Cathy Dobson APARTMENTS PROPOSED TO REPLACE ABANDONED HOUSE Local resident Curt Najdzion of Chez Black Developments plans to build a 30-unit apartment building on the southeast corner of Exmouth Street and Indian Road.
Cathy Dobson
APARTMENTS PROPOSED TO REPLACE ABANDONED HOUSE
Local resident Curt Najdzion of Chez Black Developments plans to build a 30-unit apartment building on the southeast corner of Exmouth Street and Indian Road.
But first he needed city council to endorse zoning and official plan changes to allow a five-storey building on a smaller parcel of land that cannot accommodate as many parked vehicles as is normally required.
On Monday, council voted 7-1 in favour of the amendments and gave the project a green light. Coun. Terry Burrell was the only council member who voted against, while Coun. Chrissy McRoberts was absent from the meeting.
“I have real concerns about (insufficient) parking and traffic,” said Burrell. “I think it’s an overdevelopment of the site and won’t support it.”
Coun. Anne Marie Gillis said she shared some of Burrell’s concerns but that the city “desperately” needs new housing and she was compelled to vote in favour.
“I’m ecstatic for the potential of 30 units on that property,” said Coun. Brian White. He called it “intelligent” infill and said many people looking for one and two-bedroom apartments don’t have vehicles and won’t require parking.
Planning consultant Jordan Fohkens of BM Ross spoke on behalf of Chez Black and said a boarded up house stands on the property now and the city wants new development.
He also said owning a car may not be a requirement for future tenants because the area is heavily commercial, there’s a grocery store across the street and it’s on a busy transit route.
Neighbours Denise and Kevin Groves spoke to council about the proposal and said they are in favour of it but concerned about the small property it will occupy and the amount of traffic in the area.
The Groves said they and some of their neighbours would like to talk to Najdzion about selling their properties and giving his apartment building more space.
The proposal is “great for Sarnia,” said Coun. Bill Dennis. “It’s great for our community.”
LOCAL MAN PLEADS FOR MORE TREES AND NATURALIZED AREAS
Retired landscape designer Mike Smalls told council Monday he will voluntarily help preserve and expand Sarnia’s naturalized areas.
The city’s biodiversity is under attack, said Smalls. He wants to see more trees and more naturalized areas in the city’s 60 parks.
“I’m not endorsing entire parks being converted,” he said.
Smalls referred to a motion scheduled later in the meeting from Coun. Bill Dennis that suggested many local residents object to naturalized areas of Mike Weir Park and Berger Road near the Suncor Nature Way. Dennis’ motion called naturalization efforts “unsightly blight” and asked that the city revert to professionally maintaining those areas.
Possibly better plant selection and maintenance of naturalized areas in those parks would improve them without going back to mowed lawns, Smalls said.
But to call them a blight is not the comment of a visionary person, he said.
He suggested the city work at one park at a time to make them more appealing, more attractive to users, more shaded and more treed.
Coun. George Vandenberg agreed the city needs to plant more trees and make many of its parks more appealing.
After his presentation, Smalls stayed at city hall to see what council would decide about Dennis’ motion concerning naturalization. However, a heated exchange between Dennis and the mayor ended the meeting prematurely and the motion was never discussed.
IMPRESSIVE STATS FROM RESEARCH PARK
The Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park on Modeland Road has the potential to double in size over the next five to 10 years, says Executive Director Katherine Albion.
In its first 20 years, the park had an economic impact of more than $1 billion and attracted 27 new companies to Sarnia, she told council Monday.
The park is Canada’s first hybrid cluster, internationally recognized for its modern labs and pilot plant infrastructure. Its commercialization centre is considered Canada’s largest clean tech incubator, focused on large scale industrial biotechnology.
It’s supported 41 startup companies and successfully graduated 24 companies, Albion said.
She outlined the research park’s successes during discussion at city council about the potential for Sarnia to allow residential development nearby.
Research Park officials told council they are concerned that residential uses could clash with the industrial nature of their park.
The city is updating its plans for what’s known as Area 2, bounded by London Line to the north, Blackwell Sideroad to the East, Modeland Road to the west, and the CN Railway to the South. Area 2 is 570 hectares and includes Heritage Park and Blackwell Glen residential developments, Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park, Perch Creek’s corridor and significant woodlands.
The city is studying a full range of uses for the area that includes residential.
“This is one of the most defining discussions this council will make this term,” Mayor Mike Bradley said, adding that he is concerned that the research park will be “hemmed in” in years to come.
Reps of the nearby Langtree Controls engineering firm made similar comments, saying that a proposed roadway near their company as well as the potential for residential development are concerning.
Council will hear more about Area 2 future plans from its consultants in another two to three months.
