Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Lonny Napper says changes to a housing development in Wyoming are stirring up old concerns.
In 2008, the township approved a plan of subdivision on the east side of the community by developer Ken Dobbins. The plan was to build 112 single-family homes from the railroad tracks on Main to Confederation Street.
The roads dead-end streets of Main, Thames, Ontario and Huron would all be opened to extend the roads and a new north-south road – Ketter Way – would be built. Erie Street, according to Napper, is currently slated to be cul-de-sac.
The current developer Mike Radcliffe of Lucan has asked council to allow a zoning change near Erie Street east of the Royal Canadian Legion and Royal-Leigh Apartments. Radcliffe wants to build two multi-unit residential units.
But that idea has drawn fire in the community with a petition being circulated opposed to multi-residential units. The concern is it will cause too much traffic in the area.
“I need to remind everyone, concerning the traffic flows, that has been dealt with a couple of years ago,” says Napper. “All we’re dealing with this time is rezoning for the future apartment buildings.”
Napper has had a number of calls of concern. “A lot of people are very passionate about it and people don’t like change but we do need to change to keep up with the demands put on us as a small municipality,” he says adding the municipality charges developers to put services in so it will not be added to the municipal taxes.
“The development charges are there and they are paying their way…there is not a burden on the taxpayer. We have got to maintain steady growth because the writing is on the wall for small municipalities.”
A public meeting on the rezoning is slated for Monday at 6:30 pm.
