Development and infrastructure dominated a relatively short Pelham Town Council meeting Wednesday, July 10, with council voting to move ahead with a controversial plan to build six houses in the Canboro Road/Daleview Drive area of Fonthill.
The proposal, which would see the demolition of an existing fourplex apartment building, has been a topic of concern from some nearby residents, with Mayor Marvin Junkin joining that chorus.
Junkin said he “strongly” disagreed with the staff report to endorse the demolition and construction, citing the fact that the current fourplex represents affordable housing.
“We would end up taking one of the few affordable housing units in the town, and we would be replacing it with two estate homes,” the Mayor said. “I don’t think that’s what this council is about.”
Ultimately that proved incorrect, with all members except Junkin and Councillors Olson and Eckhardt voting for the development.
While the proposal calls for the removal of the fourplex, between the existing lots there are currently five residences. The new plans call for six new homes, although it is highly unlikely they would be deemed “affordable” in Ontario parlance.
“We’re not here to create a community of exclusive dwellings,” Olson said.
However, Deputy Mayor John Wink said the current proposal may be a lesser of two evils for neighbours, pointing out that given its current apartment zoning, the property owner could instead choose to build a three-storey building without a zoning amendment.
Ward 1 Councillor Kevin Ker agreed, calling the situation an “Occam’s Razor.”
As far as the affordability factor goes, acting Director of Community Planning William Tigert said that Pelham is caught between newer provincial guidelines for affordable housing and older ones.
A heritage home is also part of the lot, but the plans intend to keep that structure as is, as a triplex.
Fenwick-to-Fonthill path years away
Council accepted a preliminary staff report on the idea of better connecting Fonthill and Fenwick with pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, but it was clear from discussion that full fruition is years, if not decades, away.
CAO David Cribbs remarked that it may ultimately be cheaper to create a more indirect route that does not follow Canboro Road, but it would be unknown until a detailed study was completed.
“We have a great trail network, but weirdly, we don’t have a connection between Fenwick and Fonthill,” the CAO said.
Ward 3 Councillor Shellee Niznik wondered aloud if widening Canboro was even feasible, while Wink added that it was more likely the connection would be constructed in stages.
“We’re not going to create this link in a year or two, because we can’t afford it,” he said.
