Town to host public hearing for affordable housing

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Strathmore will soon be hosting a public hearing regarding the potential land use redesignation of 9 Bayside Place. 

As initially discussed during the Feb. 15 regular meeting of council, an application has been brought forward to facilitate the development of attached housing on the plot. 

This location is the site of the former Strathmore Seed Cleaning Plant, which was decommissioned in 2019 and demolished in 2020. The site has remained vacant since. 

“Administration received an application to redesignate 9 Bayside Place – the location of the old seed cleaning plant, to a direct control district based on the R3M medium density modest residential district,” explained Megan Williams, with the Town Municipal Planning Division. “The applicant is asking to redesignate this site to facilitate a two-phased development. The first of which is a 60-unit affordable housing townhouse development.”

She added a subdivision application was also submitted simultaneously by the applicant and is currently with town administration for review. 

The subdivision application, if successful, would see two parcels from the subject lands created. A tentative site plan was presented to council during the meeting. 

The applicant has requested the following amendments be passed regarding the parcel of land in order to facilitate further planning and construction:

• Remove the maximum building height of three stories in the district’s purpose statement

• Add “housing attached” as a permitted use

• Increase the distance balconies may project from the building, as well as how far balconies and landings may project into a rear yard setback

• Increase the maximum building height on the plot from nine meters to 14 meters (three to four stories)

• Decrease the landscaping requirement from 35 per cent of the site area to 30 per cent

• Add site specific definitions for front yard and rear yard which will identify the property lines that are the front yard and rear yard for the purposes of establishing setbacks

• For the housing attached to change the requirement of that to have a fire wall to generalize it to a general fire separation in accordance with the Alberta building code

Adjacent landowners to the land parcel in question will be notified and circulated to regarding the public hearing. This will include properties within 50 meters of the subject parcel, as well as all industrial parcels within Bayside Place and all condo units on 8 Bayside Place.

Coun. Jason Montgomery moved to give first reading to amend the bylaw, as well as to direct administration to schedule the public hearing for March 15 beginning at 6 p.m. in council chambers. Both motions were carried by council.