Committee approves one development; nixes another

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This article was published 04/12/2020 (1907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Community opposition saw the cancellation of a proposed building on McMillan Avenue at the Nov. 27 City Centre community committee meeting, while one other substantial building proposal in Crescentwood was given the green light.

Councillors John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry), Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) and Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) were in attendance.

Around two dozen residents spoke against the proposal by Dwell Design Homes for subdivision and rezoning of properties at 911, 913 and 915 McMillan Ave. The plan would have seen the three lots consolidated and rezoned as residential mixed-use from residential two-family.

The proposed building was to contain 22 dwelling units with motor vehicle parking spaces in an underground parkade. Two commercial units would have faced Stafford Avenue. The newly created site would have straddled two policy areas in the Corydon Osborne Area Plan.

In speaking to the decision, Rollins said the design pushed the Corydon Osborne Area Plan too much in terms of density, setbacks and design.

“There is a lot of beauty in this plan in terms of the roof lines and the three separations on the property. The Corydon plan does allow for lot consolidations, but given the differences within the lots and the spanning of two policy areas, I really am going to dig in in terms of sensitivity and for those reasons I can’t support the project.”

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Earlier in the meeting, the committee agreed with the proposal by Ventura Developments to consolidate three lots at 874, 876 and 880 Grosvenor Ave. and rezone the property to allow for the construction of a four-storey, 26-unit, multi-family residential building.

The planning report noted how the proposed building would fit in with the neighbourhood. “Through the presence of numerous recesses, cutouts, roof line articulation, material choice, window style, balcony placement and entrance location, proposed building mass is broken up and has been designed to blend with the mature character of this area.”

Rollins also noted that the building will reflect the heritage found in the neighbourhood.

“In particular I’m very interested in how it reflects the apartments at (Grosvenor and Lilac) with the segmented windows and the roofline,” she said, adding, “When built with substantial conformity, I believe it’ll be a beautiful addition to the neighbourhood.”

She said the proposal went through substantial public consultation, and that a future Heritage Conservation District in Crescentwood was also part of the consideration by the city planners.

The proposal moves on to the city’s standing policy committee on property and development, heritage and downtown development.

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The committee also:

• Approved paving the lane in the block bounded by Edderton Avenue, Byng Place, Rockman Street and Derek Street.
• Approved the application for a non-conforming approach at 949 Nesbitt Bay.
• Laid over an application by Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church for fee refunds to its January meeting.
• Approved a plan for 160 Osborne Street, and 424 and 425 Wardlaw Avenue which will see nine lots consolidated into two, with a proposal for a six-storey building with 89 dwelling units and commercial spaces on the ground floor at 160 Osborne St., and a four-storey building with 59 dwelling units at both 425 and 424 Wardlaw Ave.
• Approved a traffic study on Academy Road between Harrow Street and Wilton Street.
• Approved a per capita grant for $4,500 to Central Corydon Community Centre to assist with the cost of providing COVID signs for all three sites, and purchasing sanitizing foggers, sanitizing solution, table plexiglass shields, sanitizer, masks and gloves to ensure proper cleaning and safety of the people using the facility
• Approved a per capita grant to Linden Woods Community Centre to assist in converting the handwashing sink in the canteen to a touchless system, and supporting the annual Linden Lights competition.
• Rezoned a lot at 149 Lindsay St. to allow for the construction of a four-unit multi-family building that will face onto Academy Road.

For minutes of the meeting, see https://bit.ly/2JCnuvQ