Application for an Official Plan Amendment to change the designation from the current “Low Density Residential” designation to a site specific “Low Density Residential” designation…

20:29mix up with the notice that went out on this with the timing uh that was relayed to the radius of

20:36the community of where this project is versus the start time of our agenda that we had the actual

20:42meeting on. When we became aware of it it was clear that we had to we have to do it over again. So

20:48we are here to um to do it over again to do it right and uh we're very sorry that this has happened

20:54to both the the neighborhood and to also to the proponents as well you know this is this is a mistake

21:01and we clearly uh want to make sure that we do things right and that's why we're here today to

21:05to revote on this item. To do that though we need to hear still hear from the public and we need to

21:11go through the same exact format that we did last time. So it's a public meeting and decision

21:16meeting all in one and uh so we'll go through that same format that we always do under the

21:21planning act okay. So with that um you know we're going to start right away. We have a few delegations

21:27Martha and Morgan Adams is the proponents of this uh this project and you can feel free to come on up

21:34and just so everyone knows you have no more than 10 minutes if you need it please don't go over the

21:4010 minutes you'll hear like a a chime at the 9 minute 30 second mark as a warning that you have

21:46only 30 seconds left. If you don't need the whole 10 minutes that's also fine as well um and then

21:51just stick around just in case there is a follow-up question from anybody okay and I know for many

21:56people here and I know some people have always watched uh this online this may be repetitive

22:01but as I said we're going to do the meeting over over again okay. So uh welcome to you Martha and

22:07Morgan and I'll turn it over to you go ahead. Good afternoon Councillors we didn't expect to see you

22:13so soon um for us uh you know we want to thank you for your strong support last time we're hoping we

22:19get it again today um for our presentation I know you've heard it before but we're happy to go through

22:25it again um we'll start here at the beginning. Council members I believe in positive repetition

22:32and so I am honored at the opportunity to share with you again about our project uh you know

22:43343 Waterloo Avenue is what we affectionately called 343 and in our commercial space our tenants

22:56weren't just a group of local businesses operating uh they really were a community that we nurtured

23:03from regular potlucks to celebrating milestones that community was very much there and then

23:10unfortunately came the day that an arsonist uh entered our building and aimed to attack one of

23:16our tenants thankfully and again we are still grateful today that everyone was safe but unfortunately

23:26the space for the community that we built uh and nurtured had been destroyed and so

23:35we do believe that from adversity does come opportunity and the tragic loss of 343 to arson

23:42was and it is a continued time of hardship for Morgan and I however um we stand before you with a

23:51renewed vision one that aligns with Guelph's leadership in sustainability affordability

23:58and community growth. Here we have just for reference purposes the plan um for you there

24:06as we all know Ontario is in a housing crisis right we experience unprecedented housing shortage

24:12and Guelph is no exception and so one of the things that we wanted to provide an offer into the city

24:17was an opportunity to um help with that constraint for this development what we're proposing is an

24:26environmentally responsible uh building includes three residential floors with nine rental units

24:33directly contributing to the housing supply here in Guelph the first floor will be rebuilt

24:38but solely for our business no other commercial tenants. One of the many things that Morgan and I

24:47are incredibly proud of both living and working in Guelph is that our city is a leader in

24:57environmental solutions we also believe that a community is built by joining hands and so

25:08this is how we're joining hands with the initiatives of the city of Guelph. The redevelopment

25:20of 343 is built on three key pillars of community environment and well-being and so council members

25:29I would love to share with you a little bit more on each of these pillars when it comes to community

25:36we're focused on accessibility with accessible units that also have barrier-free grounds and

25:45interior and an elevator that makes all floors accessible to all individuals there's also

25:53something that we're excited about which is accessible bike parking and a focus on public

25:59transportation so right by the building there is public transportation with easy access to

26:09downtown and greater wealth. Within our zoning we are also committing to two truly affordable

26:18units that meet the council's approved standards in addition we have the environmental initiatives

26:23and investment into the community bringing a local regional contractor this commitment to the

26:30renewable energy and efficiency one of the things that we're looking at doing to eliminate some things

26:35that affect our community is to have naturally heated driveaway and walkways not only does this

26:39provide a safe place for people to walk and park there you know park but it provides and protects

26:45the groundwater quality and provides sustainable winter maintenance in addition there'll be charging

26:51electric charging stations solar panels heat pumps with no gas and an increased insulation and more

27:00we also have a focus on well-being that we are excited about not just a green space and shared

27:07balcony space that also nurtures that sense of community in the building we're very much focused

27:12on financial well-being because stat after stat year after year finances are continually cited as a

27:20top stressor for Canadians and our community is no exception to that and so we are taking action steps

27:29to try and help with two significant life expenses rent affordability and because of our

27:35environmental focus reducing utility costs in addition to that sustainable transportation

27:42whether that's bike public transit or the car share potential as in any project we need partners and

27:52as much as we're partnering with the city of Guelph here with the building we're also looking to

27:56partner with the cip grant application that's going to be submitted for those affordable units

28:00as well as with cmhc regarding their apartment construction loan program the criteria of this

28:05loan are very similar to what the goals of the building are as well as the goals of the city

28:10which is affordability accessibility and environmental sustainability the heart and intention

28:18of this project is to utilize our resources to join hands with the city of Guelph after what

28:26happened to our building Morgan and I could have just built back our commercial space but our focus

28:35heart and intention is to give back to our community in a meaningful manner and that's why

28:42343 is a development project that balances growth sustainability and affordability for our community

28:55one of the things that we've done as well in this time that we've had it's obviously been a

28:59blessing to be able to speak to community members regarding the project we want to address some of

29:04the concerns we think that this is the right project for the right space and we do not think that

29:09some of the concerns may come to fruition for example the parking as we mentioned we are promoting

29:14and marketing this building as an environmental building for those individuals who don't have a

29:20car or don't need a car and within that we're embedding in the leases that they're not linked

29:26to parking for those individual units in addition to being of course on that main transit line

29:31for technical matters I see there's concerns regarding storm water

29:34we've been working with professionals regarding this and of course no permit can be issued without

29:39you know until the head planner gives their go ahead

29:43as this is an environmental building trees city canopy are very important to us

29:47our desires to have a beautiful property with plenty of vegetation the city also has of course

29:51bylaws regarding trees that of course we will adhere to and the main transit line of Waterloo

29:56Street is a prime location for gentle density it's surrounded by commercial high-rise buildings

30:02and I believe our building transitions transition smoothly into the adjacent neighborhood

30:07we're not trying to shoehorn something deep into an established neighborhood

30:11again we you know welcome any questions you have I also would like to conclude with

30:19two points one which is that we will respect and delegate to the authority of the city planner

30:27and the chief city engineer and and again I want to express our heartfelt gratitude

30:37to you so thank you for for having us and hearing us okay well thank you very much

30:44we appreciate that in your delegation is there any follow-up questions at this time

30:48Councillor Alps thank you very much Mayor Guthrie through you to the delegates applicants

30:55I appreciate everything that you've presented the one question I have focuses upon rent affordability

31:02because rent affordability is a tremendously challenging and a very fluid target I am wondering

31:08if we were to project at present time on today's market what are we talking about as a percent

31:14of what is considered to be a current market value and also dollars and cents

31:21councilmember thank you very much for for your question rent affordability is something that is

31:28set by the province and our focus is having truly affordable units and what does that mean

31:37so the affordability criteria is stipulated by the provincial government and so we have to my

31:43understanding is of the process is that we have to comply on an annual basis and and prove that we

31:49are charging the rent at or less of whatever the rate is my understanding is that they have criteria

31:56of what is a studio a one bedroom or two bedroom or sorry uh yeah two bedroom plus I think it is

32:02two bedroom plus I think it is and so there's there's a set limit that the province

32:10states it's not I don't think it's it's not definite on us it's not the city of Guelph it's a provincial

32:15matter and if I may add Councillor again in the bylaw we are committing to truly affordable

32:25units so we are committing to that those those guidelines and the length of time too

32:33absolutely 30 year time frame on thank you for your question thank you okay seeing nothing more

32:41we appreciate your time thank you we'll be going down the list we have a clear brayden is clear here

32:47oh yes come on down Claire and then is a Natalia Krooson here okay you're in the wings okay so you

32:56got next Claire welcome and go ahead and start whenever you're ready okay good afternoon council

33:03councilors council city staff marigot three my name is Claire brayden I live a few doors down from

33:09343 Waterloo Avenue I'd like to offer my full support of this project because of three reasons

33:17related to how suitable I think it is for allowing a person or a resident to live car free or car

33:24light and I'm going to pause and dwell on that and get back to my three reasons so Waterloo Avenue

33:29is walkable and bikeable it has a bike lane not just any bike lane it's dead flat dead straight

33:36and heads directly within 10 minutes to the transit hub right here I know because I bike it every

33:41morning in rush hour and that's a relatively traffic calmed street compared to a lot of other

33:46streets and wealth which makes this an ideal location for this sort of car light gentle density

33:52building so you don't have to consider yourself a road warrior an athletic cyclist to be able to get

34:00downtown you can do that without breaking a sweat I know because I do it inclement weather you can

34:06take the bus in seven minutes to downtown need a car on the weekend you can get to a car share

34:12within a couple blocks I have friends that use that car share it's reasonably priced I want to

34:18talk about some of the amenities in my neighborhood that I personally walk to because I find it

34:24relatively easy to function and do my chores in my own neighborhood just by walking so within 10

34:30minutes I can patronize and I regularly do Benjamin's bodega fixed gear the big fixed gear the small

34:37fixed gear double B automotive pioneer transmission how it park playground how it park ball diamond

34:44the food bank well food bank thrift store wealth pizza and wings Jane dental so those are just

34:51some of the things I can do in my life within 10 minutes of walking but biking in 10 minutes I can

34:57bike to Dawson road medical I go see my doctor bike to market fresh I can if I really hustle I can

35:03bike to jails home hardware so lots of things I can get done without without a car what does that

35:10all lead to three really important things to me first is the environmental footprint is shrunk

35:17by not having a car you can save some studies say you can save 383 kilograms of carbon per month by

35:23not driving a car you can also save about $1300 a month so for affordability I think it really

35:30makes sense to be able to live without a car and put this development in my neighborhood

35:36third reason are the mental and physical health benefits I personally have experienced them by

35:41adopting active transportation as just part of my regular day to day habits all those things are

35:47really great I want to mention two other architectural benefits I really like about gentle density and

35:54multi-unit dwellings in particular one is shared walls when you share walls between units you can

36:01reduce the home heating energy per unit and you can also reduce the material requirements per unit

36:07and then secondly you can reduce the tax burden per unit and I that's I'm in favor of that if you

36:12can I would love to share my tax burden for maintaining the sewers and the water mains with

36:17nine other units rather than build nine new single family dwellings in the suburbs that I think makes

36:24sense for all of our pocketbooks and lastly I want to touch on the concern about parking and I want

36:30to do this delicately because I don't want to dismiss anyone's experience with parking and

36:35certainly in times when there's a big snowstorm and there are snow banks it can be difficult when

36:41there are people parked on a street for me to get into my own driveway but that's that's actually

36:48quite rare so I live few doors down from 343 I live on a side street which could become a receptacle

36:56for overflow parking of clients of this business residents friends of residents family and I'll

37:03just say often when I look out on my side street it's empty there's nobody parked there often it's

37:10partially filled it's I don't think ever fully filled if it becomes more full as a result of this

37:19development because it could overflow into my street I will I will accept that I welcome

37:25parkers because I think this is a wonderful trade-off to get housing and give up a little

37:29bit of the parking that I might use for my friends and family now I just add the caveat that's

37:35summertime parking there's still a wintertime parking problem I'm going to tell a little anecdote

37:41I used to have a tenant many years ago who was a student car free and then he bought a car and I

37:47only have a one-car driveway so he ended up parking about two blocks away there is overnight all year

37:54around parking so he was walking back and forth and he eventually asked my immediate next-door

37:59neighbor who was an elderly widower who had become immobile he had had his leg amputated he could no

38:04longer drive and he asked him if he could rent a spot and my neighbor Ken said sure and they

38:11actually became good friends and they started watching the ball games together and I think it

38:15was an example of where a problem led to a community solution that actually alleviated loneliness

