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KITCHENER — A proposal to build 23 homes on small lots in Bridgeport East prompted concerns over increased traffic and density, as plans were outlined at a neighbourhood meeting Tuesday.
The plan involves 67 and 71 Nelson Ave., near Bridge Street East and Bloomingdale Road, currently home to two single detached homes and a detached garage. Immediate neighbours include single detached homes, Sylvia Park, and a business park to the south.
A total of 23 single detached homes are proposed for the 0.81-hectare (two-acre) site. Many of the lots will be nine metres (about 30 feet) wide, but will still allow for a single-car garage, driveway space for a second vehicle, and small front and rear yards.
The developer “recently purchased these lands and obviously saw the potential for intensification here, which I would characterize as … gentle intensification,” said Pierre Chauvin of MHBC Planning, speaking on the owner’s behalf.
The owner, a numbered company belonging to a Cambridge-based developer, is not a builder and would likely work with one or two builders on the project, Chauvin said.
The development proposal would require a zoning amendment and approval for a vacant land condominium; the homes would be individually owned but residents would pay a condo fee for common elements including a private road and snow and garbage removal.
The private road would connect to both Nelson Avenue and Sylvia Street, and would include additional on-street visitor parking.
The developer also wants to buy a portion of a city-owned right-of-way from the end of Tagge Street into Sylvia Park. That stretch could include a multi-use trail and a noise wall to mitigate impacts from the business park.
The city had already received about 15 comments about the proposal from residents before Tuesday night’s meeting, said senior planner Andrew Pinnell.
Chief among the concerns is increased traffic and insufficient parking, especially in conjunction with other developments proposed for the Bridgeport area, including a new subdivision at Stanley Avenue and Schweitzer Street, and a large multi-building project on Lancaster Street near Bridgeport Road.
While main roads in the area are regional roads, the region hasn’t expressed concerns about traffic impacts, Pinnell said. The amount of traffic generated by the Nelson Avenue project itself is considered minimal.
Residents worry that a new, denser cluster of homes would change the neighbourhood’s character; residents have also said “low-income housing” will create safety issues and crime, Pinnell reported.
There’s no way to know what these single detached homes would sell for once they’re built, a process that could take three to five years, Chauvin noted.
Addressing a resident’s concern that existing property values will drop, Pinnell said planning staff look at good planning principles overall, and not land values when considering development proposals.
While the proposed development is denser than much of the surrounding community, “provincial policies, and regional and city policies, seek to increase intensification within existing neighbourhoods,” Pinnell said.
“That’s obviously got to be compatible, so we are looking at that through the review of this application.”
A staff recommendation on the proposal will come in a report to council to be presented at a future date.
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