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Local residents oppose new town house development on Broadway

December 5, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Orangeville Council has vowed to take concerns of the public into account before approving a proposed 40-unit townhouse development along Broadway, close to the intersection of Riddell Road.

During a public meeting, held during Council on Monday evening (Dec. 2), it was revealed that the Town had received an official application to develop approximately three acres of land at 670 and 690 Broadway. The plan calls for the construction of two single-storey townhouse units just off the community’s main corridor. The developer, listed as 2040771 Ontario Inc. is partnering with Habitat for Humanity on the project, with Habitat to be involved in the construction of up to 10 of the proposed 40 units. 

The land in question currently houses two residential units, which the Town’s Senior Planner Larysa Russell noted would need to be demolished to make way for the new development. A pedestrian walkway is proposed to connect this new development to Dinnick Crescent, located south of the property. 

Dave Matthews, of Matthews Planning and Management, was on hand to address an questions or concerns raised by Council. In representing the developers, Mr. Matthews noted the proposal meets all the criteria highlighted within the municipality’s bylaws, and would assist the Town as it aims to meet growth requirements outlined by the provincial government. 

Manda Jones, a current resident of Dinnick Crescent, noted she was representing “many concerned homeowners” in addressing Council. She expressed concern over the proposed layout of the townhouse development, the walkway that would connect the property with Dinnick Crescent, and potential for increased traffic flow in the area. 

“There are various concerns that have been brought forward that will directly and indirectly affect homeowners in the area,” Ms. Jones noted. “The current layout calls for a double row of townhouses with a road in between. If you look at the plan, you can see the development proposal is very deep on the site. The townhouses are going to be very close to existing homes (along Dinnick Crescent).”

There is an existing tree line that will act as something of a buffer between the proposed development and the homes along Dinnick Crescent. Mr. Matthews these trees likely would not be affected by the development. 

The key concern of Ms. Jones, and other Dinnick residents, was the plan to open up a walkway at the site.

“We feel this walkway will make it convenient for guests to park up along Dinnick Crescent and walk through to the new complex. It’s definitely going to produce more pedestrian traffic on Dinnick. The proposed location of the walkway is right in an area where we’re dealing with issues of visibility. There’s a really bad blind spot on the east bend (of Dinnick), and we do have excessive speeding going on. This could become a big problem,” Ms. Jones stated. 

She suggested that a walkway instead be located to connect the new townhouse complex with Samuel Court. 

“There’s already an existing walkway (on Samuel Court). It’s already there. Obviously this new subdivision needs a walkway, but if you were to move it to Samuel, it would alleviate some of the concerns we have on Dinnick,” Ms. Jones said. 

Going back to the treed area that would separate Dinnick Crescent from the new development, she noted it had become something of a wetland, with flooding in the area occurring with increased regularity in recent years. She was concerned about what would happen if more homes were added to the area, and part of the buffer were to be removed. Mr. Matthews noted concerns regarding flooding were included in a functional services report submitted to the Town, and were, largely, unfounded.

Coun. Todd Taylor queried about how much of an effect this new development would have on property values along Dinnick Crescent. As a local real estate agent, Ms. Jones was primed with an answer.

“Off the top, looking at the development, I feel it would have an effect on homeowners,” she said.

In the end, Council moved to receive the reports presented by Ms. Russell and Mr. Matthews. Coun. Taylor made it clear to Ms. Jones that this was by no means a done deal and would be revisited by Council at a later date. Ms. Jones reiterated how important this was to residents along Dinnick Crescent. 

“We are passionate about where we live, we love where we live and want to continue living here. We hope (Council) appreciates our concerns before making a decision on any approval and includes us (in the process) so that we can have a voice throughout,” Ms. Jones concluded. 

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