Guelph City Council got its first official look at a proposed subdivision for Arkell Road Wednesday night.
Rockpoint Properties wants to build 31 single detached dwellings and 60 cluster townhouse units on a 17-acre plot of land on the north side of Arkell Road, between Gordon Street and Victoria Road.
The site is currently occupied by a single detached dwelling and several accessory buildings, all of which will be demolished.
The applicant is seeking several zoning changes on the property, which is currently still zoned agricultural, a zoning that it was given before the City of Guelph annexed the land from Puslinch.
Wednesday’s meeting was for presentation, questions and the required public meeting. No decision was made.
City staff will now take the application and return to council at a later date with
Making the application a little more involved is land to the west of the proposal that is the Torrance Creek Provincially Significant Wetland complex.
The developer, through planning consultant Nancy Shoemaker, said Wednesday that 55 per cent of the development would remain undeveloped and buffer zones are included in the proposal to protect the sensitive land.
The proposal includes a park, park, stormwater management facility, an ecological linkage, a wetland and an emergency access and trail, according to documents filed with the city.
Shoemaker told council that the price of the units is unknown at this point.
The property currently has no road access. Future access to the property would be through Victoria Park Village.
Councillor Leanne Piper Caron said there was the need for a second access, even an emergency one, from Arkell Road.
Senior city planner Michael Witmer said staff is currently evaluating the access situation to the property as part of its review of the proposal.
Several councillors expressed concerns about the transportation network now and in the future as it pertained to this and any nearby future development.
Two people delegated at the meeting.
Delegate Claudia Espindola objected to the amount of development in the south end, the loss of trees and the possible disruption to the surrounding wildlife.
Espindola collected 257 signatures on a petition.
Mary Staples, who owns the farmland to the east of the proposed development, also had several concerns about the ecological impact of the development as well as access to the property. They also wanted their property protected from possible use as a cut through when the new high school is built at the corner of Victoria Road and Arkell Road.
