MINTO – Council has approved a zoning amendment for the Harriston Heights townhouse development to facilitate a Plan of Condominium application from the developer.
Council passed a bylaw approving the amendment on Dec. 18.
A public meeting was held on Nov. 6 regarding the amendment to the George Street North property, the former site of the Harriston Senior School building.
The change is designed to create a common element condominium, to permit the units and associated parcels to become freehold ownership and to permit frontage for each lot to be accessed by a private road.
On Nov. 6, council deferred the proposal to the Dec. 18 meeting after questions were raised about the proposal’s compliance with conditions imposed by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
George Street residents Kerri and Rolf Schuttel, along with the town and a previous owner of the development, signed onto minutes of settlement to an OMB-brokered agreement in 2016.
At the Nov. 6 meeting, Kerri Schuttel expressed concern the development, as currently proposed, doesn’t meet all of the conditions.
Among the concerns, she noted, is a request for a rear yard setback of five metres. She said the minutes of settlement specify a 5.64-metre setback.
The developer agreed to review the concerns.
On Dec. 18 a report from Wellington County planner Linda Redmond noted the applicant amended their drawings and their initial request to remove the reduction to five metres.
“The proposal will now meet the minimum 5.64m rear yard setback and the amending bylaw reflects this setback as per the OMB settlement,” Redmond stated in the report.
“I think all our concerns on the zoning issues have definitely been looked after,” said Mayor George Bridge.
In a letter to the municipality, the Schuttels agreed the concerns they raised have been addressed in the revised bylaw.
However, the letter notes, “While the rear yard setback issue is fully resolved to our satisfaction ‘on paper,’ we have yet to receive confirmation that it’s been resolved in the structural development that has occurred.”
The letter indicates the Schuttels are awaiting a response from the chief building official asking for confirmation the rear yard setback for the first permitted building met the required 5.64 metre distance, “as footings were prepared and poured in the days immediately following the public meeting.”
The letter also indicates the Schuttels are concerned about the development meeting a one-storey building height maximum requirement which is also included in the minutes of settlement.
“We want to ensure that we share the same understanding of the provision as council,” the letter states.
“To achieve this, we feel strongly that clarification is needed on the interpretation of the one-storey … maximum as presented in the proposed bylaw,” the Schuttels add. “With that, we have no further concerns with the proposed bylaw and as we previously expressed, we feel that this development is an asset to the community and a welcomed addition to our neighbourhood.”
Council accepted Redmond’s report and approved the bylaw amendment as presented.
