Local citizens are expressing their worries about an apartment development that's been proposed in Georgetown South.
Plans for a six-storey, 157-unit rental apartment building on the Danby Road grounds of Norval United Church were the subject of a public meeting on Monday, with several residents coming forth to share their thoughts with council.
The development is proposed by Kindred Works, an independent company created by the United Church of Canada to manage the body’s real estate developments.
If approved, 30 per cent of the units within the building would be affordable, meaning that their cost would be at or below 30 per cent of the median family income. According to Kindred Works, it will not be making a profit off the collected full-market rents as those will be used to subsidize the affordable units.
The residents who spoke raised concerns about the development causing traffic congestion, whether the new tenants would create a population explosion, and more.
Anthony Sunjka wanted to know why the church land was chosen. He felt that zoning on land to the west, across Eighth Line would be more suitable for the development. He also took issue with the potential greenhouse gasses that may be emitted from construction on the site.
Associate at MHBC Planning Andrew Hannaford said while the church property is zoned as institutional land, "it’s privately owned and any private land owner in Ontario can propose an application on their lands.”
He further added that the church intends to provide “much-needed affordable housing” on “underutilized land.”
“The church, to my knowledge, does not own land [across the street]. So we couldn’t develop on that site,” Hannaford explained.
The church is aiming for, according Hannaford, “an 80 per cent reduction of green house gasses during construction compared to a typical project.”
Michael Campbell expressed worries about the apartments being used as short-term rentals and the property increasing the population of Georgetown. He questioned how Kindred Works would assess potential tenants.
“[Voters] did not want to see huge growth in the coming years in Georgetown. Most residents have moved here because we want a small-town community with small-town community values,” Campbell added.
Hannaford explained that Kindred Works will retain ownership of the property even if the congregation of the Norval United Church ceases to exist.
"There will be an application process to live in the units, just like with any other building,” Hannaford added.
He continued: “Because you have a church congregation on site, a church with a vested interested in the operation of it, there is an incentive there to ensure that the site functions properly.”
Area resident Oleksander Babiy raised concerns about the future property’s driveway on Eighth Line causing drivers to use the church's parking lot as a “pass through” south onto Danby Road.
He also wondered about whether there would be adequate recreational and green spaces for people to use.
A second public meeting held immediately after showed that land is being allocated to expand Gellert Community Park next door.
