Development issue going to OMB
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By Phil Ambroziak
Email
Print
Tweet This
Click to Enlarge
EMC News - Lawn Ave. residents may have won the first round, but the battle to stop an unwanted development in their neighbourhood is expected to continue this fall.
Phil Ambroziak, Ottawa West EMC
This home, located at 2290 Lawn Ave., could be replaced by a four-unit building depending on the outcome of an OMB hearing later this fall.
On May 19, the city's committee of adjustment voted to decline a minor variance application by Gallivan Construction that, if approved, would have allowed for the construction of four units at 2290 Lawn Ave. a site currently occupied by a bungalow and which features a frontage of 105 feet. The committee's decision mirrored the general outlook of neighbours who were on hand to voice their opposition to the development and who were dismayed to recently learn Gallivan plans to appeal the committee's decision before the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
"The OMB hearing will likely take place this fall," said Woodpark Community Association president John Blatherwick. "From what I understand, some of the neighbours on Lawn Ave. are in the process of obtaining legal counsel and the community association has asked the developer for a copy of the appeal, but it's been more than three weeks and we've yet to receive it." Although not directly involved with the committee of adjustment process, Bay ward Coun. Alex Cullen did state that 2290 Lawn Ave. is an issue that has garnered a tremendous amount of involvement from neighbours and the community association.
"The city will defend the committee of adjustment's decision," Coun. Cullen added.
Mr. Blatherwick explained that a minor variance is required to go ahead with development plans such as the one Gallivan is proposing for 2290 Lawn Ave, adding that more than 25 neighbours along with representatives from the community association attended the May 19 committee meeting to express their thoughts on what this development would mean to the neighbourhood.
"We feel this would be overdevelopment for that site, but the developer is now appealing the committee's decision, which is his right," Mr. Blatherwick said.
The OMB hearing will determine whether or not to the committee of adjustment's original decision will stand or if Gallivan receives the minor variance that would allow the original plans for the property to proceed.
"The OMB will conduct a brand new hearing from scratch that will allow the developer to make his case," Coun. Cullen said. "The city will also be there to defend the committee's decision because this is an instance where the city and the community are on the same page this is a case where the development being proposed is just too much." "Right now, we're not sure what's happening, but this developer is not unfamiliar with the Woodpark neighbourhood," Mr. Blatherwick continued. "We're just in sort of a holding pattern right now until we hear more." According to Wendo Blondeau, president of the Glabar Park Community Alliance, her community's neighbours in Woodpark have already taken on their fair share of new developments, adding that Gallivan Construction's proposal is unacceptable.
"Four units just seems like it would be too much," she said. "An automatic over there (in Woodpark) is the number of (double units) that have been developed. John seems to have said residents in his community will take on their share of intensification as far as that goes, but you won't see that over here in Glabar Park. We're currently taking on our own share of intensification along Carling Ave." Ms. Blondeau went on to state that intensification isn't always good for a neighbourhood because "it means more garbage, more sewage, more parking." "It just strikes me that Woodpark has taken its share of intensification and I don't know how much more it can take," she said. "John's doing the best he can to protect his neighbourhood." A representative from Gallivan Construction could not be reached for comment by EMC deadline.
blog comments powered by Disqus
