When Alison Mavis bought her Petrolia home in 2008, she had the real estate agent check to make sure only single family homes would be built around her.

Fast forward to 2022 and Mavis, with some of her neighbours, are railing at the idea of a $33 million, 66 unit townhouse complex in the planning stages on a 10 acre piece of land between Third, Fourth and Kentail Street.

“It was always intended to be single family homes and it should remain so,” she told council Monday during a hearing over whether the land zoned for single family homes should be changed to allow townhouses to be built. 

Mavis, a single mother who has three jobs to make ends meet, says she’s worked hard to put value into her one-storey home, and is worried adding townhouses to the neighbourhood will bring down her home’s value.

Baker Build and Design, who was represented by Engineer Ray Dobbin, plans to build 10 buildings with a total of 66 townhomes on the property. 

They’ll be two storeys high – unlike the current homes in the area which are only one – and will be about 1,400 to 2,000 square foot. The builder told the residents the units will likely sell for about $500,000 each.

Some neighbours had been concerned the units would be rentals.

Neighbours also voiced concerns that the neighbourhood has big drainage problems. The town did a study of the area before the pandemic. This summer, the area will be part of a $1 million street repair project which will see sanitary and storm water systems put in place which should help the problem. 

“We know storm drainage out there is terrible, but we are working on that,” Mayor Brad Loosley told The Independent after the 75 minute  meeting. “And I think that even to do that part is going to help make a big difference.” Residents in the area will get a look at the construction project during a public meeting in June. Mavis, and her neighbours, say the entire problem should be fixed before the townhouses are even considered.

Council will take a look at the request to rezone the land at a future council meeting.