Open discussion

Developer presents ideas, leaves room for public input

A community open house was held in the Rotary Room of the Wellington and District Community Centre Monday evening by the Weston Consulting Group (WCG) regarding the property slated for development located east of Consecon Street and north of the Milliennium Trail in Wellington. Weston Consulting Group and the property owners were joined at the open house by their recently compiled team of experts, all with the goal of sharing any information that they have so far, and soliciting comments from the community that could help guide future decisions. The meeting was well attended, with over 50 people showing up in adverse weather conditions to hear what WCG had to say. Concerns from the attendees ranged from infrastructure to traffic to services. Andrew Everton is the Senior Planner at WCG and wants to make sure that the community has every opportunity to express its concerns and offer feedback on what his team are doing.

“We don’t want this development to feel like a separate entity. We are planning it with the goal of it feeling like a natural extension of the village. We want to make sure we nail both the aesthetics and the logistics for this community,” says Everton.

The project is not small by any means. The final phases could see up to 400 units in the new housing development, but right now they are focusing on a Phase One build of 60 units which centres the first group of houses along a new proposed street running east to west, and just north of the Wellington cemetery. The Phase One street would start at Consecon Street and then eventually connect to Belleville Road via a collaboration with a neighbouring housing development operated by the Kaitlin Corporation. The property would also see Wharf and West Streets extended north, with West Street being focused on as a main thoroughfare.

As far as development layout, there was a clear map provided of the area with designations for where houses, streets and parks would go, but again WCG are looking for local input as to the mix of what kind of housing will be provided. The group presented a mix of housing options, even with a possible option of building an outer shell, and letting the homeowner finish the interior loft to keep costs down.

Street size is also being taken into consideration, with room for parking on one side of every street in the development. Housing lots are on the larger side with the majority of properties falling in the 40 feet wide range.

There was some clarity provided to how the houses will be built. No houses will have basements. All houses will have extra loft space to make up for the lack of basement room. Houses will also have garages with vehicles gaining access via a rear laneway, meaning on the street there will be no driveways, just lawns.

WCG felt it was also important to mention that the green spaces and tree canopy planned are of great significance to its development. Each street will have double the allotment of trees, and there are major green spaces pegged out in at least three areas. There are also plans for a four-acre community park in the middle of the development.

Alan Hirschfield and his wife, Beth, develop properties together and purchased this specific property back in 2006 with the goal of eventually doing something with it. Timing was everything, and admittedly, there has been some delays. Finally in 2019 the stars have aligned and there’s some forward motion. Hirschfield and his wife feel that now is the time to start considering the development.

“It’s appropriate for what the village needs now, and there seems to be a range of housing options currently missing in the area that we could provide in our development. We view what we are doing as a natural progression for the village. As you can see by the drawings, we are replicating the street grid and bringing it north of the Millenium Trail using the streets already designated. We want to make the arrangement that makes the most sense, and that has the most flexibility for various kinds of housing as the village grows,” says Hirschfield.

Wellington resident Nick Van Cott asked how the influx of traffic on narrow streets in the village would be handled. WCG’s roads manager explained that he had driven Consecon Street for the first time on Sunday, and that studies are underway for the best solution. He did mention that the proposed east to west road from Belleville Street to Consecon would be important, to alleviate some traffic flow from Main Street and the other back streets in the village. Another concern brought forth by attendees was STAs and how many permanent residents will end up purchasing in the new housing development. Some residents fear that the houses will get eaten up by the weekend warriors and it will become even more of a ghost town than it already is. Other concerns hovered around what services will be provided in this new community and will it detract from Main Street’s viability.

Councillor Mike Harper was in attendance for the presentation and he was impressed with WCG’s approach and thinking to date. “First of all, they asked how they can help us with our housing problems, as opposed to telling us what they want to do. Secondly, their early stage concepts are in line with what the public needs and wants—a diverse range of accommodation—both to own and rent. It was very refreshing and encouraging,” said Harper.

There will be another open house held on Tuesday, March 5 from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Wellington and District Community Centre, for another Wellington development. The Kaitlin Corporation will be in town to show plans for its Country Club Estates of Wellington, which is to be located north of the Millennium Trail, from Belleville Street to Wharf Street. The initial plans will see 260 acres of farmland converted into 460 housing units, a golf club and parks.