Councillors here have rejected a zone change application to permit several apartments in Alma.
Peter and Kary Thiessen had applied for a zoning amendment for 13 Elora Street North in Alma to allow a second apartment in their existing shop building and to convert the existing dwelling into two apartment units.
Councillors heard the property currently has a site-specific commercial zone to allow a residence and a small manufacturing business, or a small veterinary clinic.
Planner Charlie Toman told council the Thiessens would need one parking unit for every apartment, and he recommended that number of spaces, particularly for reasons of overnight parking.
He added the township should check with the building inspector to ensure there is enough sewage capacity with the septic tank on the property.
Peter Thiessen said there was likely enough capacity for eight to ten people, and he had already replaced a dug well with one drilled 185-feet deep, so water should not be a problem.
There was no one to speak in support of the application, nor to oppose it.
Council did receive three letters of opposition, mostly concerns with parking and sewage disposal.
Councillor Bruce Whale wondered how many bedrooms would be in the four apartments.
County planner Linda Redmond stated that was not specified in the application.
Whale said it could be 2.5 people on average for the four units, and that would mean ten people living on the property. He added that is a change of use for the lot.
Councillor Mike Downey was also concerned with parking. He said five spots did not accommodate a vet clinic, and with it having five parking spots itself, “I think you’re really stretching it for five. It’s up to eight vehicles – a bare minimum of six. There’s probably at least two vehicles per house.”
Plus, Downey said, “I have a real issue with septic on a quarter acre lot.”
Toman argued that the minimum requirement for parking is four spaces, and the Thiessens were planning for more than that.
But Downie replied, “In my opinion, it’s not enough.”
Councillor Dennis Craven added that he, too, was concerned about parking.
Downie said the land was “a commercial property that never should have had a residence attached to it … That’s a mistake of the past.”
When council considered the application, Craven said he would want to see something from an engineer or the Public Health Unit that states that the septic system is adequate for the number of people that would be allowed on the property.
When it came to a vote, Downey, Craven, and Whale were all opposed, and the application was defeated. Councillor Jim Curry was absent.
