City council is expected to decide the fate of three redevelopment proposals on Monday evening, including the partial replacement of a Willow Road plaza with apartment buildings and demolition of a Victoria Road North home to make way for stacked townhouses.
In separate reports to council, city staff recommends approval of them all.
The meeting is set for this Monday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. It will be streamed live at guelph.ca/live.
Here’s a summary of those two projects:
45-75 Willow Rd.
The owners of 45 to 75 Willow Rd. want to see much of the commercial plaza located west of Dawson Road replaced by two six-storey buildings with commercial units on the ground floor and a total of 115 residential units above
Initially submitted in 2019, the project included 130 units but has since been lessened.
In order for the redevelopment to go forward, a zone change has been sought from community commercial to specialized community commercial. The current cap on building height is three storeys.
During a January, 2020 public meeting, area residents expressed concerns with the size and affordability of planned units, as well as the retaining existing business services in the plaza. That meeting was held before the number of units was decreased.
77 Victoria Rd. N.
If approved, the home and several small auxiliary buildings at 77 Victoria Rd. N. would be demolished to make way for 18, three-storey stacked townhouses. The long, narrow lot sits immediately north of St. John Catholic School, near Grange Road.
When first submitted in late 2020, the proposal featured 24, three-storey stacked townhouses but the quantity has been reduced.
In order for the project to go ahead as-is, the property owner is requesting site specific official plan amendment allowing for 58 units per hectare, up from 35. Rezoning from institutional to a specialized residential cluster townhouse is also being sought.
A total of 27 parking spaces are proposed, including 5 visitor parking spaces, with vehicular access from Victoria Road.
During a January, 2021 public meeting, held before the number of proposed units was reduced, area residents raised concerns about overflow parking and the development’s impact on traffic, as well as its proximity to the school, limited greenspace for residents and building heights.
Omar St./Alma St
Also up for a decision on Monday is a proposal to redevelop 7 and 9 Omar St. and 19 Alma St. N. Property owner Knight Lumber Ltd. is looking to develop two new single detached homes and redevelop two existing single detached homes, one with a detached garage.
The deadline to register as a delegate or make a written submission for the Feb. 14 meeting is Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. To register, visit guelph.ca/delegation, call 519-837-5603 or email [email protected].
