The City of Belleville’s Planning Advisory Committee heard the plan for the Residential Intensification Project at its meeting on Monday.
The project involves amending the Official Plan and zoning by-laws to allow up to four housing units on a single fully-serviced residential lot.
Principal Planner with the City of Belleville, Andrew Chan, delivered a presentation to the committee on the plan.
He says the project is broken down into three initiatives:
- Aligning residential zoning along key road corridors;
- Expanded permissions for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), including permitting a third ADU where two ADUs are already permitted; and
- Reducing barriers for ground-oriented housing options, including three-unit and four-unit dwellings.
“These are the considerations that will lead to the future implementation of four units as of right,” Chan told the committee during his presentation.
“So from the planning perspective, we will continue to listen to (and take in) feedback to engage what the public is supportive of for each of these initiatives, because it is a balance between what we should be able to do for opening up opportunities and what will work for Belleville.”
As part of the project, the planning department is awaiting word on its application for the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund as well as monitor any changes from the provincial level.
“We will also have to consider future policy changes to kind of steer the potential redevelopment projects, such as lot consolidation policies to kind of encourage that and have a better compromise between redevelopment of new properties, but make sure they’re within the scale of existing communities,” Chan said.
Following the presentation, Councillor Chris Malette says he was happy to see this plan.
“I think this goes to what the legendary planning guru Jane Jacobs would call density done well,” Malette told the committee.
“I think we’re using the land that we have more responsibly, and I would encourage my colleagues to support this as well.”
Some members of the public spoke on the project, including the president of the Quinte Region Landlords Association Robert Gentile.
He spoke positively about the city addressing the housing crisis but also shared some concerns from citizens and other members of the association.
Gentile specifically mentioned out-of-town investors who do not have any stake in our community whatsoever.
“Anything you can do to help us provide more housing is good, and we encourage the city to provide an environment that is more friendly to housing providers,” Gentile told the committee.
“Yet at the same time, focus on the bad apples who are running the slum properties and are not providing the safe quality housing that our citizens deserve.”
The committee approved receiving the application with a resolution that city staff put together a report that takes in input from the public, commenting agencies, and municipal departments.
That report would be brought back to the committee at a future meeting.
More information about the project can be found at the City of Belleville’s website.
