City’s planning guidelines scrutinized

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This article was published 06/12/2016 (3438 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A council committee’s non-decision on a condominium project has focused public attention on the city’s muddled planning guidelines and the lack of policy on residential infill projects.

The property and development committee voted 2-2 Monday on whether to uphold a community committee decision to reject a rezoning for the property that would allow for the construction of a $6.5-million, four-storey, 12-unit condo project on McMillan Avenue at Harrow Street.

Civic planners had approved the project, citing it was compatible with similar multi-family developments nearby and that it conformed with the city’s planning guidelines.

‘We need a rule book that enables fair and transparent decision-making’– Coun. Janice Lukes

Coun. Janice Lukes told the committee the split between councillors and the administration highlights the inconsistencies and problems with the city’s residential infill guidelines.

Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) said the current process appears too politicized, where planning principles are compromised by councillors bowing to public pressure.

“We need a rule book that enables fair and transparent decision-making,” Lukes said. “As a new councillor… I am asking that this policy, or a rule book, be developed so all developers and councillors have a clear understanding of expectations when doing infill developments.”

The McMillan project was met with some opposition from area residents, who said the four-storey building is not compatible with the neighbourhood that overwhelming consists of single-family homes.

The area’s community committee — which consists of ward Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) and adjacent Couns. Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) and Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) — considered the application Nov. 8 and rejected it, saying it as too large for the neighbourhood and expressing concern it would lead to similar projects and the loss of single-family homes.

At Monday’s property and development committee meeting, Orlikow (who chairs the committee) repeated his concerns about the project’s impact on the neighbourhood and questioned the planning department’s conclusion it is compatible with the neighbourhood.

Orlikow pointed out the two examples the planners cited as similar are two blocks away and on a collector street, while McMillan is a residential street.

Orlikow said he’s not opposed to residential infill projects but doesn’t believe this one is compatible with the neighbourhood, and he is concerned it would trigger similar developments on the street.

Gerbasi said she was siding with Orlikow, in part because it’s his ward and he knows it best and councillors should respect the concerns of the local ward councillor on such matters.

The other two committee members, Couns. Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) and Shawn Dobson (St. Charles), said they thought the application is a good fit for the neighbourhood and voted for it.

The proposal moves on next to Mayor Brian Bowman and his executive policy committee, which will vote on it before forwarding it to the Dec. 14 meeting of city council.

Orlikow later told reporters he felt handcuffed by council policies that prevent councillors from talking about a development proposal while it winds its way through the hearing process but no such prohibitions are placed on developers, who are free to lobby the public in support of their projects.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca