A townhouse development in North Bay’s south end is a step closer to shovels in the ground following a special committee meeting Tuesday night. The units would be built at Booth Road and Massey Drive. “We’re glad to see smaller units coming forward,” said Coun. Chris Mayne. “There’s ownership, so that helps, as well.” Planner Franz Kloibhofer, a senior associate at AJ Clarke and Associates, told councillors that the units would be sold at market rates. “Some may argue that a townhouse development may be more affordable than some of these $500,000 to $600,000 homes,” Kloibhofer said. Councillors voted unanimously to approve a zoning bylaw amendment and draft plan for the subdivision application. The development would be led by a local company, Bay Builders, and would include one- and two-storey units. Mostly two-bedroom units “Most of them are two-bedroom (but) I believe there would be some three-bedroom within this, as well,” Kloibhofer said. “It is very early in the process right now, but there is a mix of unit sizes throughout the particular development.” The plan includes stacked townhouses. Kloibhofer said he’s worked on about a hundred similar projects in southern Ontario, with this being the furthest north he’s been involved with. “It’s very successful because it gets people trying to enter the housing market and people trying to downsize from the housing market,” he said. The project must still be approved by city council. With the municipal election set for Oct. 26, Mayne said it’s about laying the foundation for the next council to decide whether to proceed. “It’s a multi-year project,” he said. “Anyone in northern Ontario would be glad to see a proposal like this coming forward. I think it’s a good location and it’s a good fit for the city.” There are further steps in the process before construction can begin, including a traffic study and an environmental impact statement, with approval from both the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority and the Ontario government’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
