Councillor Pammer wanted to confirm whether or not there are are storm sewers on Dewan. Tim Williams, Manager of Planning, added that in front of this particular location, there are not. Councillor Pammer also wanted to know with that parking lot being at the back, and if the municipality approved for parking on that section of the lot and it flooded and cars floated away, who would be liable. Jennifer Huff, Director of Building & Planning, added there would be some complications as it wouldn't only be approved by municipality, but also conservation authority permit at play as well, and whether or not it was constructed as what is required by the approved plan. All factors would come into play and most likely the municipality would be brought into a legal matter but it wouldn't be clear cut. Councillor Pammer added that she is not in favour of the proposal, primarily because it lacks the infrastructure and doesn't have urban standard on that road with sidewalks, curbs, possibly not enough storm sewers, drainage problems, flooding problems, road width problems, turn around problems, garbage problems, and this is not the road to be doing this on. The Councillor believes in intensification and thinks we need that but it needs to be in place where we have the infrastructure to support it.
Mayor Grantham echoed Councillor Pammer's comments and thinks that intensification is necessary, however not where it isn't appropriate.
Deputy Mayor McGuire echoed the comments and explained that the subject lands are within the designated Settlement Area of Strathroy. The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), the Middlesex County Official Plan, and the Strathroy-Caradoc Official Plan all encourage intensification in settlement areas on full municipal services, provided the development is compatible with the surrounding area and represents an orderly and efficient use of land and this does not. Section 1.1.3.1 of the PPS states that settlement areas will be the focus of growth. Land use patterns within settlement areas shall be based on: Densities and a mix of land uses which are appropriate for. Deputy Mayor McGuires noted that this is not appropriate for. Section 2.4.1 of the Strathroy-Caradoc Official Plan states residential intensification and redevelopment are encouraged where compatible with existing development and infrastructure is appropriate. The Deputy Mayor added that this is not compatible with existing development and infrastructure is not appropriate in the way of storm sewers. Section 2.4.6 of Strathroy-Caradoc Official Plan establishes that residential intensification shall be encouraged in settlement areas where it is complementary to, and compatible with, the nature, scale, design, and general character of neighbouring development and in his opinion, this is not.
Councillor Pelkman attended the open house and made comments clear at the time that there cannot be a single car on the street as a result of this development. The Councillor added that this is a very narrow street and when it rains there are big puddles. Councillor Pelkman can't support this development due to the garbage issue, there is 4 feet between the edge of the roadway and the front door, so that means you're stepping onto road and there will be no room for 6 garbage/6 recycling bins. Snow removal is also another issue
Councillor Brennan agreed with all the comments that have been said, adding that if this were to go forward, what's to stop a developer from buying other houses on these deep lots on the same street and putting in 6 or 8 or 10 and at some point the street would be even more overloaded then it is now. Agreed this is too narrow and there's not enough infrastructure but if it were to proceed, how do we say no to the next development, or the one after and suddenly you have 32 or 45 and we already know that the infrastructure is inadequate to support that and that the road is not up to a full urban standard. Councillor Brennan added that there are places in town where you have storm sewers and all amenities required, but this is not the place and cannot support this.
Councillor Kennes agreed with everyone's comments adding that this is not a street that can handle a lot of traffic, and if we set a president here, it only adds to the problem in the future.