A proposal to build a new townhouse on Stadacona Street East is not sitting well with Anna Kwasnica or her neighbours because they don’t believe officials have satisfactorily answered their concerns.
City council held a public hearing during its Aug. 14 regular meeting about an amendment to Bylaw 5701, which dealt with rezoning 476 Stadacona Street East to an R2 medium-density residential district from an R1 large-lot low-density residential district to accommodate a five-unit, two-storey townhouse.
Kwasnica — who lives a few houses away from the empty lot — and a few neighbours attended the meeting while she spoke on their behalf.
Homeowners face difficulties finding parking on their street — and in front of their homes — almost year-round because Prince Arthur School is nearby and parents illegally block area driveways, said Kwasnica. Furthermore, it’s typical to see buses “barrelling down” the street during the day.
The proposed development designates one parking spot per unit, but most families have more than one vehicle, she continued. She wondered how council saw parking improving for existing homeowners with this project, especially when residents regularly complain to city hall and the police about the parking troubles.
“If this multi-unit development goes ahead, these issues will be exacerbated for the people already living here. If your concern is for the constituents, you would consider this (concern) instead of just passing a motion,” Kwasnica stated.
Another concern is these townhouse units could turn into low-income housing, and while city hall has said that won’t happen, Kwasnica and others are worried that council will change the bylaw before the purchase agreement is in place — the planning department doesn’t even have design drawings yet — and enable someone to buy every unit and make them low income.
“I don’t know if (you) can guarantee that this will not be low income in the future, (but) this will significantly reduce all our property values in the area,” she said. “That’s something that a lot of us faced after the (former Union) Hospital was demolished.”
Kwasnica didn’t think all five parking stalls — plus a handicap-accessible stall — could fit on the lot because of its size. Moreover, the site lacks a designated garbage collection area, another requirement the developer must fulfill before council can amend the bylaw.
This area is a heritage neighbourhood, with Kwasnica’s home built in 1904 and her family owning it since 1979. The area also has mature trees, while there is a mix of turn-of-the-20th-century homes and ones from the 1950s and ’60s.
The homeowner pointed out that the developer built a similar townhouse in Regina and it would not match the aesthetics of her street since it’s a contemporary square block. She also wondered what would happen to the mature trees on that lot.
Another concern residents have is whether city hall has upgraded the underground infrastructure to accommodate the extra townhouses, specifically, whether there is enough water pressure in the hydrants.
“These lines are already old and in desperate need of repair,” Kwasnica said, noting existing residents could lose water pressure, the pipes could burst, or the townhouse may not have enough water flow during a fire.
“This is a huge concern for us and we do not know if this has been addressed yet.”
Kwasnica criticized city hall’s consultation on this issue, saying the letter that homeowners received about the public hearing said the meeting started at 5:30 p.m. instead of 4 p.m., while the start time meant residents could not attend because they were working.
“Please do something right for us forgotten-about east-enders … . We always seem to be forgotten about when it comes to streets, pathways and most other city services,” she said, while encouraging council to leave the zoning untouched and let someone build a single-family unit instead.
Council later voted to table the amendment to the Sept. 11 meeting so it could receive more information and potentially hear from the developer.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Aug. 28.
