Strathmore resident opens petition to repeal garden suite bylaw
A Strathmore resident concerned about the new garden suites bylaw in Strathmore has been running a petition aiming to see the bylaw repealed by council.
Bylaw 24-14, being the Garden Suites Bylaw, passed third reading in council, July 3, which allows for developments of garden and garage suites in an effort to increase the availability of affordable housing within the Town.
“The reason I decided to start my petition is because I felt that people did not really know that this had been passed, and I had a really strong feeling that not just my neighborhood, but the entirety of Strathmore was going to be densified, and it would actually transform this town quite drastically,” said Claude Brown, who is spearheading the petition. “The conversation that I am having, they are quite open and I am not against people’s opinions; some people are in favour of the bylaw … but I have over 500 signatures and I would say that 85 to 90 per cent of the people who I have managed to speak with at their homes actually signed the petition.”
Brown has been canvasing the town door to door since he was able to launch his current petition. Largely going by himself, he explained he has been able to cover an estimated less than 20 per cent of the town.
Similarly, he has also been experiencing difficulties catching people at their homes, as many will be away either at work or on vacations.
“Typically, I have been going out pretty much every evening after work until about 8 p.m. or so, and that is when I would quit because some people are tucking in for bed. On weekends, whenever I can, pretty much the whole day, so 10 a.m. until about 8 p.m. those days as well,” said Brown.
“You have 60 days from the time of the passing of the bylaw to start a petition and finish one. I do not know when I get to present to council, but I do know that my 60-day period will expire at the end of (August).”
Brown explained he will be wrapping up his petition and handing it in to town administration on Aug. 30, just before the final deadline in order to give himself as much time as possible to collect signatures and support.
As an alternative to the bylaw, Brown suggested the town look at developing a new neighborhood in an area that has yet to see such construction. This would allow for targeted developments, and tailored infrastructure instead of increasing density in existing neighborhoods.
“It could be a neighborhood with a couple of apartment buildings, it could be a neighborhood of a few townhomes, but designed so that it is not going to create congestion,” he said.
Concerns stemming from increased density, Brown explained, range from a lack of fire hydrant water pressure, to limited access to parking and traffic congestion on ill-equipped roadways.