The following article appeared in the May 28 edition of the Guelph Mercury:
A proposed Sikh temple for the south end has received a go-ahead from city staff.
With some minor tweaks, planning staff is recommending city councillors approve a zoning bylaw amendment that would allow the Guelph Sikh Society to construct a temple on Clair Road.
“The proposed religious establishment use is appropriate for the site and conforms to Official Plan policies for non-residential uses in areas with residential designation,” reads the report, prepared by senior development planner Katie Nasswetter.
The recommendation will be considered June 7 by city councillors at what is sure to be a well-attended planning meeting.
Law firm Smith Valeriote applied for a zoning amendment on behalf of the society last fall. The proposal would see a temple built in two phases, with a total floor area of 1,280 square metres in the first phase and an additional 692 square metres in the second phase.
The gross floor area calculation does not include the basement, as per the city’s zoning bylaw. City staff is suggesting a zoning regulation be imposed that would cap the building size at 2,000 square metres — unless a new application was brought forward — to address concerns from the public about future expansion.
Other regulations include an enhanced buffer area along the west side of the property to screen it from existing homes and a detailed lighting plan, including a requirement parking lot lighting be turned off overnight.
As well, a servicing and pedestrian corridor linking the property with Goodwin Drive will be blocked to vehicles to address a concern cars would drive through the residential neighbourhood to access the temple property. Initially it was suggested the corridor could be used to allow emergency vehicles access to the property, but Nasswetter’s report indicates staff have determined there is no need for a second driveway because of the temple’s proximity to Clair Road.
The 66-page report includes 14 pages of issues raised by members of the public, along with the staff response to each issue.
Neighbours had raised concerns about the height of the proposed temple and its incompatibility with the surrounding residential neighbourhood. Staff is suggesting the height be capped at 11.5 metres, which would still allow the temple to be built as proposed with a roofline height of 11.2 metres.
The proposal also includes a 6.3-metre-high dome, but the city’s zoning bylaw considers only the height of the roof and exempts structures such as chimneys and steeples.
The report notes the temple building would be at least 45 metres from the nearest residential property “and as such, the architectural style, while different from the surrounding neighbourhood, is separated enough that it will not impact compatibility with neighbouring properties.”
Adam Minnion, chair of the Westminster Woods Residents’ Association and a vocal opponent of the proposal, said he had not seen the staff report when contacted late Thursday afternoon.
“It’s really too bad we have to find out about it like this,” Minnion said. “I wish that given all the controversy and all the communication back and forth between us and the city there would have been better communication (of the decision).”
Minnion said he believed his group mounted a credible opposition to the temple project and was looking forward to reading staff’s rationale for approving the zoning amendment.
“We felt, and we still do feel very strongly, that our information was valid,” he said, suggesting the issue may not end with council’s vote. “The last place anyone wants this to end up is the (Ontario Municipal Board), which is just a waste of money.”
Representatives of the Guelph Sikh Society and its lawyer, John Valeriote, could not be reached late Thursday afternoon.