A new subdivision and commercial development could be on its way to Stroud.
A public meeting was held this week for Innisfil council and residents to learn about the proposal for 7958 Yonge St., which would see 79 residential condominiums, two commercial development blocks and a stormwater management pond constructed on the currently vacant lot across the road from the Beer Store.
The residential portion would be divided into 34 single-detached dwellings and 18 back-to-back townhouse units, on full municipal sewer and water systems.
“Our goal here is to enhance the existing community of Stroud while respecting its village designation and providing a much-needed mix of housing types to the community,” said Catherine Pan, senior development manager for Brookfield Residential Properties.
One significant concern with that plan, staff noted in the report to council, is that municipal wastewater servicing doesn’t currently exist in Stroud, nor does the current well-based water system have the capacity to service the proposed development.
That stood out to Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler immediately.
“We haven’t heard anything from the County (of Simcoe) or the town regarding the expansion of water,” Fowler said. “It’s nice that we can build the homes and everything else, but if you can’t service them, they’re not applicable.”
But they will be eventually.
“Municipal water and wastewater servicing solutions for Stroud are being explored as part of the 2023 Innisfil master servicing plan update,” the staff report indicated. “The development is proposing to utilize a sewer and water servicing extension provided from Alcona via Yonge Street.”
Water and wastewater are municipal issues, under the purview of InnServices, Mayor Lynn Dollin clarified, however, the road remains the responsibility of the county, and coordination would be required in order to see any expansion up Yonge.
The development couldn’t proceed until those services are in place, which Brookfield believes will be 2026 for water and 2028 for sewer.
The 79 units proposed are fewer than the 106 units approved as site-specific policies adopted by council in 2017. The property has since changed hands and the new owners, Brookfield, have pared down the request, albeit moving wastewater collection to municipal sewer in their plans to the original proposed communal septic.
A public meeting was held regarding a draft plan of subdivision for the property in 2018, but no decision was made by council and the project before them at Wednesday’s meeting was considered a new draft plan of subdivision by a new owner, town development planning supervisor Steven Montgomery said.
The application required new site-specific zoning, which would redesignate the lands slotted for the previously proposed communal septic system and rezone and amend various components of the property to align with the layout of the proposed development and reflect the boundaries proposed in the draft plan of subdivision.
Coun. Kevin Eisses said residents are watching this development closely, since it is right in the centre of the village. He also noted it was the last remaining piece of the former Campbell farm.
Joan Jay spoke on behalf of Stroud Presbyterian Church. In a letter to councillors, which she read in the meeting, the church lamented what they saw as a sudden shift in character for the village.
“(There is) no buffer for density transition,” she said.
“All lots in the proposed plan are much smaller than adjacent existing developments,” Jay added.
She said this would lead to “immediate devaluation of adjacent estate properties.”
Jackie Patton spoke about the traffic studies undertaken by the proponent.
“I back onto Yonge and I hear traffic and speeding cars and all kinds of noise all hours of the night,” she said. “Adding an entire new community is going to increase that.”
For Denise Thompson, who like many others who spoke is already seeing concerns with overcrowding at local schools, the proposal just didn’t seem to make sense for Stroud.
“I don’t think we really need a whole bunch of cluster density, stacked (townhouses),” she said. “It just seems so out of character for a little strip in our big, spacious, estate community.”
Thompson previously moved to Stroud from Alcona because she wanted more space for her children to grow up in. Laurie Baker said the last thing she wanted Stroud to be was just like its neighbour to the south.
“I do not want Stroud to turn into – no offence – Alcona. I do not want it to look full of townhouses,” she said. “Stroud does have a good reputation. We are a nice community and people want to be there. Honestly, if this comes in our neighbourhood and takes us down, I’m taking myself out of there. I don’t want to be there if this is what it’s going to turn into.”
A decision on the issue is expected by council at a later date. From there, additional plans and requests will be necessary before shovels are in the ground.