38:20what I want to ask council is can we look at some creative solutions to parking

38:26and that that just that provoked my kind of creative thinking can we look at some

38:32ways to alleviate the barriers to parking for example can we match make people that might have

38:38an extra parking spot they might be aging in place no longer interested in driving

38:42they might be an apartment building with just excess surface parking can we match make them with

38:48people in need of renting a space so just some thoughts there in conclusion I really

38:54I think this is an kind of a no-brainer development that's just my personal opinion I love the idea

39:01and I really fully support it and I'm happy to take any questions if anybody has any questions

39:06well thank you for your delegation let me just see if there's any there is it so thank you very much

39:12and Natalia I saw you were here come on up and is John David Buchanan here okay you're

39:19going to be in the wings okay thanks John Natalia welcome and uh you go start whenever you're ready

39:24okay okay so firstly I'd like to say good afternoon to everyone and I apologize if I'm a bit

39:31flustered I hate public speaking and this morning was super busy as I set off my son and my daughter

39:35to school my son for the first time okay so parking concerns this google images from July 2023

39:47and we can see there are many cars parked on beachwood avenue there are at least six cars parked in

39:52the 343 Waterloo Avenue parking lot if you count them yourself there is also a chart showing the

39:58average size of each vehicle width and length and the spots the width and length of the spots that

40:03the development will have the black and white image is from the application and I simply created a

40:10rectangle um with the dimensions of the parking spot to try to understand how the tandem parking

40:17would work and to be honest I can only see it working for spot five and if you put it in like

40:24the other spots like played around you would be blocking the whole driveway in and out because

40:28that was spoken to in the last meeting about tandem parking and if spot five was to be tandem parked

40:34I don't know if there's enough clearance around the handicap spot for it to maneuver properly

40:38it would have to be I just don't know but that's some parking concerns and obviously

40:44beachwood has commercial property on it and as well as a religion religion

40:52institutional building that has many parking in the evenings and that's our street is lined up and down

40:59usually and if a funeral happens then it overflows everywhere so this is just July 2023 a regular

41:07day so there is cars up and down beachwood right now and that's just I don't know when google drove

41:12by but I'm sure you could find it if you went onto google maps at the time so as a data analyst I

41:20loved to look at data and I went straight to the statcan website to get some data relative to the

41:24city of Guelph I found that over 90 of guelph residents have one or more cars and around

41:3044 have two or more cars so assuming that someone will have a car there's only 10 chance

41:37I know I understand guelph has a transportation master plan that is currently in the works but

41:41again you cannot assume or force someone to walk bike or take public transit

41:50also some people may not work work may not align with public with the bus schedule or work out of

41:55town like my husband who works in the outskirts of town and has to drive because he works just off

42:00highway 6 and marten I myself have two kids and for me if I wanted to take public transit I cannot

42:06take my folding wagon so for me it'd be hard to have the ability to navigate downtown if they got

42:13tired or something so that bars me from taking the bus the trend over the past four years also

42:21shows a steady increase of the number of vehicles registered in guelph when 343 butterwood avenue

42:28was operating in the business like I mentioned earlier there was six cars in the parking lot

42:32and the development's only offering eight spaces for nine units and the office itself

42:38I believe accounted a capacity maybe to seat 11 people but it could be wrong

42:42so you're not including clients or visitor parking those four to nine units

42:48so overall 40 of the needed parking spots are being proposed meaning 60 percent will spill over to

42:53the already full beachwood avenue and there's also no parking on waterloo avenue except for

42:58certain times in certain areas after 6 p.m. I believe transportation since I live in the neighborhood

43:07and have two kids I took the closest grocery store that I frequent which is no for us it is a 40 minute

43:12walk 30 to 36 minute via the bus with connections 11 to 12 minute biking or about five to six minutes

43:18via car if you have multiple bags walking or biking becomes difficult unless you have a car

43:23or a wagon even taking the bus with multiple items is difficult and all these like times I have are

43:30just from google maps so the closest bus stop is 343 343 waterloo avenue is 61 meters west pound

43:40which I used to get home when I went to university and to catch the eastbound bus to go downtown or

43:47so university like I did it is 150 meters to the west of the building you need to cross

43:52beachwood avenue and cross waterloo avenue there was a pedestrian crossing but it's for

43:57the bus stops but it is past the bus stops so most people end up jaywalking

44:02I use the walk score dot com to obtain walking and transit and bike scores

44:06so according to the website there are few nearby public transportation options

44:12and the area has some biking infrastructure but I want to know that the grocery score the grocery

44:17groceries score the lowest on the walk score and affordable groceries are more important than ever

44:23now yes there is a community store across the street from the transmission place next door

44:28and I use that for convenience not as my primary source for grocery shopping

44:33okay do I believe public transportation is directly in front of the building no is there

44:37easy access to downtown wealth of course it's one bus to the greater wealth no because I would have

44:42even to continue university it was two buses community safety concerns I'm raising these

44:53concerns and use pictures from the beachwood collection build as it happened at the end

44:56of beachwood avenue and I lived through it how will trash collection work I cited a collection

45:04collection guideline at the top of the slide about garbage trucks not being allowed to reverse

45:08into public roadways for one good reason because over the past few years garbage trucks have struck

45:13and killed innocent people we even had a fatality with a cyclist and garbage truck last week here

45:18in gulf and the beachwood development the garbage truck had to reverse onto the roadway because

45:23the reversing area was covered in snow from the big snowfall we had last year along with the handicap

45:29spot the garbage truck had to wait for a spotter to reverse onto this road safely as per the guidelines

45:36now with this development we have green will this development have green blue and gray bins

45:41if so where will we be stored and placed in the curved the car can just the beachwood or

45:45bottle the avenue when there's a bike lane would each unit get its own set of bins if so that would

45:51be 27 bins you have to store the commercial part of the building I believe is responsible for their

45:57own waste removal so seeing a plan ahead of time would be a sensible idea to avoid issues down the

46:02line how will snow removal work for such small buffers I read in a letter that it is a heated

46:10parking lot from what I researched and I could be wrong this speeds up rust and corrosion because

46:15it accelerates reaction between the road salt and moisture especially in the cars under carriage

46:20it contributes to the urban island effect and negatively impacts groundwater and local

46:25ecosystems potentially worsening stormwater runoff and flooding will the sidewalk be cleaned

46:34during the construction as there's only one side road with that side of beachwood and many kids use

46:39it to get to or from school as well as the whole community because Russian concerns if there is

46:50only one entrance which is the one off beachwood it has the sidewalk running through it we will

46:55have to battle construction vehicles entering exiting the site my other question is where will

47:00the workers park how will they how will they offload the equipment we need to keep all this in mind

47:06there's no parking on waterloo so if they do park there it's a no-stopping zone in front of the

47:10building all the time there's also a bike lane on both sides and notice that the trees look like

47:15they are boundary trees and even belong maybe even belong to the city how will those be protected

47:22in the picture on the top corner it's hard to see but I have a video of a dump truck

47:27reversing through the park entrance into a into the country site that was non-actual entrance

47:34so I just don't want things like this happening in that area if the construction does go forward

47:41so I want all these possibly addressed before construction moves forward as people like I said

47:46people walk on there there's only one entrance one sidewalk so I would ask counselors to consider

47:53deferring this application and have all these questions answered and reviewed by city staff

47:58as they are the experts or striking this application down and having it put forward without strongly

48:03repowers to have the city staff properly review the application and provide input where needed

48:07with a proper recommendation we absolutely need development to ensure the growth of wealth but it

48:12needs to be done in a thoughtful and proper way thank you for your time well thank you very much

48:18Natalia and I know you're a little bit nervous there at the beginning I just want to tell you

48:21you did a good job okay so don't don't sweat it okay um let me see if there's a follow-up

48:26is there any questions there is not thank you very much okay and John uh John David Buchanan is here

48:33and is uh is Johanna uh Gracie here okay yeah you'll be in the wings okay thank you for coming

48:46and just start whenever you're ready okay all right thanks my name is John David Buchanan

48:54thanks for listening to me speak it was great to hear in the the previous meeting in the summer

49:00that the neighbor has given their support to the project I'm sure that said neighbor being an auto

49:07mechanic garage and not an actual resident just slipped the mayor's mind at that meeting seeing

49:13as my family's home is the only residential property adjacent to the site it was unfortunate that I

49:19wasn't able to speak at that time due to some rather curious clerical errors with the uh notices

49:25in the city website safe to say we do have a few concerns about this development many of those

49:32fall into a category that one might reasonably expect in regards to any major construction so

49:37close to one's home uh in the 20 plus years we've lived here I think it's safe to say we've experienced

49:43our fair share of property development in our vicinity these concerns include but aren't

49:49limited to what will likely be one to two years of increased traffic and heavy equipment all the

49:56safety issues surrounding that we do have kids and pets by the way the transference of debris

50:02garbage dirt and dust to our property and the effect that has on those of us with respiratory

50:07issues uh extreme noise volume and its effect on those of us who have specific mental health issues

50:14directly related to loud sounds this this list can go on and on and I understand that these are all

50:21common problems that come with construction again I don't expect these types of concerns are ever

50:27even taken into account in situations like this unfortunately though it has all been quite common

50:34to our experience in our time as property owners here I mean there are even bizarre consequences

50:40that come in these situations so I don't think a lot of people would know about like one weird

50:46example is uh once that digging starts uh the ants the lift there they need to find a new home

50:53and I'll let you have a guess at uh how I know about that multiple times and many years later

50:58it's an ongoing issue so I'll talk to these little things and more we have uh other specific concerns

51:04due to the immediate proximity of the finished project that have a serious impact on our ability

51:10to enjoy the use of our property even after the one to two years of not being able to enjoy our

51:17property uh in a concept drawing that we saw earlier of this project there is a four-story

51:26building directly adjacent to our yard now I'm uh I'm not sure how that registers for everyone

51:32in here but I find it's often easy to lose one's concept of scale and descriptions like four-story

51:38so I went out and started looking at other four-story developments in Guelph it's pretty tall

51:44uh it's higher than you might picture in your head or not some of you maybe not but I can definitively

51:51say that a four-story building directly adjacent to the south of our yard will eliminate any of the

51:58any of the limited sunlight that we currently get that is some real Mr. Burns type shenanigans there

52:08I can also say that any north facing windows on a four-story building directly adjacent to the

52:13south of our property will have a direct and unobstructed view of our yard the drawing actually

52:20shows balconies in that area so I don't know maybe the darkness is what provides privacy for us

52:28anyways as I said these uh likely are all expected concerns in this type of development

52:34and I realize I'm not the first to ever express such things what I do see is unique to this situation

52:40however is the manner in which this proposal has come about now before I continue I want to make

52:46clear that I'm not against building more housing in Guelph my speaking here isn't a nimby type of

52:52nimby type of scenario I'm not even against a building going in this location and believe me this

52:58is about as close to my backyard as it gets I do understand how important an issue housing is

53:05so I'm curious how many in this room would feel in this situation on the morning of July 3rd

53:15while packing to go away for the weekend we got a text from a neighbor up the street

53:18with a link to a Guelph Today article this article is how we found out our mayor would be

53:24exercising his strong powers to expedite this project next door to us and that we would be

53:30receiving a notice after the fact in the coming weeks would you be surprised shocked perhaps

53:40I mean I think it's safe to say that most people in our neighborhood have known that

53:44some type of project was coming sooner or later let's not get ourselves here

53:48I don't understand and I'm hoping to find an explanation here today as to why the regular

53:54process for projects of this nature has been sidestepped what about this particular situation

54:00necessitates the need for strong mayor powers in the article in the paper the only reason

54:07mayor Guthrie gives is the circumstances surrounding the current building's vacancy a criminal arson

54:16so how does that affect the tea or the price of tea in china let alone the need for a disregarding

54:22due process I fully admit I'm no expert in matters such as these and hopefully someone will eventually

54:29explain the connection here I might understand that if this building was vacant for mundane reasons

54:35then the rights of local residents would not need to be ignored that's the only inference I can parse

54:41out here as I believe there are regular old boring buildings lying around empty in town that don't

54:47get the benefit of fancy strong mayor powers but since some guy a little fire in this one it's full

