FERGUS – Centre Wellington council has a lot to think about after hearing for a third time in two weeks the pros and cons of allowing taller buildings in downtown Fergus and Elora.
The height limit currently is three storeys.
On April 19, public meetings were held for two proposals – one to allow a four-storey apartment building at 350 St. Andrew St. W. in Fergus and another to allow a four-storey apartment building at the corner of Moir and Geddes Streets in Elora.
On April 26 there was a public meeting on a proposal to allow a five-storey apartment building at 223 St. Andrew St. E. in Fergus.
This proposal is for two commercial units at ground level, four floors with 17 rental apartments above, and surface level parking with 14 spaces at the rear with access from Gowrie Street.
Pierre Chauvin, a planner with MHBC, spoke on behalf of applicant Dave Gillis of Gillis Property Development and Management.
Gillis is also the applicant on the Elora proposal.
This proposal would have:
- six one-bedroom units at about 675 square feet;
- two one-bedroom plus den units at about 750 sq.ft.;
- eight two-bedroom units at about 834 to 970 sq.ft.; and
- one three-bedroom unit at about 1,464 sq.ft.
As well as the parking lot on site, Gillis has an additional nine parking spaces nearby, making a total 23 parking spots available for tenants.
As at the other public meetings, Chauvin noted the housing crisis, the rental shortage in Centre Wellington, and the need for such a project.
“Our objective is not to solve the housing problem, just be a small part of fixing it,” he said.
Gillis produced a package of letters from some of his renters that he distributed to councillors. They speak of the difficulty in finding a safe, legal rental in the township and the need for more rental apartments, he said.
Rosslyn Sutherland attended the meeting and told council she’s filled with “thanks and gratitude” that she was able to find an apartment in Fergus.
“This building is needed,” she said.
Keith Bennett said he’s exactly the kind of person this building is targeting.
“Five storeys are higher than you’d like in downtown maybe, but we need people downtown,” he said.
This is the existing home at 223 St. Andrew St. East, where a five-story apartment building is proposed. Photo by Joanne Shutteworth
Other delegates expressed opposition for the same reasons heard at the previous public meeting: not enough parking, shadows cast on neighbouring homes, it doesn’t fit with the aesthetic, threatens heritage buildings, and is too tall for downtown.
Bruce Lloyd owns the property across the road on Gowrie, where there are 50 surface parking spaces. Parking is for tenants and customers of the building, but others regularly use his lot, he said.
He predicts that will become even worse when construction begins and workers will scoop the parking spots meant for his tenants, he said. And once the building is complete, there will be more people fighting for the same few available spots, he said.
Shawn Meunier lives across the road on St. Andrew Street above Fergies Fine Food, a place he loves.
But he’s concerned about parking, height and the choice of building materials for this project.
He said the existing three-storey height restriction is sensible and should not be breached. He said the extra nine parking spaces Gillis says he has across the road should not be included in the parking inventory because they exist today and are jammed already.
“I understand the housing crisis, but this is not the way to do it,” Meunier said.
‘Three storeys is plenty’
He later clarified he’s not against an apartment building on the site, “I’m just against five storeys,” he said. “Three storeys is plenty. That alone will cause issues.”
Sonya Day said she moved to Fergus from Belwood and now lives on St. Andrew Street East.
“The place is already jammed with cars, and you want to ram in this big building,” she said.
“There’s this fanciful idea that people won’t need cars; that they will walk everywhere. But that is not the case. They all have cars, and you need more parking spaces.”
Mayor Shawn Watters reiterated what he said at the April 19 public meeting.
“These are tough issues to talk about. There is a need for all types of housing, and we need a variety of pricing as well,” he said.
‘Housing is a human right’
“Housing is a human right. Your comments were heartfelt and appreciated.”
Councillor Bronwynne Wilton declared a conflict of interest (she is married to Chauvin) and left the meeting.
Council made no decisions at this meeting. The matter will return to council at a future date.
