report.
“As you can see on the landscape plan there’s a robust planting scheme and a community park,” Huntsville manager of planning services Richard Clark told committee.
Staff was recommending approval of the updated planning applications with the following conditions:
- Some minor amendments to the site plan drawing may be necessary to ensure consistency between information provided throughout the set of plans and to address final review comments.
- Revising plans to show height measurements taken from the average finished grade per unit to the appropriate point within the roof.
- As per the District, water services are to be extended to a water meter in a heated locked utility room with an external entrance. The plans should be revised accordingly to address this requirement. The District also requested that an easement be registered on title to provide sanitary and storm sewer services to the lands between the subject property and Muskoka Road 3 (Main Street West).
- The provision of an easement and overland spillway to convey stormwater away from the site.
- That the agreement contains clauses related to the owner’s obligations for winter maintenance requirements for West Road as well as regarding the Town’s storage of snow on the property.
- That the applicant provides detailed designs for private road elevations to ensure the gradient proposed can accommodate access by emergency vehicles.
- That the applicant provides cost estimates for implementing works associated with the final landscape, civil engineering, and lighting plans should be prepared and submitted to assist in finalizing a site plan agreement.
Lanny Dennis, planning consultant for the applicant, said his client had no issues about complying with the conditions.
“The owners will continue to work with the Town and the District to address their comments and certainly their interest to proceed with this project—one more infilling project to help assist with the housing shortfall,” he said.
“You can see from the elevations that the idea was to build the buildings to the lay of the land to avoid some extensive blasting. It’s a small site and I think they’ve done a good job in terms of providing a product that fits the site,” said Dennis, adding that the landscape and lighting plans were revised, “all to show internal connectivity and connectivity throughout.”
The planning committee unanimously approved the applications without further comment. Their recommendation will be forwarded to Huntsville council for ratification.
You can find staff’s full report here (pdf).
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Lesley Hastie says
I hope the Town has urged the developer to install heat pumps to provide air conditioning and heat, and induction cooking, and electric flash water heating, all of which avoid the use of fossil fuels but also make the costs of heating and cooking more efficient and less expensive. As the summers get hotter, air conditioning will be become a necessity and the heat pumps provide it as a side benefit.
For every unit of energy expended to heat or cool, heat pumps provide between 1 – 3 units of heating (or cooling). Cold air heat pumps even extract heat from the air at -30C and still at energy efficiency levels better than any provided by fossil fuels.
These suggestions will make living in these homes more affordable.
Oliver Klimek says
Well said, Lesley!
All of your suggestions should become standard building requirements.
The developers should also pre-wire the buildings to accommodate future EV charging stations.
Jim SINCLAIR says
Good letter from Hastie, when IS the local planning board going to demand green energy? What good is it to provide housing if we are going to kill the planet in the process? Actually I am not a fan of our local planners since the stripping of the land above the Waterloo Center was approved.
Doug Austin says
Yes, I agree with the comments of Lesley, Oliver and Jim.
I just hope the units are affordable and don’t spiral out of range of first time and similar buyers.
We need folks to work in town BUT they need to be able to live.
Marina Teramond says
To tell the truth, it is truly wonderful that a Twenty-one unit condominium development approved for Elliott Street West because I think that it will bring a great deal of advantages and, of course, will open new prospects for people. I think that it is necessary to think every single last detail out in order to implement this project in a maximum effective and safe way. From my point of view, it is necessary to arrange these townhouses with truly developed infrastructure in order to make them in great demand and provide people with conveniences. Of course, this project is a huge step forward to assist with the housing shortfall which is relevant nowadays, but I think that prices need to be reasonable and quite justified. It is a significant factor which can increase or lower purchasing power.