Grey Highlands council has unanimously approved a rezoning to allow a six-story affordable housing apartment building in Markdale.
At its meeting on Jan. 17, council approved the rezoning in a 7-0 vote after an hour-long debate and discussion about the matter. The proposal had been subject to a public meeting in December.
Council made two significant amendments to the rezoning. First, council changed the parking space requirements from 0.75 spaces per unit, to one space per unit. This came after the project’s planner Krysten Rennie told council the developer was going to increase the number of parking spaces on site after hearing concerns about parking at the public meeting.
Council also voted to amend the rezoning to remove a section that required the developer to build parking spaces on County Road 12 as a mitigation measure for the lower parking ratio that was initially proposed.
“It’s clear the developer listened to comments at the public meeting and responded and has adjusted their plans to respond to those (comments),” said Coun. Paul Allen.
Rennie told council the increase in parking would result in fewer than 180 units, but she didn’t have an exact number. That detail will be determined during the site plan process.
The majority of the council debate on the proposal was taken up by conversations about the number of parking spaces in the proposal. The development concept itself was broadly supported by councillors.
“We have an opportunity here that benefits Grey Highlands and benefits Markdale greatly,” said Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen.
During the discussion, Rennie speculated that the additional parking might mean a reduction in total units from 150 to 180. She said that was just a guess and would have to be determined when the project’s design was changed.
Coun. Nadia Dubyk asked if the reduction of units would limit the affordability aspect of the project.
“Generally it still would be affordable, 150 units is still a very good number for the community in terms of rentals,” said Rennie. “It would still be in that range of affordability. That’s the intent.”
Coun. Joel Loughead also expressed concerns about the height of the proposed apartment building.
“It’s something a lot of folks in Markdale have reservations about. It’s a big leap,” said Loughead.
In a report on the proposal, Matt Rapke, manager of planning, said the municipality’s official plan does not have a maximum permitted height for a building. He said it is planning staff’s opinion that six stories is compatible with a small town like Markdale.
The 1.08 hectare property is located on Main Street West in Markdale adjacent to the rail trail. The rezoning changes the property’s designation from heavy industrial to residential multiple. The proposal includes the six-storey building, parking, a parkette/green space and an underground stormwater management system.
