Lucky September 13th brings this month’s planning meeting of city council. On the agenda is one decision, one bylaw adjustment, and three public meetings for new bylaw amendment applications. Strap in for what might a long night around the virtual horseshoe as the main topic of conversation will be townhouses of every type and design in three different parts of town.

NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting via telephone or video, but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on September 10. 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.

CLOSED MEETING:

Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Guelph and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189 – Obviously, this means there’s a deal on a new contract with the City’s transit workers. Details of the new contract will not be released until both the City and the union have ratified the agreement.

Planning Act Conformity: Legal Update – “Legal” is the keyword here, so this has to be discussed in closed session because this is a matter “relating to litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, and affecting the municipality or local board and advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.”

Decision Report 29-31 Fountain Street Zoning Bylaw Amendment File OZS21-005 – This is a straightforward request asking the City to recognize a duplex already built on the property by formally changing the zoning. Staff is recommending that council endorse the change.

Technical Amendment to Bylaw (2019)-20366 to Address Pre-1989 Conveyances – In what’s a relatively small amendment to the City’s Parkland Dedication Bylaw, where in a provision allowing landowners’ credit for payments of cash-in-lieu or land donations made prior to November 7, 1989 be repealed. This is in keeping with a similar adjustment made in the Planning Act.

Public Meeting 710 Woolwich Street Zoning By-law Amendment OZS21-010 – If this plan goes forward, say goodbye to the Beer Store on Woolwich Street, and hello to 96 new stacked townhouses in four groups of buildings with 24 units in each group and one point of access from Woolwich Street. Actually, it’s not a complete goodbye to the Beer Store, but the current building will be torn down and then rebuilt closer to the street. This is just the first public meeting for this project, and no final decisions will be made, just a vote to accept the report.

Statutory Public Meeting Report – 103-105 Victoria Road North Zoning By-law Amendment (OZS21-008) – This property just north of Cassino Avenue has two single-detached houses already on built there. Those houses will stay, and they will be joined by another single-detached house on the corner. On the eastern part of the properties, the plan is to build 44 units of clustered townhouses in six different blocks. Some of the houses will be accessed directly from Cassino, and the rest will be accessed via a private road that exits onto Cassino. This is just the first public meeting for this project, and no final decisions will be made, just a vote to accept the report.

Statutory Public Meeting Report 151 Bristol Street Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment File OZS21-011 – In a planning meeting that already has six delegates ready to speak, this plan will see the one-storey dwelling and detached garage demolished and replaced with five on-street townhouses on this property between Bristol and Emslie Streets. The root of the controversy seems to be that this is too much density for the property, and a build too dissimilar from what the rest of the neightbourhood looks like. In any event, this is just the first public meeting for this project, and no final decisions will be made, just a vote to accept the report.

You can see the full council meeting agenda here.