Quiet desperation

Mary lived in Wellington for the better part of 40 years. She loved her church community and repaid this sense of belonging with her time and inexhaustible energy. Her garden was a magical place—a mirror of Mary’s delicate but vigorous and colourful character. You had to study it a bit before you noticed the patterns and whimsical flourishes—a moment more before she came into view.

One day Mary’s husband got sick. Many appointments and tests later, they confronted the fact that their up-and-down home would no longer work for them. Their lives had irrevocably changed. But there was nothing for them to graduate to in Wellington.

Bewildered and devastated, Mary said goodbye to her many friends and acquaintances. To her life in Wellington. A chapter of her life was over. It was hard to swallow. For a while, Mary understood this was part of life anywhere and that this day would come eventually. The thing she found most disappointing was that her next chapter couldn’t be written in Wellington.

So Mary moved away. She returns to visit from time to time. Not for a while, though. Separated by time, mobility, and a deadly virus.

It’s a story told every week in Wellington. Health challenges arrive, requiring a different residential setting—one level, no yard maintenance, assistance nearby—but there is little in this village for them. They cannot stay. Quiet desperation sets in. And then surrender. Then they leave.

Bit by bit, we are less of a community and more a collection of folks relieved to be out of the city. The loss of community is not irreparable, but it takes time and commitment to rebuild. The dire lack of alternate housing formats—apartments, assisted living, rentals, condominium and long term care homes suggests a lack of that commitment and means our time here will likely be short.

Village and area residents understood this in 2010 and 2011 when we gathered to write the secondary plan. There was much to do. The plan that guides development— residential, commercial, infrastructure and such—hadn’t been updated since 1980. A long time.

Folks understood the job was important. They knew the profound forces on the horizon that might roll over this community if we didn’t pay attention. They understood that future development must be shaped and that guardrails be established.

In this, the second of a series on Wellington’s Secondary Plan, our spotlight shifts to the requirement for a diverse range of housing formats.

Specifically, the Secondary Plan calls for new development to occur as a logical extension of the village northward. But for our purposes, the second guiding policy is more critical, that is, to support a diverse range of housing types that meet the existing and future needs of the community.

Wellington’s Secondary Plan specifies “a mix of residential unit types including single- detached, semi-detached, duplex, triplex, townhouse, and apartment.” It goes further to identify “assisted and special needs housing, senior housing, and nursing homes as a means of meeting the full range of community housing needed in this community.”

It is clearly spelled out. In plain English. Written by this community—to guide the development in our village.

Two large residential developments representing more than 1,000 units are nearing the start line in Wellington. Dirt will be turned soon after crops are harvested this fall. So far, the developers’ plans and marketing indicate mostly single detached homes. A few townhomes. That’s it. Not exactly a mix. A few midrise apartment blocks are specified—but labelled as “future.” The future may be a long way away.

The developer told a gathering last week that he is interested in hearing from the community, “open to suggestions.” He says he has built medical facilities and senior residences in other communities. He says he is receptive to the development of rental housing and assisted care facilities.

“We try to understand the community and what they need,” said Bill Daniell last week at an event last at a nearby winery last week.

We must hold Daniell to these commitments. Fortunately, this community needn’t start from scratch to define our ambitions—our non-negotiables. It is spelled out in the Secondary Plan. Wellington needs a mix of housing types from starter homes to assisted living. The roadmap is clear.

It is up to us to hold the developer to his word— to ensure he does what he said he would do. This means moving the development of apartment blocks forward on the timeline. It means insisting on homes that work for a young family and the amenities to ensure they stay. It means bringing forward plans for senior housing and assisted care.

Wellington’s secondary plan imagines a village where folks of all ages might settle. And live. However long they choose. It is too late for Mary. But not for you and me.

Our Secondary Plan is a powerful tool—if we choose to use it. We cannot be bystanders in shaping our village. We are participants. We are advocates. We understand this village better than anyone. Our heritage. Our traditions. Our values.

Please add your voice in support of these values.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca