Let’s call it a planning week. A day following the regularly scheduled planning meeting for this month, we will get an additional planning meeting. A special meeting for a special project, if you will. Remember the Guelph Innovation District Secondary Plan? Well, it’s going to get a workout as the first block plans finally come to council for approval, and in a surprising twist, staff are not offering a ringing endorsement. Let’s get into it…
NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting in-person or via tele-presense but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on Friday September 5. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.
NOTE #2: In addition to meeting in-person, this meeting will also be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.
Decision Report on Endorsement of the Guelph Innovation District Block Plan for Blocks 1 and 2 File BLKP24-001 – Fusion Homes bought the portion of the G.I.D. land west of the river in 2021, and in December 2023 they asked council to retain changes to that secondary plan approved by the Ontario government to increase the number of residents, and decrease the number of jobs on the property. So now we come to the plans for blocks one and two and the staff recommendation is that council should reject them.
“There are several issues that have not been adequately addressed by the applicant which, in staff’s professional opinion, will significantly impact the achievement of a complete and well-functioning community on the Block 1 and 2 lands and may have long-term effects on the City,” the report says.
The issues? The planned community park isn’t big enough, and neither is the planned school. Plus, the plan doesn’t meet minimum employment mixed-use requirements, the single-loaded road on the eastern edge of the property is missing, there needs to be revisions to the stormwater management facilities, and the Frost Building (see below) needs to be part of a residential block. The staff recommendation says that if Fusion Homes is able to answer all these concerns, then they can resubmit the block plans for council approval, but for now, the answer (from staff anyway) is no.
328 Victoria Road South (Frost Building) Notice of Intention to Designate – Back in April, staff brought a move to designate the G. F. Frost Research and Information Centre, or what’s more conventionally known as the Turfgrass Institute. According to heritage staff, the building meets five of the nine criteria to designate under Ontario Regulation 9/06, and was also approved by Heritage Guelph at their March meeting, but the gang from Fusion Homes asked council to hit pause until the block plan came up for approval. Heritage staff are obviously still endorsing the designation.
SEE THE COMPLETE AGENDA ON THE CITY OF GUELPH WEBSITE HERE.
Guelph Politico 