Town staff are recommending approval of a proposed housing development on Maple Street that would add 13 residential units to an existing neighbourhood, despite concerns raised by nearby residents.
The proposal will be reviewed by Bracebridge’s Planning and Development Committee at its Feb. 4 meeting. The property is currently zoned for single-family homes.
The site is about 1.27 acres in size and has roughly 80 feet of frontage on Maple Street, which is maintained year-round by the town. At present, the property contains one detached home, an accessory building, a large backyard, and mature trees along the rear property line.
If approved, the project would allow six semi-detached buildings to be constructed while keeping the existing home. This would result in a total of 13 dwelling units on the property. Access to the new homes would be provided by a private internal road connected to Maple Street.
Town staff say the development would include enough on-site parking to meet town requirements, along with four additional parking spaces along the internal road. Staff also note that details such as drainage, snow storage and removal, garbage collection, traffic movement, and landscaping would be reviewed and addressed during later approval stages.
Several written submissions opposing the project were received from residents living near the site. Concerns raised included potential drainage issues, parking and road upkeep, snow removal, garbage collection, emergency vehicle access, increased noise, loss of green space and mature trees, building density, and how well the project would fit into the existing neighbourhood.
Registered Professional Planner Shaylyn Costello submitted comments supporting new housing in established neighbourhoods, but questioned whether the size and layout of this project are appropriate for the area. Costello suggested that any redevelopment should better reflect the scale and lot sizes of surrounding homes.
Other residents said the property sits higher than neighbouring lands and expressed concern that construction could affect drainage and lead to the removal of a significant number of mature trees. Some residents also said they felt the number of homes proposed was too high for a property of this size.
In response to public concerns, staff stated that the proposal does not change building heights, setbacks, or lot coverage, and is consistent with the town’s planning policies for low-density residential areas. Staff also noted that potential impacts on property values are not considered when reviewing development applications.
The committee’s decision will be forwarded to council for final approval.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox six times per week!
Click here to support local news
We need more housing.
Typical selfish response, Not In my Neighborhood though.
More housing will bring prices down for those in need.
Again, we need more housing, lots more.