A public meeting under the Planning Act was held Wednesday evening regarding the application for an Official Plan amendment for an Alcona property located at 1326 Innisfil Beach Rd.
The new owners of the property – the historic 19th-century home that was at one time the residence of former mayor Gord Wauchope – have purchased additional land and have come forward to the town with a new proposal.
Instead of 29 new three-storey townhomes, plus the heritage house, the owners are proposing a high-density, mixed-use development on the 1.3 hectare lot, including a U-shaped, four-storey apartment block surrounding a central courtyard, offering one-, two- and three-bedroom suites; and a two-storey mixed commercial/office block fronting onto Innisfil Beach Road.
The proposal calls for 10 commercial spaces at ground level, with eight office units on the second floor. Space for patios would be provided along Innisfil Beach Road.
The heritage house would be moved to the centre of the commercial block, as the common entrance to both to the commercial space, and to the residential apartments beyond.
The new proposal requires redesignation of the land from neighbourhood commercial and residential medium-density to downtown commercial area, which would permit the higher-density, mixed-use development. Apartments up to seven storeys are allowed within the downtown commercial area.
The developer has also proposed 236 parking spaces, 146 of them underground, for the residential units. Visitor and commercial parking would be provided at ground level.
Two vehicle entrances onto Innisfil Beach Road are shown in the drawings.
Concerns submitted in advance of the meeting included the impact on adjacent properties and the size of the proposal, as well as the impact of traffic on the adjacent Alcona Glen Public School.
A number of positive comments were also posted on the town’s Get Involved Innisfil website.
James Hunter, of IPS Consulting, represented the owners and provided a summary of the proposed development.
He noted the design was the product of a “charette” and consultation with both town staff and the Innisfil Heritage Committee to ensure the heritage building was preserved and incorporated into the plans.
The development would not only provide a variety of housing types, but also offer an opportunity to both live and work in downtown Alcona, said Hunter, in keeping with intensification targets for the area.
Coun. Alex Waters asked if a traffic study had been completed to look at integrating the traffic flows with those at the adjacent elementary school.
Hunter said the detailed site plan, submitted a week earlier, had included a traffic study.
“We’re not anticipating any impact on the adjacent school,” he said.
Waters also asked if there would be any connection provided to the planned residential subdivision to the north.
Hunter explained the two proposals are entirely independent of each other.
“We didn’t have the option to connect through the north lands,” he said.
A parking barrier and landscape buffer are proposed along the northern edge of the property. Any connection “would be up to the northern landowner,” Hunter added.
Deputy Mayor Dan Davidson questioned the impact of intensification on the already heavy traffic on Innisfil Beach Road, suggesting that high density should be shifted to the proposed Mobility Orbit planned community on Line 6.
He was reminded by Tim Cane, the Town of Innisfil's director of growth, that Innisfil Beach Road has always been planned as a main street, with mixed uses and buildings up to seven storeys tall.
“You will continue to see similar applications along here,” Cane said, “not creating a problem, but creating something that’s been long wanted in the community.”
As the meeting progressed, several residents emailed questions, including a query as to whether the apartments will be “affordable.”
Hunter noted that the units will be market-value rentals.
In response to a question regarding emergency access, Hunter said there will be both a pull-over lane in front of the commercial block and the two access points, providing full access for emergency vehicles.
“It will not impact the traffic on Innisfil Beach Road,” he said.
Hunter was asked if the historic Wauchope house was still structurally sound, after years of resting up on steel beams, or if there was a danger it could collapse.
He noted there had been “a lot of effort to preserve this house,” and expressed a commitment on the part of the developer to incorporate the building into the new design.
Finally, there was a request to carry out a new traffic study while school is in session, and not during the summer or when schools are closed due to COVID-19.
All comments were referred to staff for review and a recommendation to council at a future date.
“No decision is made today. We are here to listen and learn,” said Mayor Lynn Dollin. “All of the comments will form part of the public record.”
