Ward 2 Coun. Luke Dufour, arguably the Sault's leading champion of affordable housing, has recently been taking a personal stab at residential land development.
Dufour persuaded the city's committee of adjustment on Wednesday to allow him to divide a large lot he owns at the intersection of Hillside Drive and Peoples Road into three properties for purposes of future residential development.
But a longtime neighbourhood resident warned the committee that the new lots may never be habitable because of longstanding flooding issues.
"Whoever's going to build there may find it unlivable," said Joseph Bertrand, who has lived on Hillside since 1990.
"It's nice to see all the new faces coming on board in the neighbourhood and we welcome development in our neighbourhood," Bertrand told the committee hearing.
"We've been experiencing excessive amounts of water for years."
"When I first moved in my house, there was nothing in the basement. It had been flooded three or four times prior to me moving in."
"I remediated, put in new weeping tiles, surrounded my whole property from end to end with weeping tiles."
"Since then, it's gotten worse. People around me have flooded numerous times in the past five years," Bertrand said.
"I'm not here to say 'don't build.' I'm here to say to the next person, you have some legitimate concerns with water."
"I just want you to know that the people below me lose their driveways, they lose their houses, lose their ability to get insurance."
Another Hillside resident said he was "one of the five of us that are still left in that subdivision" and there's always been a water problem there.
Dufour said he proposed putting a walk-up fourplex on one of the severed lots, with driveway access from Peoples Road.
He expects any stormwater there could be tied into the Peoples Road stormwater system.
Committee staff recommended that Dufour's application to sever the property into three lots be accepted, subject to conditions including:
- dedicated water services are required for the severed lots
- a site plan review
- provision of a lot grading and drainage plan
- payment of certificate fee(s)
- payment of cash-in-lieu for park purposes
- provision of applicable transfer documents
- discharge or partial discharge of charge/mortgage
- payment of municipal taxes
- compliance with zoning bylaw provisions
Michelle Kelly, the committee's secretary-treasurer, advised homeowners to talk to inspection services staff at the city's building division if neighbours aren't managing drainage within their own properties.
Dufour told SooToday on Thursday morning that he has worked as a building contractor and managed rental properties, but this will be his first venture as a developer.
He said flooding is pretty much impossible since what he plans to build is at the top of the hill.
Other news from Wednesday's committee of adjustment meeting:
- the committee noted the Jan. 10 death of Frank DelBosco, who served on committee of adjustment for eight consecutive years starting in 1998
- Sam Biasucci (SalDan) is continuing preparatory work on a 192-unit long-term care facility on Third Line East near Great Northern Road. On Wednesday, committee of adjustment granted Biasucci permission to sever a 4.12-hectare lot there into three service lots for development purposes