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Three-storey apartment building proposed for Queen Street south |
Kincardine council To Comment on this article Click Here |
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three-storey, 18-unit apartment building is proposed for a vacant lot
on Queen Street south, but the neighbours are not too keen on it. In planning advisory committee Wednesday night (March 10), Kincardine council heard about the project from Bruce County planner Bruce Stickney. The applicants, Dennis and Carol Pierson, c/o Keith Battler, require amendments to both the Official Plan and the zoning bylaw, to permit this high-density residential development. Stickney said the land, located on the east side of Queen Street, south of the old Westario Power building, must be rezoned to "Residential Four Special" from "Highway Service Commercial" to permit the apartment building. A holding provision will be placed on the property until a 'record of site' is supplied, ensuring there is no soil contamination, he said. Mary Lynn Young, owner of the Lakeview Motel for 10 years, said her business is directly across from the proposed apartment building. She is concerned about the timing of construction, slated for the summer, which is her busiest time. She doesn't want to lose customers because of the noise, dust and traffic from the nearby construction site. "During tourist time, we have about 10 weeks, from the Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving, to make money on our business," she said. "We need that summer income to coast through the winter. If we are across from a construction site, people will not want to stay here." She would prefer that construction began after the Labour Day weekend. Young is also concerned that the building will be three storeys high, permitting residents to see into the single-storey motel and invading the privacy of her guests. Plus, she said traffic is already a problem in that area, so close to the intersection of Queen Street and Kincardine Avenue. "It's especially busy in the summer," she said. "There are two variety stores in the area, and an elementary school down the road." Colleen and Steve Dereniwski, owners of the Kincardinite Motel for 10 years, also brought their objections to the project. They said there is an accident at the nearby intersection at least twice a year, and there are small children around because of the school and the Ontario Works building in the area. "If the apartment building is three storeys high, the residents will be looking into our pool," said Colleen Dereniwski. "They'll also be backing alongside my property so I'd like a privacy fence there." Janis Shewfelt of 374 Princess St. which backs onto the proposed project, is also concerned about privacy and doesn't want people looking into her backyard. The three-storey building will also block her lake view, and devalue her property, she said. In addition, she doesn't know how the lot can accommodate 23 parking spaces plus a building, when Pierson could barely fit 30 parked cars on that site. Battler said the apartment building will be constructed at the west end of the lot, leaving plenty of room between it and Shewfelt's property so there is no problem with privacy. As for the motels, he said it's interesting that the owners are concerned about a proposed apartment building. "Under the current zoning, we could build a motel and be in direct competition with them," he said.
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Battler said Queen Street is a designated major thoroughfare and the volume of traffic is not a problem. In response to concerns about construction, he said the work would be done during the daytime, Monday to Friday, not during evenings and weekends. Councillor Randy Roppel asked about height restrictions, but Stickney said they are the same as are allowed in the highway commercial zone, so there is no change. Regarding privacy, Stickney said that has been dealt with by the applicant meeting the setbacks required in the zoning bylaw. Deputy
mayor Laura Haight suggested Battler supply council with a 3D image so
it could visualize what a three-storey building would look like on that
lot. This could also help resolve any conflict with the neighbours, she
said. "We are well within the requirements," said Battler. "The old Westario Power building is two storeys tall." Councillor
Ron Hewitt said he was unsure if council could do anything about the
construction schedule during the summer. As for the three-storey
project, he said the province is urging municipalities to infill with
high-density residential development on Queen Street. |
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