黑马磁力 Township council approved a change to a major development planned for the downtown of Fort 黑马磁力, on land owned by the mayor's foundation.
The site, bounded by Glover Road to the west, Mary Road to the north, and Church Street to the east, was approved for a mixed-use development with shops and upper-floor apartments in 2023.
On Monday, June 24, the council voted to approve some changes to the plan. The site is being developed by Fort 黑马磁力 Properties Ltd., the business arm of the non-profit Fort 黑马磁力 Project, as part of the mayor's foundation. Profits from the project are to go back towards charitable projects in the community.
Woodward declared a conflict of interest and left the council chamber during the debate.
The project already received approval in 2023, but this vote was about a rezoning that would eliminate second-floor office space from the project, replacing it with residential units.
The two three-storey buildings, directly across from the Fort 黑马磁力 Community Hall, will increase the number of units from 47 in the previous plan to 76 in the new one. Some of the units will be smaller than previously planned, to make them less expensive.
The change to the project was approved in a four-to-three vote with Councillors Kim Richter, Margaret Kunst, and Barb Martens voting against it.
Staff fielded several questions about the changes, with director of development head Stephen Richardson noting that the project meets local parking requirements.
Richardson was also asked if the changes to the previous version are "minor."
"Minor, I suppose, is a subjective term," Richardson said.
Staff reports show that the exterior of the building will look essentially the same as the version previously approved.
Martens asked about having a public input opportunity, in the same style as a public hearing, but Township administrator Chan Kooner warned that could be legally dicey.
Towns and cities are no longer allowed to hold public hearings for developments if there is no change to the Official Community Plan and the developer is not asking for a bylaw amendment, as in this case.
鈥淧ublic input opportunities that are public-hearing style, there could be a risk with that," Kooner said.
The province changed legislation to reduce the number of public hearings as part of its sweeping revamp of housing regulations. Public hearings were scrapped for many kinds of development because they were seen as unneccesarily holding up the construction of new housing.
