Guelphissauga #9: Townhouses Replacing Speedvale Church

The Fellowship of Guelphissauga continues after heavy rains ravaged the old growth trees in Exhibition Park. Open blue skies and meaningful double rainbows now fill the Shire as the Fellowship cleans up the broken branches following their revision of the Rules of the Ward during the storm. The rainstorm also gave the Property Developer Orcs enough time to regroup from the defeat of the Tower of Sauron and collect a small army. They are now back at the Shire's gates with a proposal for building a townhouse complex in the northern Shire to expand on their small network of NIMBY Camps. Will their more reasonable proposal get approved?

This time around the Fellowship faces off with a familiar army called the Masked Marann Orcs. Having been through the Shire's gates before, these PD Orcs mask themselves in their legal numerical name called 2601265 Ontario Inc. The Masked Orcs have built similar Townhouse NIMBY Camps in the Shire before, such as a 3-storey building on Guelphissauga Road near Clairfield. This experience gave them the foresight to obey the 6-Storey Rule of the Ward, allowing them easy access through the Shire's gates in order to table their 3-storey building proposal.

The proposed site for the new Townhouse NIMBY Camp is at 520 Speedvale, which is the current location of St. David & St. Patrick Anglican church. The Anglicans have left the land vacant since 2015 with rumors of a termite infestation stopping their return. The Masked Orcs are proposing to build four blocks of 64 back-to-back stacked townhouses on the two-acre site. With an additional 84 parking spaces also planned, 68 of the lot's current 96 trees would be removed. The Masked Orcs are also seeking to change the site's density limit to pack all the townhouses into the NIMBY campsite.
The current Ward Rules allows for 35 units per hectare, whereas the Masked Orcs are seeking 80 units per hectare which is more than double the density of the surrounding residential lots.

What do you think?

Will you miss St Patrick's church and 68 trees?

Is a Townhouse NIMBY Camp more reasonable than the Double Trouble Towers?

How will James Gordon & Rodrigo Goller treat a decision with a long term direct impact on Ward 2?

Have you seen any termites in town?

Guelphissauga #8: Revising the Rules of the Ward

The Fellowship of Guelphissauga continues after the final defeat of the Tower of Sauron. A sunshine fuelled warmth now covers the Shire as the Property Developer Orcs are currently pushed back from the gates while they regroup their forces. This break allows for the Fellowship to update its Official Plan and zoning bylaws to bring its Rules of the Ward policies into better alignment with the updated Provincial Planning Act. How will the external whispers of Provincial Policies influence the future Rules of the Ward?

The proposed changes would make it easier for property owners to build an additional accessory dwelling that could be as tall as 2 storeys and less than a meter away from a neighbour’s property line. It could bring local competition to the housing market and spread out residential density across the Shire, instead of solely down Guelphissauga Road. The final decision will come later this year following further community consultation and possible tweaking of recommendations.

The Fellowship initially saw numerous red flags in the proposed policy changes such as building height, setback from property line, loss of privacy and tree canopy, and parking issues. Councillor Leanne Piper Caron said that accessory dwellings intended for use by adult children or parents aren’t a problem, it’s when they become a new way for landlords to build more student housing that it can become one, particularly by absentee landlords. She added, “If this is exploited, it could be a nightmare.” She preferred a one-storey limit which James Gordon, Bob Bell, and several other councillors agreed with. John Lawson of the Old University Neighbourhood Residents Association reiterated the possibility of exploitation as “some students and some landlords are a problem.” At the same time, the University of Guelph has announced it is capping the number of students living in residence this September at 1,000, down from the usual 5,000. "Only students with special housing accommodation circumstances will be eligible to live on campus fall semester," it stated in a news release.

So how bad could the housing exploitation really get? Well we can look at other places where it's already happening such as in the UK. Luckily the TV show “Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlords” provides a real life glimpse into housing exploitation as it follows rental disputes and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). It features feisty-pitbull lawyer Paul Shamplina and other enforcers as they tackle unruly landlords or tenants, bringing legal resolutions to their disputes. It occurs in places such as the Shire of Harrow County, where the elderly and immigrants are getting exploited instead of students. Police powered evictions and early morning raids of HMOs are common occurrences on the show.

What do you think?
Should accessory dwellings be allowed?
If so, should dwellings be capped at 1 or 2 storeys?
How far away should dwellings be from the property line?
Are there enough housing disputes in Guelph to sustain a reality TV show?

Guelphissauga #7: The Double Trouble Towers

The Fellowship of Guelphissauga continues after skirmishes in the Arkell wetlands. This time around the Fellowship faces off with a double-team attack from two similar breeds of Property Developer Orcs. The Blue-Blooded Skyline Orcs have mustered their few surviving troops for a last hail-Mary attempt at the gates of the Downtown Shire. But they are not alone as another group of PD Orcs are simultaneously rallying for the Double Trouble Towers at Gordon & Edinburgh. Can the Fellowship defend against both groups of Orcs?

Defeated from the battle of the Tower of Sauron, the Blue-Blooded Skyline Orc Army collected their remaining troops for a last attack at the gates of the Shire. They stubbornly stuck to their original battle plans without any changes for respecting the Rules of the Ward. Longtime Councillor Cathy Downer was surprised by the lack of adjustment to the proposal as she had “rarely ever seen an application like this come back with no changes.” Delegate Susan Ratcliffe called it “a very strange building that violates so many values that we hold dear in Guelph.” The Fellowship quickly and unanimously rejected the unchanged proposal, putting a finishing blow into the Tower of Sauron. The Skyline Orcs were angered by the repeated rejection and pondered retaliation. Chamber of Commerce CEO Shakiba Shayani hinted that Skyline might move its head office from the community if the proposal doesn’t move forward.

Meanwhile in the middle of Guelphissauga, another group of Property Developer Orcs have arrived at the Shire's gates. They appear to be a hybrid between the Solstice and Blue-Blooded PD Orcs with their intentions. Having marched all the way from London Ontario, the Purple-Blooded Tricar Orcs are proposing the Double Trouble Towers with a total of 377 apartment units on the east side of Gordon Street and Edinburgh Road. Similar to Skyline, the Tricar Orcs are wanting to break the Rules of the Ward. The current zoning allows for a 10 storeys maximum and a density of 150 units per hectare, but Tricar is proposing 12 storeys and a density of 271 units per hectare. There would also be a harsh environmental impact as 606 of the 707 trees currently on the property would be removed. The intersection of Gordon and Edinburgh is one of the busiest in town so parking will be a concern. Tricar is proposing 586 parking spots with 523 of them in underground parking. 57 visitor parking spaces will be available above ground but Tricar was unclear if they will charge visitor parking fees as down the road at Solstice.

What do you think?
Is Guelphissauga growing too fast?

Is Skyline wasting City Council's time with a repeat proposal?

Does Tricar's proposal perpetuate the issues seen at Solstice 1 & 2?
Should Property Developers be allowed to re-propose a previously denied development without any changes?