UPDATE: I'M STILL 100% OPPOSED TO THIS RECKLESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE ESTABLISHED NEIGHBOURHOOD BETWEEN DENNISON AND EAST HUMBER.
Over the last week I have met with a group of dedicated residents who have gathered over 200 signatures in opposition of this application. Their concerns are as followed:
( Note: I strongly agree with the letter below and encourage all residents to continue to voice their opposition to this development, as stated at the end of this letter the residents are not opposed to development they just want development that compliments the area ).
Co-ordinated Community Feedback
Regarding: Stateview Homes Development, Keele & Dennison Street, King City May 2019
Attention: Adam Grossi, Senior Planner, Humphries Planning Group Inc.
Stateview Homes, High Crown Estates
We, the undersigned residents of King City, wish to raise serious objections to the development proposed by Stateview Homes (High Crown Estate Inc.) at 13151, 13165, 13175, 13193, 13211 Keele Street, King City. There have been multiple site plans produced for this property (see three examples attached). All of them propose to replace the five existing houses and build 52 to 56 freehold townhouse residential units with access from common-element condominium roads provided via Keele Street (opposite Norman Drive) and Dennison Street.
We understand that Site Plan #3 is Stateview’s working plan and we are concerned that this version has not been presented to the public for comment at either the information session on December 5, 2018 or the official public meeting on March 18, 2019. We have objections to the density, design and environmental impacts of the project, as outlined below.
1. Traffic congestion – The proposed development is intended for families or young professionals and will add traffic of more than 100 cars coming and going from this corner. Traffic congestion in this section of Keele Street during the morning rush hour already makes it extremely difficult to exit from Dennison and Norman Streets, and often backs up as far north as East Humber, McClure Drive and Carmichael Crescent. Pedestrians attempting to cross Keele Street in the morning are already at risk. Adding so many more vehicles to this area is going to make the problem significantly worse, which will pose a challenge for both existing residents and newcomers. The impacts could be mitigated by reducing the number of units planned for the site, designing and marketing the site to seniors or others who are less likely to be adding to the rush hour traffic, and incorporating appropriate traffic management strategies (e.g. traffic lights on Keele). To ensure an appropriate strategy, we believe a traffic study should be undertaken.
2. Road access onto Dennison Street – Current plans include road access onto Dennison Street. The proposed development should not infringe or affect existing adjacent neighborhoods and residential streets. At no time did the Township or residents envision a new subdivision accessing Dennison Street. The proposed subdivision should be self-contained and there should be no road entrance or egress onto Dennison Street.
3. Insufficient parking – Driveways and garages for the proposed development are small, visitor parking is very limited, and there is no space to park on the interior roadway. This will lead residents and their guests to park on neighbouring streets, especially Dennison Street, Norman Drive and Hambly Street. These streets have no sidewalks and lining them with parked cars will create dangerous hazards for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians throughout the neighbourhood. The only way to ensure the safety of current and future residents is to ensure that the design provides adequate parking for the number of units that will be built. That calculation should take into account that many King City households comprise three or four cars, a large percentage of residents will use
Coordinated Community Feedback, May 2019
their garage for storage rather than for parking, and the lack of transit alternatives will mean that all visitors will be coming with vehicles.
4. Unsuitable building design – We agree with the wording in the new draft Official Plan (Section 5.3.3) that requires the height and massing of new developments to provide a logical transition to, and interface with, adjoining properties to maximize privacy. There are no townhouses north of King Road on either side of Keele. The existing neighbourhood is designated R1 and contains spacious estate-type lots. The proposed townhouse design and the long flat façade set so close to Keele Street, is not at all in keeping with the character of the surrounding neighbourhood. Furthermore, this multi-storey townhouse design will only appeal to a narrow segment of home buyers and does not reflect the variety of housing needs in our community. We agree with the vision of the new draft Official Plan (Section 3) which encourages the development of age-friendly, accessible, and appropriate housing in our community, and we are opposed to townhouses on this site.
5. Transition to existing properties and loss of privacy – The proposed development is dramatically different from the adjacent neighbourhood. The roof lines of the proposed buildings approach 40’ in height. This far exceeds the neighbouring homes on both sides of Keele and position of proposed units would overlook some of the adjacent yards on Dennison Street. Any final design should ensure privacy and conditions which promote the quiet enjoyment of property by both existing and future residents. There are currently dozens of trees 40 to 60 feet tall lining the borders of each of the existing properties. These trees provide significant privacy between neighbouring properties. Regardless of the site plan, it appears that the majority of the trees on the development site will be removed, including many of the perimeter plantings. Retention of mature trees will add to the aesthetics of the property and provide privacy for both new and existing residents. The final design should retain all the healthy trees along the perimeter of the property.
6. Protection of natural heritage feature – The proposed development property borders on the natural heritage feature of the East Humber River. King Township has established minimum protection zones of 30 metres surrounding this feature. It is our responsibility as stewards of the environment to not only retain existing buffers but to re-establish buffers that may not have existed in the past, in order to improve the habitat so that native animals, birds and fish can thrive. Several units within the proposed plan encroach on the 30-metre protection zone. Any final plan should ensure that the appropriate buffers are re-established and that no units encroach on the buffer zone.
7. Storm water management – Climate change is creating more frequent and intense storm events, so new developments need to incorporate design solutions that will minimize the impact on stormwater infrastructure. Outside the buffer zone areas on the site plan, the buildings, driveways and roadways cover most of the surface of the property and will result in extremely high amounts of stormwater. Given the location of this property so close to the East Humber River, we feel the site design should include not only fewer units, but reduced hardscape and more creative stormwater management strategies.
Coordinated Community Feedback, May 2019
8. Garbage and snow management – It’s not clear from the available site plan details how the site will manage garbage and snow removal. We expect any new homes on the site will have access to curbside garbage pick-up. Similarly, there should be good planning and sufficient space for snow removal so that neighbouring properties are not flooded as snow piles melt.
We would like to engage with the applicant in good faith. We are not against development, but we expect any new development will complement the existing neighbourhood. To that end, we ask Stateview to delay any site preparation until we can come to mutual agreement about the points above.
( End of Letter )
Original Post From March 29th, 2019 Below.
One of the biggest concerns I heard during the election campaign was that residents failed to be informed of major projects happening within their own neighbourhoods. I believe it is the responsibility of a Councillor to keep residents informed, so on March 17th, 2019 I spent the day canvassing Dennison Street, East Humber Drive, and Humber Valley Crescent talking to residents. I was please to meet passionate residents who knew of the Stateview project but had no idea that a public meeting was being held on March 18th, 2019.
During the public meeting, we had a full Council Chamber as many residents were eager to share their concerns of this project. After hearing the residents of my ward so strongly oppose this development, I made it clear during the meeting that under no circumstances would I ever support a project like this!
To continue to help me fight this development, that in my opinion, is not suitable for this area please email me. Also to stay informed please email the clerks department and ask to be placed on the notification list for the Stateview Homes project. To read the full article from the King Sentinel, click here: http://kingsentinel.com/?p=11203