If there was anything that could have been celebrated April 12 when residents of the Lo-Ellen area of the city met with developper Dalron Group representatives over a proposal to develop 15 lots near Bennett Lake, it's that residents stood united to save Bennett Lake, according to one resident.
Gregory Dalton and some 75 other residents of the area packed a small classroom at R.L. Beattie School to learn of Dalron's plans to extend Fairlane Drive and develop 15 lots to build single-family dwellings. The proposed site lies on the southwest corner of Bennett Lake, and Dalron's plans would have a “detrimental” effect on the watershed, Dalton said.
“Bennett Lake is a shallow body of water that flows directly into Nepahwin Lake, and the impact of even one house on that lake could be detrimental; it's a beautiful resource,” he said.
Furthermore, Bennett Lake is used as an outdoor classroom by Laurentian University and area schools, the trails are used daily by hundreds of people for the purpose of biking, walking and jogging, and they provide a view of the city in all directions.
Dalton said the issue with Dalron dates back about eight years, when the company first came forward with a proposal for a full condominium development on the entire 40 acres. The plan was to build 240 high-density and smaller-density units.
“I am thrilled that 100 per cent of the residents who showed up (April 12) were in favour of saving the watershed,” he said. “For me, that's paramount. There was no division between residents ... we were all on the same page, and we all want to save that watershed as a gem in the city.”
That wasn't the case eight years ago, though. Dalton said there was divisiveness between those who were opposed to high-density housing and those who were looking to save Bennett Lake. When the community mobilized, Dalton's intent right for the start was to target the watershed's importance to the city.
“I realized the value the trails have had over the past 50 years, and how they are a resource for the entire community,” he said. “People travel from all over Sudbury to enjoy the area.”
Aside from the environmental impact Dalton said the project would have, residents are concerned about what adding more homes to the neighbourhood would to do infrastructure that is already taxed beyond measure.
The intersection of Montel Street and Latimer Crescent is deadly as it is, he said, and putting an additional 100 vehicles a day on that road is unsafe. Furthermore, a huge hump on Hunter Street also poses a serious threat. There are no sidewalks, and motorists can't see pedestrians until they are almost right on top of them, he said.
As for the infrastructure, “it would be like building another level onto your house when your basement is crumbling.”
Ward 10 Coun. Frances Caldarelli said Dalron's plan doesn't make sense, because there are too many problems with the infrastructure in that area. The concerns by residents for traffic, road conditions and water and sewer problems “are the absolute truth.”
“If Dalron builds these houses, even though it's a small number, there will be trucks coming in and out during construction, there will be blasting ... I think it's a poor place to put this development, and it isn't good timing. The city is just starting to do some infrastructure repair in the Lo-Ellen area.”
Caldarelli received confirmation through an email during the meeting that some road work will be done on Loach's Road this summer, the first of three phases of road work that will be done over the years, and new watermains will be installed on Latimer this year.
“This is a big piece of property, and Dalron is coming to us with only a small portion of it,” she said. “That, in and of itself, is a concern, because people want to know the bigger picture.”
The city has a greenspace committee, which has seen this area around Bennett Lake and realized its importance to the city, she said, which begs the question, “should we be encouraging development that is going to completely wreck that?”
Kristi Arnold, a planning and development spokesperson with Dalron, said the company isn't surprised by the reaction of residents. That area has been controversial and a hot-button topic since 2006 when Dalron originally proposed the development of an adult lifestyle community.
“At that time, the message came back loud and clear that residents wanted only single family dwellings built in the area,” she said. “This is a proposal for Phase 1 of the development, with the rest to be dealt with at a future date. We own the property, which is designated under the city's Official Plan for residential development, and it has been for 50 years.
“In our mind, we feel that we've done our due diligence in the sense that it is designated as thus, and there are opportunities to have adequate services to the homes that are built there,” she said. “This (section of the parcel) seemed to be an easy pocket of land that is self-contained, and we eventually plan to deal with the other part of it when there are better road connections.”
There's is nothing in the official plan that says companies can't develop in a watershed, although Dalron is certainly cognizant of the fact it has to take precautions such as protecting the water quality going down into the lake, Art Potvin, a professional developer working for Dalron, said.
The houses will typically be built at the front of the lots, and the back yards are what would be part of the watershed, Potvin said. The lots would measure roughly 150 feet deep.
There is also an opportunity to look at dedication of land to the municipality at some point, which could be used for park purposes, but that discussion would have to take place with the city to see exactly what they are looking at, Potvin added.
Contrary to what residents think, this property isn't located on a city-designated greenbelt, he said.
“It's private property, all designated residential, and it has been for 50 years.”
Potvin said this type of opposition is what Dalron faces no matter where it has plans for development.
“Development is going to take place, which is why the city has these official plans, which are used by developers to determine where they will invest in property set aside for these purposes,” he said.
The proposal will tentatively go before the city's planning committee on May 14, but residents of the area will ask for a second planning meeting, “because it will give us more time to prepare and to discuss other people's concerns,” Dalton said.
Residents had very little time to prepare for the meeting.
“We had only two days really to get flyers out to the residents,” he said. “We put out more than 200 letters, and Dalron said it mailed out just over 100 letters, but there are about 450 residents in the area.”
Caldarelli, a former member of the planning committee, said she can't foretell what will happen when the proposal comes before councillors.
“It's a different planning committee from when I was a member of it, but this committee turned down a Dalron proposal on Howie Drive last year, so you never know.”
Posted by Jenny Jelen.
