The following article appeared in the March 6 edition of the Guelph Mercury:
Guelph city council gave a Podium Developments project adjacent to Marianne’s Park on Gordon Street two key approvals Monday night. But some fear the townhouse condominium plan could end up going to battle at the Ontario Municipal Board despite council’s decision.
Many council members say ample opportunities were provided for public input on a project delicately situated close to the banks of the Speed River. But the collective voice of many who felt left out of the consultation process was raised at Monday’s council meeting.
Lawyer Ian Flett was retained by 29 neighbours of the proposed 180 Gordon Street residential development to deliver one clear message to council. Flett said his clients were of the opinion that not enough consultation on the details of the project had been carried out. Those 29 neighbours want the process to continue until they are satisfied with the result.
Flett, speaking on behalf of his clients, said the “proposal has defects in it,” and that seeking an amendment to Guelph’s official plan to allow the project to go ahead is premature. Neighbours, Flett said, question the angular plane of the project, its nearness to the river and its size. Podium wants to build a two-storey, 11-unit building — a considerably reduced version of its original plan.
Daphne Wainman-Wood, president of the Old University Neighbourhood Residents’ Association, also voiced opposition to the project as it stands, saying there has been “no real conversation” on the proposal and that there is still time for meaningful dialogue to everyone’s satisfaction.
Hugh Whiteley, community activist and adjunct professor of water resources engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph, said during the meeting that the proposal was not ready for approval. He said there are a number of outstanding issues, including the project’s parking, its distance from the river, and the density of the development. A project of seven or eight units is more reasonable, he said.
He urged council not to make a decision that “cuts off the work of the neighbourhood,” and essentially bypasses what the neighbourhood wants.
Ward 2 Coun. Ian Findlay and Ward 6 Coun. Karl Wettstein articulated during the meeting that a mid-June deadline on the application could force it into an Ontario Municipal Board challenge.
Ward 5 Coun. Lise Burcher admitted the Podium proposal was challenging, as all infill projects are. But Burcher said the “strong, traditional urban built form” of the project, as well as its contributions to cultural/social development of the river, made it one she could support.
Both Ward 1 Coun. Bob Bell and Ward 5 Coun. Leanne Piper expressed concerns about the proximity of the project to the river — a full 10 metres closer than the city’s 30-metre restriction for river edge construction.
In the end, council voted 8-3 to permit a reduced setback from the river edge, and 9-2 to change the zoning of the property from a convenience commercial and floodway zone to permit cluster townhouses at 180 Gordon St.