A six-storey apartment building in the city’s Riverside area has been approved by a city committee.
Windsor’s Development and Heritage Standing Committee met Tuesday afternoon, with one report requesting a rezoning application.
The proposal is for the northeast corner of Wyandotte Street East and Watson Avenue, which is currently vacant land.
Baker Investments is proposing to rezone the land to allow for the six-storey, 105 unit apartment, with 134 parking spaces.
A new access is being proposed on Watson, and the existing access from Wyandotte through the adjacent commercial development to the east would remain.
The report states that there is sufficient capacity in the sewer system for the proposed development, and administration recommends that council approve the rezoning application.
Area resident Helen Berry told the committee she’s worried about traffic in the area with the nearby commercial development.
“Traffic flow at the corner with FreshCo delivery trucks and cars going in and out of FreshCo... consideration might be eliminating cars entering the parking lot off of Watson, could be delivery trucks only since FreshCo has three other entrances that could be used for cars.”
Area resident Len Janisse told the committee that water flow in the area is a problem.
“These fields that were there absorb a lot of water. And there’s so much water, at times, we had ducks and frogs, living in these empty lots next to our building.”
Ward 1 councillor and committee member, Fred Francis, says he hears the concerns from residents over having two access points to the proposal.
“I see a similarity with the development we did in ward one on Cabana and Casgrain, and we eliminated the access on Casgrain and kept it on Cabana. So I’m wondering if this is something similar based on the residents’ concerns that we received.”
Patrick Winters, the city’s manager of development, says there are a number of large scale capital projects that are ongoing in the area to address stormwater and improve capacity.
“The Pontiac Pumping Station upgrade, which is currently out to tender, is going to provide the wholesale improvements to the Riverside area in terms of sanitary capacity. In addition to that, you’ve got the Brumpton Park stormwater dry pond going on right now, which will improve stormwater capacity in the area, together with the Cedarview storm trunks storm sewer, which will come after Brumpton Park.”
Stacey McGuire, the city’s executive director of operations and deputy city engineer, says two access points provides better connectivity between the commercial and residential builds.
“It provides alternate emergency access routes, and it splits the traffic between those two locations. Having the access on Watson actually directs the residential use towards an existing traffic light at Watson and Wyandotte, whereas the access on Wyandotte does not have a traffic signal, so it’d be more difficult for people to get in and out.”
Buffering will be incorporated between the existing homes that back the development following concerns raised by nearby residents at an open house in August 2024.
The report will still need to go to city council for final approval.