Residents raise concerns as Windsor committee backs Howard Avenue rezoning

Renderings of a proposed six-storey apartment building with 90 dwelling units and more than 110 parking spaces on Howard Avenue. (Source: City of Windsor)

Despite concerns from residents, a city committee has approved rezoning for a new apartment building on Howard Avenue.

Windsor’s development and heritage standing committee met Monday afternoon, with one report seeking approval to rezone the corner of Howard Avenue and Holburn Street.

The proposal includes a six-storey building with 90 dwelling units and more than 110 parking spaces.

A small group of residents attended the meeting as delegates and raised concerns about traffic, sewer capacity, building height and neighbourhood character.

City administration said during the meeting that the existing sanitary sewer would be able to accommodate the development, noting it is currently operating at about 50 per cent capacity. However, officials said upgrades would be required for future developments as the area continues to grow.

Administration also said a traffic study was not required for this proposal and that Howard Avenue can handle additional vehicles.

Gero Lapico, who lives across the street from the proposed site, said the size of the development is unnecessary.

“Our community is defined by low-density, single-family residential character … a six-storey structure is an architectural anomaly in this context,” Lapico said.

“There are many other properties in Windsor specifically suited for high-density development. It is unnecessary and inappropriate to force a building of this magnitude into an already established — well-established — low-density area.”

John Vallance, who lives adjacent to the site, said he is concerned about traffic and parking.

“There’s already parking issues. People park on both sides of the street currently without the impact of 90 additional units and all the vehicles that come with that,” Vallance said.

Stacey McGuire, the city’s executive director of operations, said the development is expected to add about 35 vehicles to Howard Avenue during peak hours.

“We do have some numbers from 2017 and 2020 along that corridor, and both of them put the traffic along Howard as being within an acceptable range for even a Class 1 arterial road, and this is a Class 2 arterial road that is supposed to take even more traffic than that,” McGuire said.

“So we’re confident that we’re within the acceptable range here, so these additional 35 trips wouldn’t have an impact on the traffic.”

Committee member and Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie said the development meets requirements and does not add risk to nearby residents.

“I recognize that folks don’t like the height of the building … I get that,” McKenzie said.

“And the shadow piece, that is frankly an unfortunate part for some of living in an urbanized environment … that’s what happens, especially on arterial roads. You’re going to see buildings built, especially in the middle of a housing crisis. We need units.”

McKenzie said broader conversations are needed about infrastructure improvements along the Howard Avenue corridor.

“A highly developed part of the city, no curbs, poor sidewalks, no bike lanes, soft shoulders, gravel — but it’s a Class 2 arterial … that’s not right,” he said.

“So we’ve got to do better, and I hope all of the folks that make decisions — including the mayor — around what we fund, and how we fund it, and when we fund it are listening.”

The development still requires final approval from city council at a later date.