After several years of delay, Drayton might soon be getting a seniors’ apartment building.
Council held a public meeting on June 12 to consider an application by Wellington Construction Limited of Palmerston to remove a holding designation from the lands so a 17-unit apartment building could proceed.
The applicant is also proposing eight single family homes.
The subject land is part of lots 18 and 19, Concession 10, block 49 and part of block 48 at Andrew Drive West in Drayton.
The reason the proposal had a holding designation was council needed time to ensure proper servicing for waste water was available.
County planner Linda Redmond, acting for Mapleton, told council it has “seen this one a few times. It is the final one.”
Council has also been working under a minor handicap with zoning applications because it has two zoning bylaws – its old one is still in place and the new one had yet to be approved. That meant council had to contend with two sets of rules in planning issues.
Redmond had some good News about that, telling council the new zoning bylaw was slated for final approval on June 13.
Redmond said the original application had always stated there were plans for a three storey apartment building. She added that provincial Places to Grow legislation is encouraging higher densities in urban centres and the proposal fits with that intent.
She said there is no particular seniors’ housing in the area.
One area resident, Mirda Marek, appeared to have no objection to the proposal, but was concerned about more single family housing lots being available in that area.
He said he already had one but is interested in the sale of others there.
Redmond explained there are plans for other single family homes, and he should talk to the developer about that.
She noted the apartment building will back onto the parking lot of a grocery store.
There was no formal opposition to the proposal.
Councillor Jim Curry told council his main concern is not so much with the apartment as it is with the sewage connections.
He wanted assurance that the sewage lagoon has enough capacity to handle the sewage from an apartment building. He cited a 2008 R.J. Burnside engineering report on the number of units for waste water available at the time.
Chief administrative officer Patty Sinnamon said Burnside has done an update and “allowed another 29 units.”
But Curry wanted to be sure of that. He asked public works director Larry Lynch if there is the possibility of problems.
Lynch said current work on the sewage lagoon is 95 per cent complete and he hopes it is finished by July 1. He added there seems to be plenty of capacity because there are two large cells that are currently empty that can take overflow if required.
“We have lots … We shouldn’t have any issue,” Lynch said.
Curry asked when the lagoons can be emptied.
Lynch said the Ministry of Environment determines when that can happen and how much can be released.
“What’s there, I don’t see any problem,” said Lynch.
He added there would be some transfer of sewage from once cell to another, likely in the coming week “because it’s getting full.”
Lynch said the township is also doing a study on what is coming out of downtown Drayton to the lagoon from houses, and said he foresees no capacity problems from waste water from houses, but he is unsure what might enter the lagoon from the ground.
Mayor Bruce Whale suggested the township obtain flow volumes from the Ontario Clean Water Agency that works with the township so that a situation like last year, when the township needed major work at the lagoon due to capacity issues, does not occur again.
Council then concluded the public meeting and later directed staff to prepare a bylaw for the next meeting on June 26.
