This could be a late one. For the February planning meeting, the zoning gods have lined up four statutory meetings, two of them are already controversial, and the other two are almost likely going to attract some conflicting attention. Put your jammies on and get the hot chocolate warmed up because we just might be pulling an all-nighter.

NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting via telephone, but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on February 5. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.

NOTE #2: The meeting will be closed to the public, though it will be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.

NOTE #3: Since every item on this agenda is a Statutory Public Meeting, it only needs to be noted once that council will only vote to receive the staff reports on each of these files, and no formal decision will be made about the projects at this meeting. 

Statutory Public Meeting Report 721 Woolwich Street Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment File: OZS20-015 Ward 2 – You may recall some controversy last fall about the potential redevelopment of the Parkview Motel on Woolwich Street into permanent supportive housing. The motel rooms will be converted into 32 separate apartment units, which will require some allowances for the number of required parking spaces and for setbacks given the current footprint of the building. The new building will also contain supportive facilities for the residents, which will require a renovation of the office space and common areas. This meeting is merely about the zoning of the property, and any discussions about the City of Guelph being a funder of site renovations or future operating expenses will take place at other meetings.

Statutory Public Meeting: City Initiated Official Plan Amendment for the Emma Street to Earl Street Pedestrian Bridge – Back in September, council approved the environmental assessment for the Emma-Earl Bridge, and though there has since been a request from the Province for staff to provide more information on that assessment, the City is proceeding with this statutory public meeting to start the process to approve the rezoning of the land. Although that work on the EA is expected to take until the end of the year, the staff report says that a formal decision on whether or not the bridge will proceed will come back to council for final approval sometime in the second quarter of 2021.

Statutory Public Meeting Report 265 Edinburgh Road North Proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment File: OZS20-012 Ward 3 – There hasn’t been much going on at this property in the last few years, which is a big empty plot between the back of Lourdes school and a commercial car wash and Chinese restaurant on Edinburgh Road. That could change if council eventually approves this plan to revitalize the site, which will include a two-storey commercial building plus two seven-storey apartment buildings for a total of 141 units. The commercial portion would be zoned R.4A, which would allow for a variety of different businesses including a daycare, personal care service, convenience store or eatery. The development will have 218 parking spaces, including 18 reserved for the commercial portion, and 63 in an underground lot.

Statutory Public Meeting Report 78 and 82 Eastview Road Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment File: OZS19-004 Ward 2 -These properties in the east end are fairly large, but they only have a couple of single detached dwellings sitting upon them presently. If this plan’s approved, there could be 30 cluster townhouses plus one five-storey apartment building with an additional 40 units. There will be 70 parking spaces for the townhouses including spots inside each house’s garage, with an additional 10 visitor spaces. The apartment building will have 58 spaces, including 22 in an “internal garage.” Look for some people to have an issue with the fact this site runs right up against the Guelph Northeast Provincially Significant Wetland Complex.