The last planning meeting of the year offers a veritable potpourri of planning matter for council consideration. There are a couple of decision reports ready for ratification, a new request to designate a heritage property, and a brand new statutory meeting on a transformative project in the south end. All that, plus council will deal with a referral from an earlier meeting.

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 December 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.

2021 Development Charges By-law Amendment – At a special meting in October, council heard proposed changes to the Development Charges Bylaw, adjustments prompted by the passage of several different pieces of provincial legislation. At the end of that meeting, council referred the recommended changes to this meeting, but it looks like there’s been no update to the proposed changes in the last six weeks.

Decision Report 66 Duke Street Proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments File: OZS20-008 Ward 1 – From October’s planning meeting, staff is giving a green light to this proposed four-storey, 22-unit apartment complex on Duke Street just north of Alice.

Decision Report 520 Speedvale Avenue East Proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment File OZS20-006 Ward 2 – This is another proposal that came to council in October, but staff are recommending some changes to the finished project. The original plan was to build 64 stacked, back-to-back townhouses, but the approved application has scratched off 12 of the townhouses to bring the total number to 52, 32 back-to-back and 20 that are the more conventional front-to-back.

Notice of Intention to Designate 919 York Road under Section 29, Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act – This property is better known as the Matthews Farmhouse, but the proposed heritage designation covers more than just the farmhouse itself. Earlier this year, an application came to Heritage Guelph to demolish the building after what can only be described as years of neglect, the roof was starting to cave in, the property was not secured, and a daycare is based nearby.

Still, the farmhouse is “an early and representative example of mid-19th century rural farmhouse construction using heavy timber log and fieldstone (limestone and granite) construction methods,” and Heritage Guelph wants to see it protected. The heritage designation will be automatically approved if there are no objections within 30 days of being passed by council at this meeting.

Statutory Public Meeting Report 601 Scottsdale Drive Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment File: OSZ21-012 Ward 5 – Just a few months ago, this was the Holiday Inn location for Guelph, as it had been for years, but if it all goes according to the rezoning plan, this could be a new student residence. The building, which is owned by a real estate development company and not the University of Guelph, will be transformed from an old hotel and conference centre into a residence with 151 suites and 13 apartments. What dos that mean? The suites are essentially a bedroom and a bathroom, while the apartments will have two bedrooms. This is just the statutory meeting for this development proposal. No final decision will be made at this meeting, council will only vote to receive the report.