Councillors have provided preliminary approval for the development of new buildings and additions to existing structures in Peterborough’s downtown neighbourhood. Both major developments seek to address issues related to the availability of housing in Peterborough while also intensifying the downtown core.

A staff report recommending a by-law amendment to a property located at 191-195 was approved by councillors and once the decision is ratified by council, it will allow the owners to construct an addition to the existing structure which will contain three additional dwellings. 

The property is a historically designated site known as the Baptie House and currently contains three dwelling units. The proposed amendments will also consolidate two existing properties for the purposes of acquiring a building permit for the additional units.

However, long-time resident of London Street, Darlene Balam, voiced her disapproval of this addition. 

“I totally reject this development,” Balam told councillors during her delegation, citing her specific and existing concerns regarding available parking following five years of recent development along the residential street on the north end of Peterborough’s downtown.

Balam also worries about the possibility of people beginning to park on the property’s front lawn, as she has seen happen elsewhere and about the possibility of the lawn being turned into a parking pad for residents and visitors.

Current city residential zoning by-laws require 1.5 parking spaces per unit, however the amendment would allow for an exception for this property to provide 1.16 spaces per unit, for a total of seven parking spaces for the property once completed.

Katherine Van Beek of D.M. Wills Associates Ltd., the agent for the applicant in this matter, spoke to the fact that this project is an example of the “gentle intensification” that Peterborough requires and how projects such as this one fall in line with provincial growth plans and the city of Peterborough’s own official plan. 

Property owner Leanne Howat, who has owned the property for seventeen years stated that she has no intention of allowing her tenants to park on the lawn, nor does she foresee ever turning the property’s front lawn into a parking pad.

“I take pride in the fact that this is a heritage home,” she said.  

Howat told councillors that she is very clear with her tenants regarding the parking situation and that her tenants provide phone numbers, vehicle descriptions, and license plates so that neighbours are aware of who to contact should an issue arise surrounding parking and the use of a shared laneway on the property.

Currently, the property allows for one parking spot per residence, she said.  

Monaghan Ward councillor Kevin Duguay, who was a city planner for over fifteen years before starting a private planning and consulting business in the city, stated that he feels that this project is a “modest addition to an existing building in our downtown” and that the proposal “represents good planning and should proceed.”

The motion to approve the report passed 8-2 with both Town Ward councillors Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk voting against it and Mayor Jeff Leal being away on vacation. 

Another project before council on Monday concerned the development of a six-story apartment building located at 539 George Street North on the site of the former Vinnie’s thrift store. 

The proposed build, which is being developed by ZZY Properties, includes ninety-five residential dwellings - a discrepancy between the seventy-two units listed on the developer’s website. Laura Stone of One Community Planning stated that this is reflective of the developer’s recognition of the need for more one-bedroom units. 

She noted that while the number of bedrooms will stay at the proposed 133, the number of units has increased. Fifty-three of the units in the proposed building will be studio apartments, Stone told council.

Stone also told council that during the meeting she had been in contact with her client and that they would commit to this building being made up of 20% affordable housing for a time period of twenty years with the rate being set by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). She was, however, unable to provide an exact rate at which these units would be rented out at, but promised that information would be provided to council prior to ratification at the next council meeting on April 24th.

Parking again was a major point of contention during discussion. Under current city zoning by-laws, a residential building such as the one proposed would require 101 parking spots. However, the developer’s proposal only includes thirty-two. 

In recognition of the required exception to this by-law, the developer is seeking to provide “cash-in-lieu” for the missing parking spots - an arrangement which would see the city collect approximately $7,100 per anticipated missing parking spot in order to pay for the city’s building and maintaining parking elsewhere in the city. 

This resulted in Ashburnham Ward councillor, Keith Riel, calling for a deferral on this proposal until the issue of parking for the site could be addressed adequately.

"All of the builds that are going to happen will need parking,” Riel said. “This myth that everyone's going to jump on a bus or ride a bike is a myth. People have cars."

While other members of council stated their sympathies with the issue of parking, they remained conscious of the fact that any delay in addressing the need for more housing in the city is misguided.

Monaghan Ward councillor, Lesley Parnell, specifically noted the fact that the proposed project adheres to local and provincial planning criteria and will specifically address the need for more student housing in the downtown. 

Students, she noted, are a “vital part of our community” who need housing. She added that Trent students are likely to live in this building and that they utilize and contribute to transit in the community. 

Riel’s motion of a deferral failed by a vote of 7-1 with only him in support. Councillor Duguay and Northcrest Ward’s Dave Haacke had previously declared a conflict of interest on the matter.

The motion to accept the report passed 7-1 with only Riel voting against. 

‍Arthur has reached out to Simon Zhang of YYZ Properties to learn more about how he sees this development addressing the needs of students and low-income individuals in the community. Further details about the development will be reported on as they become available.