54:54steam ahead sorry folks also mr. Guthrie mentioned that the landowners were looking for a way to

55:00give back to the community by doing this now again I'm no expert I'm just a simple guy who grew up in

55:07a small town it doesn't understand complex situations like the one we have here so maybe someone

55:13could set me straight on how a business with a nine unit housing project with all of two of

55:18those falling under the strictly technical requirements of being called affordable is giving

55:24back to the community might understand that the numbered corporation behind this is a not-for-profit

55:30organization doesn't seem likely doesn't I'd really appreciate it if someone here could make this

55:37make sense outside of marketing buzzwords and impressive proposal language I mean this is a

55:45property that already had insufficient parking as was mentioned for the businesses at house

55:51needing a rather large section of beachwood avenue to supplement it and causing a fair

55:56amount of congestion and noise at most times of the day can be quite difficult to get in and out of

56:01our driveways especially in the winter add to this the parking need for the unit the units I think

56:07it's fair to say this won't be getting better maybe there are answers to this and the many other

56:13questions we in our neighborhood have and I've read the excellent letters they've submitted

56:19in regards to this development but how would we know the first planning steps are already being

56:26skipped and we are simply to take mr. Guthrie at his words that everything is being looked after

56:31I've seen it mentioned that this building has been destroyed by fire and a new one must be built

56:37quick look at the photos of the damage or even through the windows of the building shows to my

56:42untrained eye at least nothing to that extent I realize I'm not a professional building inspector

56:48and I could be wrong and maybe an official report has been made supporting this but that's the point

56:56how are we to know if that's all being hand-waved how are we supposed to have any trust in this

57:01project the rules that which I'm well aware are historically frustrating to developers in Guelph

57:07are there for a reason the checks and balances exist for a reason to bypass them is disrespectful

57:18to this community we heard that word a lot especially when the awkward justification of it is giving

57:26back to the community all the while it simultaneously gives nothing significant to the community

57:32at least not enough to support sidestepping proper process again I'm just a small town girl living in

57:40a lonely world and I'm almost ashamed to admit that like many I probably know more about the current

57:45politics of the US than of the workings of my local municipal government this might come off as

57:51hyperbole but one can't help but be concerned when one sees special powers utilized by a single

57:58official as the mechanic to unilaterally impose one person's will on a democratic system of process

58:05to the benefit of in actuality very few and certainly not the entire community and then to

58:11pay lip service to that same community being bypassed as the reason and beneficiary of that

58:18overreach it's that very best disingenuous and clearly hypocritical hope I've made it clear that

58:26I'm no expert on politics but one thing I do know is extremely important to them it's optics the optics

58:33here are far from great maybe everything here is on the up and up but the actions taken certainly

58:39undermined any trust the mayor's office seems to expect from this community it's kind of looking

58:44like a duck if you get me thank you all right thank you for your opinions and let me see if there

58:51is any questions as a follow-up to you there is not thank you very much and Joanna you're in the

58:58wings and coming up now thank you for coming and you can start whenever you're ready okay

59:16oh perfect okay thank you hello I am Joanna Jurassic and I'm someone who lives in that circle that

59:24of people who lives in the area so I just quickly get into this so I don't lose my time

59:32so zoning bylaws exist for a reason things like minimum setbacks and parking requirements

59:39help maintain the community because they help set those standards that we as citizens and wealth

59:45have to live by so there's really no individual discretion it's the law so when zoning bylaws

59:51and amendments are requested then the community is provided an opportunity to to speak about it and

59:58sort of let people know what they think so in the case of the development at 343 Waterloo

1:00:04council almost unanimously approved that proposal so really what my presentation is is just kind

1:00:10of an attempt to look at those details and see how they fit in with the broader picture okay so I'd

1:00:18like to start with housing as a human right and in 2019 an act was implemented Canada's

1:00:22National Housing Strategy Act and it recognizes that housing is essential to the inherent dignity

1:00:28and well-being of the person oh I can look up there too and to building sustainable and inclusive

1:00:33communities and that access to affordable housing contributes to achieving beneficial social economic

1:00:40health and environmental outcomes so in terms of the Waterloo Avenue development let's just look at

1:00:48the variants as quickly so there's parking for eight vehicles instead of 20 there's four stories

1:00:53instead of three there's a rear yard setback of 1.2 meters instead of 6.2 meters and I'm a little

1:00:59confused on this because it's called 343 Waterloo but in fact the front yard setback is facing beach

1:01:05wood so I don't actually know where the front of the property is so I just used what it said

1:01:11there are reductions in the rear and exterior side yard buffer strips and the gross floor area is

1:01:161276 square meters instead of instead of the 400 square meters so I think we know that parking is

1:01:24kind of an issue so we don't really need to talk about that so we'll just go on to the next slide

1:01:31so these are the words we heard a lot about sustainability accessibility and affordability

1:01:35and sustainability um I'll just talk about the most obvious parts so there is bicycle parking I

1:01:41think that's bylaw I think in the Guelph bylaw 5.6 and 5.9 cover bicycle parking and EV parking so

1:01:47I'm assuming all of that is sorted out and that's not there's no deviation from the bylaw required

1:01:52for those and in terms of accessibility I believe there has to be an elevator after three stories

1:01:58so it sounds like all of that is you know working well um but I have a couple of questions about

1:02:04accessibility and affordability so that's what I'd like to talk about so in terms of accessibility

1:02:11there is one accessible parking spot but because there's parking for both residential and commercial

1:02:17tenants I did wonder how that would work if there's a residential tenant who needs accessible parking

1:02:24and then a visitor or a tenant in the commercial property that would need accessible parking

1:02:29that could be a challenge and I didn't know whether two accessible parking spots might be required

1:02:34there were also questions about a barrier free path of travel and how that would be achieved

1:02:39in the outside of the building so again I I seem to recall something about 15 long-term biking

1:02:47bike spots and six short term or something it's a lot of parking so it just wasn't written on the

1:02:52site plan where that parking would go so it was hard to see how that would fit in with the plan

1:02:58and how you would maintain accessible areas to get in and out of the building the tandem

1:03:04parking I think it was already spoken to but again with tandem parking there's no way in and out of

1:03:09an accessible parking spot there'd be no way for an emergency vehicle to come in it would be like

