Stratford council denies rezoning for proposed townhouse development verging on wetland
Statement from developer says it will work with town to develop a proposal for the site
Stratford's council has turned down a rezoning request that would have allowed townhouses to be developed on land verging on a wetland in the central P.E.I. town.
The developer, R&D Builders, applied to the town to rezone an area of the Forest Trails subdivision from medium to high density. That would let the general contractor build 32 stacked townhouses, along with two apartment buildings with a total of 78 units.
A group of residents in the neighbourhood opposed the project, citing concerns about too much density in the area and the destruction of a piece of wetland.
Stratford councillors appeared to side with those residents during their regular monthly council meeting Wednesday night, voting 3-1 to defeat the rezoning motion.
"I think it's important to remember the principle of respect here. It's not only respect for our residents… but we're also obligated to follow our zoning and development bylaw and the advice of planning experts," Mayor Steve Ogden said during the discussion.
This could cost the town a lot of money. It could end up being something that is really not in the best interest of the town...— Stratford Mayor Steve Ogden
"We really need to have good reasoning behind everything that we decide because this could cost the town a lot of money. It could end up being something that is really not in the best interest of the town if we [make] the wrong decision here."
The town held a public hearing on the rezoning application last October, during which councillors heard significant objections to the proposal.
Despite the pushback, Stratford's planning committee supported the developer's request in May and council subsequently passed a first reading of the rezoning motion.
Before all that, in November of last year, R&D Builders hired the private company Fundy Engineering to assess the wetland area.
Residents have told CBC News that the results of that survey led to a revision of the wetland's boundaries, but that the provincial government has since reinforced the original designation.
On Wednesday night, councillors voting against the rezoning also raised concerns about the amount of traffic the development would create, along with "spot zoning" a high-density project in a medium-density area.
In a statement Thursday, R&D Builders co-owner Mitch Roggeveen said the company will continue to work with the town to develop a proposal for the site "that contributes positively to the Town of Stratford while remaining environmentally responsible."
He added: "We've been waiting since last fall to meet on-site with the Department of Environment and Fundy Engineering to determine the precise wetland boundary. This assessment must take place during the full growing season, and the meeting is now scheduled for later this month.
"Any lots previously identified as falling within the wetland area were removed from our proposal months ago. We fully recognize the importance of wetlands and are committed to respecting all environmental regulations in the area."