The revised next phase of a New Sudbury subdivision consisting of 172 semi-detached units was greenlit by a near-unanimous planning committee on Monday.
Several area residents pre-empted the vote by speaking out against Dalron Construction Ltd.’s revised Royal Oaks/Nickeldale subdivision phase during the meeting’s public hearing.
Among their chief concerns were the loss of informal greenspace on Dalron-owned property and added traffic to area streets — namely, Forestdale Drive and Montrose Avenue.
Despite these concerns, Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann was alone in voting against the revised subdivision plan.
A thorn in some residents’ sides was a past master plan Dalron used several years ago to promote the project, which included a great deal more green space than later plans allowed for.
This includes the latest plan revision, which the planning committee approved on Monday.
During the meeting, area resident Kathy Browning lamented the shift away from Dalron’s past plans for the subdivision’s future phases, which did not come to fruition.
“It seems that it’s just all about building and not looking at promises that were previously made to people who actually bought homes in the area,” she said.
Dalron, she added, is more “about building and making money,” and less about “quality of life with better air quality, less noise and less density within an area.”
Representing the developer, Tulloch Engineering project manager Kevin Jarus noted they’ve met the requirement for five-per-cent greenspace, and included extra parcels of greenspace to accommodate the neighbourhood’s request to maintain a trail through the development.
The current revised subdivision plan also includes 27 fewer units than the previously draft-approved plan, which Jarus noted would result in less traffic than in previous proposals.
The subdivision itself is in the New Sudbury neighbourhood, stretching west from Montrose Avenue and beginning just north of Forestdale Drive.
Forestdale Drive currently ends with a cul-de-sac to the west, but the next phase of development will see its western end curve north and meander toward Maley Drive before curving back east toward Montrose Avenue.
During Monday’s meeting, area residents described Forestdale Drive as already being unsafe due in part to its incline, and requested it permanently end with a cul-de-sac.
“It’s not an easy street to drive up,” area resident Brian Miller said, noting it becomes a safety hazard during the winter. “It’s a dangerous street the way it’s laid out now.”
Although the development’s next phase calls for 172 units, future phases will include additional units on land stretching northward, putting additional strain on Forestdale Drive.
During Monday’s meeting, Landry-Altmann sought to address these concerns by deferring a decision on the revised subdivision plan to the May 27 meeting.
By then, she requested that city staff draft plans to include two additional cul-de-sacs at Forestdale Drive’s western end. This includes the current cul-de-sac and one to its immediate north to close off what would have otherwise been the street’s northward extension.
City planning services director Kris Longston advised against Landry-Altmann’s proposal..
“The city’s (Official Plan) policy calls for a connected street network, and a reduction of cul-de-sacs,” he said. “The proposed connection at Forestdale as described has been on the books for almost 50 years now, and to provide that connection would provide that secondary access to those residents should there be an emergency.”
In the end, only planning committee chair and Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier supported the deferral. Landry-Altmann’s vote was the only one lodged against the proposal as tabled.
Monday’s planning committee decision still needs to be ratified by city council as a whole on Tuesday evening, but the committee’s near-unanimous points to a likelihood it will be approved.
The planning committee includes Cormier, Landry-Altmann, Ward 4 Coun. Pauline Fortin, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc and Ward 6 Coun. René Lapierre.
Dalron representative Kristi Arnold told the committee on Monday that the firm’s plan is to begin construction on the subdivision’s next phase this spring, beginning with semi-detached units built along the western side of Montrose Avenue. The map provided to the committee includes 10 lots along Montrose, including room for 20 units.
“Pending market conditions,” she said the plan would be to progress westward through the subdivision.
All of the units will be sold at market rates.
“The current demographic or clientele that are purchasing semi-detached in this area ... ranges from first-time homebuyers right down to empty nesters,” Arnold said. “We will have a variety of housing types to address all of those needs.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