1:03:14a death trap basically garbage bins was talked about a little bit but again it has to be so that

1:03:20there are accessible pathways for people and snow removal it's already been discussed

1:03:26so then let's talk a little bit about affordability so I just want to set the context for that

1:03:31wealth is one of the most expensive cities to rent in in Canada the rent is above the national

1:03:37average so a one bedroom is just over 2000 and a two bedroom is almost 2500 that's an average

1:03:44obviously some are more some are less 11 percent of households are unaffordable inadequate or

1:03:49unsuitable for those who live there so it's kind of a sobering statistic it comes from the wealth

1:03:54affordable housing strategy and the majority of those households that are unaffordable

1:03:58inadequate and unsuitable are led by women people who are racialized people who are over 65 and women

1:04:03who are parenting on their own also a bit of a problem so um a little bit more context is that

1:04:11housing has increasingly become a for-profit industry with the financialization of purpose

1:04:16built housing and by financialization we simply are saying that housing is now being used as an

1:04:24asset and it's being used as a way to accumulate wealth it's not about housing anymore and so the

1:04:30financialization of purpose built rental housing is growing these are also statistics

1:04:37and so I think we've all seen that in wealth you know pre-pandemic early pandemic

1:04:41bungalows were being torn down and two big you know single family dwellings were being built

1:04:46built and sold now those same bungalows are being torn down the lots are being severed and big

1:04:52multi-story units are going in it's it's very obvious so in fact most of purpose built rental

1:04:59housing right now is being built as a financial investment which actually that that focus on

1:05:05profit is at odds with housing as a fundamental human right and I'm not in any way suggesting

1:05:11that developers are responsible for you know enforcing human rights codes or anything like that

1:05:17nor do they have to build affordable housing I'm simply asking that people think when they look

1:05:24at sort of fast-tracking a project if if what we're thinking about are human rights or we're

1:05:30just trying to to push developments through so what does this development provide it provides

1:05:38two affordable units out of nine so that's 22 percent of affordable units and according to

1:05:43wealth health housing strategy something like 53 percent of rentals should be affordable by 2015

1:05:50so there is another thing that there's a great stat also from the housing strategy where 33

1:05:56percent of households in wealth can afford the current housing costs so it's based on 2020 data

1:06:02there's not more recent data and it may well be that that that is even less now that even fewer

1:06:07people can because we know the cost of living has increased so if 33 percent of households can afford

1:06:15the current renting how the current market value that means that 67 percent of households in wealth

1:06:22cannot afford just your average rental property so that means that of those units the two affordable

1:06:31units and the seven you these seven I have to say are actually unaffordable units for almost 70

1:06:39percent of households in wealth so the details there we have the proposed development there's

1:06:45multiple variances for reduced setbacks increased building height and square footage and significant

1:06:50parking shortfall there are also questions about is accessibility so what does this development

1:06:56offer wealth while it offers us two affordable units so then I guess the conclusion really is

1:07:03that we know it's been decades to get to this place where we have these terrible housing this

1:07:07terrible housing crisis it's like all levels of government municipal federal provincial governments

1:07:12that got us here it's not going to happen overnight so what I'm asking is that as a city we are

1:07:19thoughtful about approving variances for purpose built rental housing knowing what we know about

1:07:25the intention of that purpose built rental housing I'm also hoping that his the municipality we can

1:07:31use evidence to determine if proposed developments meet the needs they intend to address there's lots

1:07:37of really fancy words out there we everybody uses some there's buzzwords all over the place but we

1:07:41have to look at the evidence and the research that shows us what's actually going on in the city

1:07:46and then also to look at long-term strategies rather than the short-term goals of just approving

1:07:52things because we see we see units being built because by doing that we're we continue to increase

1:07:59the cost of rental housing in this particular part of the world and by doing that we're actually

1:08:06unintentionally reinforcing these existing inequities where all kinds of people can afford to live here

1:08:13oh under time thank you okay well thank thank you for your delegation and your opinions as well

1:08:18is there a follow-up at all seeing none and thank you very much okay as normal I'll put a

1:08:25phone number on the screen and ask if there's anybody else that wishes to call in or to speak in

1:08:31the room on this is there anyone else in the room that would like to speak on this and I'll

1:08:36to see how well the phone number for those online 5198375603 okay ma'am come on down and uh just

1:08:45we'll have you speak right away and then we can still have those that might want to call in if they

1:08:50wish do so as you're speaking and if you could just state your name for the record that would be great

1:08:56thank you very much um good afternoon um I'm Sally Humphries a resident of Herne Avenue um

1:09:06as you have hopefully read my letter I won't repeat that here I'm just going to make a few points

1:09:12I want to emphasize that the way that this development is being heard through council

1:09:18serves to distract from its negative impacts with all the emphasis placed on the positive

1:09:25attributes of the green build and the social benefits of increased rental accommodations

1:09:31especially the two affordable units it obfuscates what it lacks most notably adequate parking for

1:09:38the nine apartments and ground floor business we know we need more affordable housing and wealth

1:09:44as does Canada as a whole but how this is enacted needs to be thoughtfully managed

1:09:52it's all very well to highlight the bicycle racks and access to um to to the bus buses but as my

1:09:59neighbors have already emphasized in wealth most families rely on their cars to get around

1:10:05and side roads in the vicinity which act as shortcuts between Waterloo and Paisley

1:10:13are not well suited to an increase in on-road parking and I know we've other speakers have

1:10:21mentioned that there that there isn't a lot of parking on side roads but there are at certain

1:10:26times there is considerable parking and on the side roads indeed in the case of my own street Herne

1:10:33if on-road parking increases the city will almost certainly have to assign the street as a one-way

1:10:39thoroughfare you cannot have extensive on-road parking and expect two-way traffic to flow along

1:10:46the remaining single lane it does simply not permit it however one-way traffic on Herne will

1:10:53necessarily increase cars on the other side streets with the attendant risks associated with steep

1:11:00hills and speeding cars that I outlined in my letter all the people who live on side roads

1:11:06are very aware of the way the cars gun up the hill this is common throughout the area

1:11:12but this is what this is but one example of the exteriorization of the costs of increased density

1:11:20without thinking through adequately the planning department would surely have raised red flags

1:11:27about this and other issues namely the setback deviations but his voice has been effectively

1:11:34silenced the process is clearly flawed and the mayor and council would be advised to return to

1:11:44normal planning procedure before it risks upending the long-term vision of the city

1:11:50as thoughtfully developed in the official plan thank you thank you nothing nothing further so

1:11:58thank you very much oh we have another hand that's gone up come on down and if you could just state

1:12:03your name as well please in the end so I appreciate getting a chance to speak sorry what was that

1:12:11I'm sorry can you can everyone hear yeah I know that we're approaching the end of this time frame

1:12:16the meeting no it's okay you have the right no thank you go ahead so my name is Sheila Hollidge

1:12:22and I just like to thank everyone for the opportunity to present this afternoon

1:12:26so today I would like to discuss community partnership and engagement as we heard earlier

1:12:31this is a big buzzword right now but really community is community in the applicant's

1:12:36presentation they noted that community is built by partnering and I agree with this 100%

1:12:41that community and communication is key to success for any organization to move forward

1:12:47and I would like to highlight some of the groups that make these city development proposals

1:12:51operate effectively and the implications when some of these groups are sidelined so the purpose

1:12:57of this meeting that we're in today is fantastic it's to share information to hear and consider

1:13:02public comments regarding development applications before a decision is made community consultation

1:13:07creates an open dialogue allowing feedback to refine their proposal address concerns and ensure

1:13:13that new developments align with community values and strategic city planning goals so the impact

1:13:19of the first meeting taking place at a different time resulted in confusing concern on the management

1:13:25of this proposal this was more than administrative delay but a barrier for those to participate in

1:13:31that first July 22nd meeting when you as counselors were able to hear and understand and learn more

1:13:36about this proposal so while we don't have the opportunity to engage with city planners today

1:13:43we can listen to us to members of the community and one of my neighbors who unfortunately couldn't

1:13:48reschedule her work day to be here asked if she could share her thoughts with me and to you

1:13:53my name is Liz and I live in a multi-residential building at the corner of Waterloo and Beechwood

1:13:59Avenue this building is directly across from proposed development which consists of 72 units

1:14:06in which 60 to 70 percent of the units occupied here are subsidized in some percentage through

1:14:12community housing in our building there is no exclusion to the parking provided on any grounds

1:14:18that would be a broad assumption that is exclusionary and detrimental to the quality of life for each

1:14:24individual in 2007 I moved my small family to this building and into the community housing system

1:14:30in an emergency re-home status I cannot imagine needing to navigate the world at least twice a day

1:14:37if not more on foot or bicycle via limited best schedules connections and routes factors that

1:14:44we can't ignore such as weather day or night shifts job location and accessibility are doubled

1:14:49down with the reality of daycare groceries and my personal safety and what about the people who

1:14:55work in neighboring communities that are not on a train or a bus route in no way is this proposal

1:15:00speaking to the forward-thinking reality of a quality of life for the actual residents putting

1:15:05anyone into the stressful situation of having to choose between an upgrade in their safety

1:15:10an autonomy while riding the skeletal gulf transit system undermines what you stand for

1:15:15and your desire to offer safe living and housing housing is not two-dimensional and it is not for

1:15:22walls it intrinsically implies a home safety community and comfort laterally for all and

1:15:31Liz asked if I could thank you for listening thank you I'm just oh sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry

1:15:36I'm just going back into mine thank you another community participant missing today is the city

1:15:41planners this group ensures that projects align with long-term goals the city but also review

1:15:47proposals for feasibility compliance with zoning and design standards they also facilitate communication

1:15:54by acting as crucial intermediaries balancing the needs of all groups to achieve sustainable

1:15:59development these number of development proposals that have already been amended after the planning

1:16:04review procedures should indicate to council how different the quality of development in Guelph would

1:16:11be if planning staff and the public are not gainfully involved our city councillors play a

1:16:19pivotal role in all of these meetings naturally I have attended previous meetings like this and

1:16:24have witnessed the many benefits of the collaborative conversations between councillors and planning

1:16:29staff the impact of eliminating this communication at this pivotal stage will not only lead to

1:16:35straining council relationships but to stabilize the integrity of the planning system and a road

1:16:41public trust I am in full support of Councillor Allt's comments from July 22nd and agree that we

1:16:48need to be mindful of the process and the implication this decision has a community is built by

1:16:55partnership collaboration and trust as a participant in this process I respectfully ask that the

1:17:01mayor and councillors other than councillor Allt reconsider their positions from the last meeting

1:17:08with this new information with these news voices and vote against approving this development

1:17:13before the planning department has the opportunity to weigh in this feedback and insight will be

1:17:18beneficial not only to the applicants and the building but to their future tenants this is not

1:17:25against environmental options listed by the applicant but to the need to ensure that the

1:17:29standard operating procedures of the planning act are not bypassed thank you so much thank you so much

1:17:37as well for your opinions and delegation is there a follow-up there is not thank you very much

1:17:43and was there any call that came in Mr. Mayor we didn't have any calls but the screen was just up

1:17:49for a short okay I don't know if you want to I'll yell the number again yeah wait a few

1:17:53seconds yeah or a minute or something 519-837-5603 again 519-837-5603 we'll just wait a minute okay

1:19:45do we have any call in Mr. Mayor none at this point okay well thank you very much then council it is

1:19:52back to us then to decide on this matter and so looking for someone to move the motions please

1:19:59councillor Goller will move the motions and is there a seconder for them as well thank you

1:20:07Richardson and then councillor caton did you have a question or were you just moving the motion

1:20:14I have a question please you have the floor go ahead thank you through you Mr. Mayor

1:20:20when when I was going through the motion where it says that a complete site plan application

1:20:27be submitted to the satisfaction of the city chief's planner and city engineer prior to issuance

1:20:32of building permits I I just want to clarify my understanding of that because I had made some

1:20:38assumptions and after hearing some of the conversations from delegates I want to make sure

1:20:42that I'm doing believing the right thing if there are issues like with the parking and

1:20:51the number of accessible spaces for commercial versus residential and if there's an issue with

1:20:57clearance between access to the accessible parking and items like that are those things

1:21:05that would be cleared up in that section with the chief planner or is are we approving this

