‘This is absurd:’ Stacked townhome proposal raises ire of Crystal Beach residents

Residents in Crystal Beach neighbourhood are concerned about what a development proposed for Rebstock and Ridgeway roads will do to the place they call home.

Larry Chambers and his wife, Patricia, have lived on Rebstock Road for 30 years. Their home is right next door to what will be a driveway to a proposed development consisting of six blocks of stacked townhome that will total 154 units. The roadway will be the only way into and out of the development which will also feature 194 parking spaces.

He and Patricia believe the proposed development, at 103 units per hectare and referred to as medium density by the consultant hired by the developer, is too much for the 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) property. Under the draft Crystal Beach Secondary Plan, yet to be approved by council, density allowed would be 100 units per hectare.

We've been here for 30 years and it was slated as a 16-home subdivision," Larry said. Not stacked townhouses. There was always going to be a development; it's just the size and volume of this."

Another nearby resident, Sharon Buttigieg, lives on Ridge Road and her home will back on to the new development. She's said she is concerned about the loss of privacy caused by the height of the three-and-one half blocks.

It's absurd," she said.

At a recent open house to get feedback from residents in the area, Mary Lou Tanner of NPG Planning Solutions, the firm working with the proponent on the project, said that levels will be tiers and neighbours to the development will not be looking at three-storey building that just goes up in front of you."

Lesley Burrison, who is leading the opposition with fellow Rebstock Road resident Geoffrey Aldridge, said the proposal is plagued with issues and that the proponent is seeking not only a zoning change, but variances concerning parking and density among other things.

Relief from our current zoning bylaws does not need to be granted," she said. The Town should not be bending to city developers who are wanting to build city spaces in our villages and towns."

Aldridge, who lives a short way up the street from the entrance to the proposed development on Rebstock, called the proposal a travesty" in the making.

These neighbours would have to live with this beside and behind them," he said.

But Aaron Butler, the Town's planning lead on the file, said stacked townhouses are nothing new. In fact there are already some examples of the concept in Fort Erie not that far from the area for which the current project is proposed, he said.

The South Coast Village development (located at Ridgeway Road and Ryan Avenue) in Crystal Beach contains stacked townhouses," Butler said in an emailed response to the Post.

To address concerns that may come from residents, proponents of the project are also being required to undertake numerous studies, including a transportation study and a functional servicing study, Butler wrote.

These studies will be reviewed by Town staff and applicable commenting agencies to assist the Town in determining whether the proposed density can be accommodated and whether it is appropriate," he wrote.

He added that town staff have been hearing the concerns of the nearby residents and they will be brought forward to council as the project moves through the process. The public will also have another shot at having their say.

Staff is compiling all comments received and will provide them to Council in an Information Report at the Public Meeting in early 2022."

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: How much density is too much in a development? A 154-unit stacked townhome development on 1.5 hectares of land will negatively impact nearby residents in a neighbourhood dominated by single-family homes, said residents who came forward to speak with the Fort Erie Post.