A new townhome and condo complex has been proposed for downtown Bradford - including back-to-back three-storey townhomes, and an eight-storey condominium building.
In Tuesday night's special meeting of council, a public meeting under the Planning Act was held to hear the Zoning Bylaw Amendment application of Isroc Building International Inc., for lands at 126 John St. W. and 123 Holland St. W.
Senior Planner for the town Ray Kelso presented a staff report, describing the proposal for a residential block of townhomes at 126 John St. West, and an eight-storey mixed-use building at 123 Holland St. West, with ground floor commercial and seven storeys of residential condos.
The two properties sit back to back, between Holland and John Streets, and total 0.7 acres (0.3 hectares).
The residential block at 126 John St. West would consist of 10 three-storey back-to-back townhouse units - five facing John Street, and five facing an interior landscaped courtyard between the townhomes and the mixed-use building.
The multi-storey building at 123 Holland St. West will offer 2,540 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor (identified as four retail units), and a total of 100 residential one and two-bedroom condo units.
The proposal, named 'Holland Haus Bradford,' also includes 206 parking spaces, with two underground parking levels made possible by the gradient of the land, sloping from north to south.
Vehicular access would be limited to Holland Street West, with no access proposed from John Street West.
The project is supported in the town's new Official Plan, which designates the subject lands as 'Downtown Bradford' (123 Holland West) and 'Residential Built Up' (126 John St. West) - but a Zoning Bylaw amendment is required.
The current zoning for the 123 Holland St. West property is 'Core Commerical' (C1)', permitting commercial uses, with residential above the second floor, to a maximum of six storeys. The applicant is asking to be rezoned to Core (C1*X) Special Exception Zone, to allow for a maximum height of 22.6 metres (eight storeys), permit tandem parking, reduce the minimum front yard setback from three to two metres, and eliminate the rear yard setback.
To reduce the shadow cast by the building on neighbouring one and two-storey structures, the architects have proposed stepping back the building above 16.6 metres, creating new setbacks from the front and easterly lot lines.
The property at 126 John St. West is currently zoned 'Residential Two' (R2-1), permitting detached, semi-detached, duplex and multiple-unit dwellings.
The applicant is asking to be rezoned to Residential Two (R2-2*X) Special Exception Zone, increasing maximum height from 11 metres to 16 metres, eliminating a requirement for a planting strip, reducing the minimum lot area from 170 square metres to 78 square metres per unit and lot frontage from six to 5.34 metres per unit, and reducing the minimum front yard setback from three metres to 2.75 metres.
The zoning would also eliminate the rear yard setback, since the townhomes are back-to-back.
The proposal has been circulated to town departments and outside agencies for comment.
The BWG Accessibility Committee noted the proposed development will require a total of seven accessible parking spaces.
BWG Finance has indicated that outstanding taxes are owing on the property, and has requested that all outstanding balances be paid prior to approval of the proposed rezoning.
BWG Fire identified technical issues, regarding conformity to Ontario Building Code regulations, and exit and egress issues with the townhouse building, the west side entrance and the lobby's design, as well as the fire system integration between the two buildings.
South Simcoe Police indicated that additional communication equipment may be needed for the underground parking area.
BWG Community Services raised questions regarding water and sanitary servicing, traffic, stormwater management and site access.
The Town's Development Engineering department was not in support of the proposed rezoning at this time, noting concerns about site servicing, stormwater management, the impact of de-watering on existing buildings, and traffic.
Capital Projects flagged the need for land to accommodate a future road-widening along Holland Street West, and a right-of-way width of 30 metres.
Residents have also expressed concerns over potential problems with on-street parking, and the shadowing of neighbouring properties by the taller buildings proposed.
Three members of the public spoke at the special meeting on Tuesday, highlighting traffic issues in the area - in particular, congestion on Holland Street - questioning the affordability of the units, and the impact on neighbouring homes, including potential damage to property during construction.
John Romanov, of Romanov Romanov Architects Inc., responded to those concerns, calling the building "transitional" between the historic downtown, and the more contemporary architecture on Holland Street West.
"We've tried to harmonize with the existing infrastructure around the building," he said, creating a gateway to downtown Bradford.
As for damage concerns, "Shoring is done along the site to make sure there is no lack of stability to adjacent properties. We also do a survey of adjacent properties beforehand to see what kind of shape they are in, and monitor them throughout the construction," Romanov said, assuring councillors, "Insurance is also in place to pay for any damages during construction."
Kelso confirmed that the applicant has submitted a traffic study, but suggested that further information is needed.
"The study really has looked at the configuration of Holland Street West and the level of service, entering and exiting off of and onto Holland Street West," he said. "I do not believe they looked at on-street parking on John Street West, or a sight visibility review, so... the study is limited."
Kelso noted that there are questions about the town's future plans for Holland West.
"There has been continuing discussion on that widening request... That is still being discussed," he said. "There are different opinions about the width of Holland Street...which has a lot to do if the (Bradford) bypass gets built," he noted. "That's very important for this proposal, to be worked out."
The road widening could be three metres, or up to five metres, said Kelso. "Traffic is extremely important and we are looking at it very carefully."
As for servicing issues, Kelso said that a "very technical" functional servicing study has been submitted by the proponent, and is still under review by Engineering.
Director of Engineering Peter Loukes explained that the town is undertaking a study to review servicing capacities along Holland Street, as part of the Environmental Assessment process for the reconstruction of Holland Street.
"It does look like at the time that we will have to do some work on the underground sewers to ensure there is enough capacity in there for the intended redevelopment of not only this site but others through that corridor in the downtown," Loukes warned.
Coun. Mark Contois, who sits on the Downtown Revitalization Committee, supported the project, as increasing the amount of "foot traffic" to businesses in the downtown core, but worried about the impact on John St. West.
Coun. Ron Orr was also concerned about traffic. "My biggest concern is the in and out on Holland Street, and the left hand turning out onto Holland Street," Orr said. "That should really be looked at as a concern."
And while he liked the gardens between the two buildings, he warned they could become a place for people to congregate, posing a problem for the rear-facing townhomes.
Orr questioned whether the design fits the heritage of the surrounding area.
"I am not sure that the architecture of what I am seeing is right," Orr said. "The concern is, if these apartment buildings are going in, boy, it is sure going to change our town."
Deputy Mayor James Leduc pointed out that the new, updated Official Plan encourages this type of build.
"We just approved an official plan that said we want densities like this," Leduc said. "This is unique and an absolute bonus for us, and an opportunity for us to do something different... It's a great opportunity for our downtown to start to get redeveloped and this is an exciting project."
He added, "This is the first of hopefully more of these in the downtown core. This is what we wanted to do, to bring more people into the downtown core... I love the concept of the building. I love the look of it. This is a contemporary design in maybe a historic area and this build fits right into that area."
Coun. Peter Dykie called the project a great opportunity to provide housing while redeveloping and revitalizing the downtown.
"It's exciting to see this happening," he said, while suggesting, "maybe the townhouses on John Street can be toned down to look modern but maybe historical, to fit into the neighbourhood."
"This is what we need. It's urban, it's modern," commented Coun. Jonathan Scott. "I like the concept, but the execution is going to be key."
No decisions were made at the public meeting; instead, comments and concerns were referred back to staff and the developer for further review. A report and recommendation to Council will come back to Committee of the Whole at a later date.
Councillors expressed confidence that the concerns can be addressed.
"It's just making it happen, and doing it properly," said Coun. Peter Ferragine.
To view the full report, click here.