1:21:15as is and then the documents just have to meet that the standard that we're seeing right now

1:21:24so uh just so you know any the province changed some rules just a little while ago where if there

1:21:31was 10 units or less it would need to go to site plan but because this is a mixed use development

1:21:38it has to go to site plan and so that's where all of the parking the landscaping the snow storage

1:21:47the waste containers the storm water the engine like everything has to go to site plant lighting

1:21:55I could go on has to go there I do see the applicant's planner here I'm sorry I forget your

1:22:02your name yes maybe I'll just have to just ask you if you don't mind because I just want to make

1:22:11sure that when it comes to coming forward on any of the parking with accessibility issues

1:22:19will you be addressing that with staff at site plan as well I believe it is but I just want to

1:22:23make sure that you would thank you mayor gethra yes I'm Scott Patterson from Patterson Planning

1:22:28Consultants here representing the property owners yes this will go through site plan approval all

1:22:33matters related to parking setbacks and things like that would be addressed through that process

1:22:39essentially council is providing or approving the framework for what the zoning would allow

1:22:44the details of the development would come through the site plan process and would be finalized

1:22:47through that process to make sure we follow the zoning that is implemented by council

1:22:52okay however it wouldn't deviate to the negative in other words you wouldn't be able to

1:22:56like if there's anything that needs more so it would be done at site plan you'd have to be

1:23:01adhere to that yes that's correct okay councillor Keaton is that okay did you have another question

1:23:07so just for abundant clarity so like if there was two accessible spots needed site plan would

1:23:15call that out and it would be handled at that level

1:23:22it's excellent even you're quite yes the the bylaw that council's being asked to approve

1:23:27will limit the the number of parking spaces to eight based on the current development

1:23:32but if through the analysis of the project through site plan approval if it was determined that an

1:23:36additional barrier for parking space was required that would be required at that time any other

1:23:42deviations would require a minor variance or something to come back before council again

1:23:48so with with the approval that council is being asked to consider today

1:23:52that would again provide the framework and then through staff we would have to conform to any

1:23:56requirements of the bylaw so if additional barrier free parking spaces were required which

1:24:01I don't believe they are through the bylaw but if that was identified that is something that

1:24:05would be addressed through site plan approval okay thank you very much Phil I'm sorry all council

1:24:13sorry about that that's quite alright man Guthrie I have two questions I have two questions for you

1:24:20I appreciate Mr. Patterson's comments about this being a framework and I think that that

1:24:25makes these even more important is this particular application since it's coming through the nuances

1:24:32of what we call strong mayor powers subject to LPAT or committee of adjustment it could still be

1:24:40appealed yes yep there would be no committee of adjustment a minor committee of adjustment issues

1:24:47unless something was brought up at another date but it's never come up in conversation with the

1:24:53applicants at all what you are seeing is what they wish to build so in other words residents

1:24:59could bring this to LPAT if they so deemed appropriate yep an appeal framework is always

1:25:04applicable thank you is there any other questions okay boost still

1:25:13yes thank you and through you mayor again sorry if I could ask the planner my understanding of the

1:25:18site plan approval process with staff is that that is it for community engagement and conversations

1:25:26in your professional kind of work that you do with clients do you encourage your clients to

1:25:30still have conversations with residents and so on throughout throughout the process

1:25:37through your worship that is correct the site plan approval process is not a public process

1:25:42there is no further involvement from the public once it reaches that level of approvals

1:25:48it's difficult for individual developers to get back in touch with the community and involve them

1:25:54in that process it's more of a delegated interaction between the proponent and staff

1:26:00it's not to say it can happen it's just a regular in my experience

1:26:04um more so that's done through the staff level if staff realizer want to engage the community

1:26:10and ask questions or let them review things uh staff have that opportunity but from a developer

1:26:15perspective it's it's not common thank you knowing what I know of the applicants since

1:26:23I've met them the last few months I'm sure they would be willing to hear from the community if

1:26:28there's issues with construction or or sidewalk issues or what like I their heads are nodding so

1:26:35you know there there would be I'm sure many opportunities to get to know each other okay

1:26:41if there's nothing further I'd like to call the vote then please councillor oh thank you

1:26:46mr mayor I do have comments and I know that it is no surprise to mayor Guthrie or anyone else

1:26:52as I've been very very clear that I cannot support this I do believe that we have many

1:26:58challenges the consequence of this I lament the absence of staff input from the from city staff to

1:27:05us as a council I'm very concerned that environmental assessment and other planning analysis has not

1:27:12come and we have not had the appropriate analysis commentary and recommendation

1:27:16for staff I do believe that we as a city council are not appropriate to make this determination

1:27:24I believe that that's something that we do with the use of professional advice I'm also very concerned

1:27:30that if we do this we do set a precedent in the minds of others who might then say that it is

1:27:35appropriate to bring forward something similar and I I would regret that to happen um I don't

1:27:45believe I think it's very important I heard many delegates speak that this is not about this development

1:27:50it's not about nimbyism it's not about affordability in any which way that there was a welcome of

1:27:55affordability that there were concerns with the limitations on affordability but they also brought

1:28:00up some other things that I think are very important uh miss cruis and I believe it was

1:28:05raise the issues of heated sidewalks and I think a heated parking lot as well and it's

1:28:09accidental negative impact on some aspects of of the environment I need to hear from staff about that

1:28:15I'm not prepared to make a decision based on uh good faith I appreciate the developers speaking

1:28:23about redeveloping a property in a um in a densely populated area I have no issue with that at all

1:28:29but this is about due process and thoughtful assessment by professional staff with the mind

1:28:35for council to consider the input from the public and make a decision based on the best

1:28:41knowledge at the time not on something that comes before us that was fraught right from the start

1:28:48with a failed process otherwise we would not be here again again today

1:28:54all right thank you for your opinions um I'll I'll call the vote then please so all those against

1:29:00please raise your hand okay just councillor Allt so that passes thank you very much and

1:29:08we're going to take a 10 minute break we'll start um we'll start in 10 minutes for our

1:29:13committee of the whole meeting I am going to do bylaws now though so uh goller would you move

1:29:17the bylaws Richardson would you second again thank you um and with that uh they are 2025 21