Supportive and Affordable Housing

On Monday November 3rd, there was both a hearing and readings given to Bylaw #224, which amends our Land Use Bylaw to allow for the development of a Seniors Precinct zone. This bylaw, once given final reading after covenants and legal agreements are in place, will allow for the construction of the long awaited Abbeyfield, as well as some market and rental housing that will assist Abbeyfield and Bowen Court financially.

This is a highly significant for a number of reasons. It is the first bylaw to implement the 2005 Snug Cove Village Plan. It will be the  North bookend project to our 'Village within a Park' concept. It utilizes the maximum density of 17.5 units/acre, without requiring any further amendment to our OCP. It will give new financial stability to Bowen Court, now over 20 years old, but still saddled with a mortgage. It provides for a mix of multi-family rowhouse typologies along Miller Road, which will be in considerable contrast to the existing single family , 1/4 acre lots along that portion of Miller Rd. and finally, the Abbeyfield structure will have flexible housing as well- lower cost rentals in the beginning, conversion to Abbeyfield resident units in the future, or for ancillary functions such as respite housing. As Faye White said during the hearing: " This is a health initiative as well as  housing"

So- we get seniors housing, affordable housing, assisted living and market multi-family. Exactly what we wanted when the Village Plan was crafted.

I am extremely proud to have been involved in this project- albeit in a limited manner. As a member, then chair of the APC back in 1995/96, I supported the 'unit equivalency' provisions for supportive seniors housing, which were quite contentious at the time. I brokered the density in the Village Plan which settled on 17.5 units/acre.  I  attended AGM's of Abbeyfield, supported community grants to them, donated money, and this year, sat down with Graham Ritchie and Dave Witty to strategize on the rezoning application. They were very reluctant to be first out of the gate; I am so pleased they are, as the project significantly benefits the community, and sets an example and bar for further rezonings along the west side of Miller Rd. and elsewhere within the Cove.

There were two cautionary notes sounded at the hearing- by a neighbour and another very long time resident, concerned about traffic, noise and precedent setting. In speaking to the issue, I thanked them for their concerns, and the need to ensure that not only must mitigations be in place, but assurances that Miller does not become entirely a strip of higher density housing. Certainly, the Community lands across and down the road need to be properly planned to ensure that development does not overwhelm the area. In fact, I believe there is a strong case to keeping 3A and B (north and east of the RCMP) intact as green space, and concentrating on lot 2A between Seniors Lane and the school, which have views and are not well forested.

This rezoning will bring significant change to the area. I am confident that it will be, on balance, a beneficial one.