The proposed plan for the Talbot on the Trail subdivision in Picton failed on a recorded vote at Wednesday’s Prince Edward County council meeting.
The development plan featured 238 units including two-storey freehold townhouses, three- to four-storey stacked townhouses, two to two-and-a-half-storey back-to-back townhouses and a single detached dwelling on a parcel having civic addresses on Talbot Street along the Millennium Trail.
Some councillors had issues with the density, the community benefit, whether or not it fit the vision for the county and how affordable it would be. Three members of the public attended the virtual meeting to provide comment and raised the same concerns.
The proposed development had a projected density of 51.1 units per hectare, well above the maximum of 37 as laid out in the secondary plan. Councillor Bill McMahon explained his hesitance to move forward with that in mind.
“If we allow this to go ahead, this is going to open the door to any developer to presume that we’re going to authorize this kind of density overage and it would be very difficult for us to say that we don’t do that anymore, this was just a one-time thing.”
Councillor Bill Roberts said they need to look at what’s driving the housing prices up, and that the lack of inventory of housing and the lack of choice is the culprit.
“One of the factors is inventory. We have no inventory here in the county. That is also driving prices up, as are STA (short term accommodations) acquisitions driving housing prices up. We need inventory for people within that $275,000 to $375,000 bracket and it may well be the last time we see market forces actually delivering.”
Mayor Steve Ferguson echoed Councillor. Roberts saying that the lack of inventory has been an issue in the county for as many as four years.
After over an hour of discussion on the topic, Councillor Jamie Forrester called a recorded vote.
Councillors Hirsch, Roberts, Harper, St-Jean and Margetson as well as Mayor Ferguson voted in favour and councillors Forrester, MacNaughton, Bailey, McMahon, Maynard, Prinzen, Nieman and Bolik voted against.
