Alex Kurial/Local Journalism Initiative
Colonel Cameron School is closer to welcoming new next door neighbors after a 36-unit townhouse complex passed another step in the application process.
The condos will be located off Queen St. in Corunna, south of the Athletic Park and east of Colonel Cameron. Development has been in the works for more than a year as new owners Kendel Homes worked out details with Lambton County and the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.
The proposed complex was previously known as the Walnut Grove Subdivision under prior owners Danbury Developments.
The proposal before council on Nov. 16 changed the land’s zoning from standard condo to vacant lot condo. This means each unit will have its own owner, rather than one person owning several condos and renting them out.
The units will be single-story and accommodate two vehicles. Councillor Rose Atkins asked if the units might lead to increased traffic and parking on Queen St. But St. Clair’s senior planner Barry Uitvlugt says he isn’t worried.
“The vast majority of the development will not want to park out a distance away from the internal lane,” Uitvlugt says, referencing the condominium’s internal roadway. “The assumption is that for the most part you’re going to have sufficient parking.”
“We’ve had some great discussions with the County of Lambton public works and the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, and they have no objections and would support this proposal,” says Uitvlugt. “This proposal reflects the overall intent of the [township’s] official plan. The planners and myself support this development.”
Now that council has approved rezoning, Kendel Homes will make a condo application.
Wilkesport is looking at a housing plan of their own. A large plot of land south of Edward St. and west of Douglas St. is currently zoned as A1 agricultural zone. The land owners are hoping to change this to R1 residential zone to allow for single detached housing.
Part of the land is zoned EP-H however, which means it’s environmentally protected. Uitvlugt says the owners have been working with the county and conservation authority for awhile now, and believes they’ve finally worked out most of these issues.
“The big issue here was identifying those lands that were designated for residential development that could be zoned to an R1 zone, while ensuring that those lands that are in environmental protection remain in environmental protection,” says Uitvlugt.
“There was a bit of a discrepancy with the floodplains near the very bottom, but with comments from the conservation authority we’ve identified that it will remain as the current zoning in terms of environmental protection.”
Council approved the rezoning. Uitvlugt says more environmental study is needed to determine how many houses will be possible in the area.
