MOUNT FOREST ‒ While they understand there’s a need for more attainable housing, community members are asking council to consider the impacts of a proposed development on its current and future residents.
At a public meeting in Wellington North on Monday, residents are invited to share their feelings about a proposed development of seven-street townhouses and 27-cluster townhouse units at a vacant lot on 9453 Highway 6, south of Mount Forest.
Living on the corner of Melissa and Cork Street for almost 20 years, Joe Haley is one of two residents who wrote letters to council saying 'not in my backyard.'
“(It feels like) we're being asked to accept these drastic changes simply for the profits of others but I guess that’s how life goes,” said Haley. “We do need housing but there never seems to be a place to build that pleases all.”
With close to eight homes per acre, the plan proposes six blocks across 3.95 acres, with a private street, as well as a storm water pond and a neighbouring amenity area.
But Haley said the proposal needs to add sidewalks for the pedestrian and cyclist traffic that uses Cork and River Road as their main route or a recreational pathway.
“It's not just the immediate neighbourhood that uses these streets, people from all areas of town can be seen in the area on a regular basis,” said Haley. “So this development along with the development across Cork Street to the west is going to create even more permanent traffic and further change our lives forever.”
New residents of Mount Forest, Monica, and John Dryden said that when they purchased their home in 2021, they were “not aware” of the “magnitude” of development proposed for the neighbourhood.
“We thought we had purchased a house in a quiet, rural community on the outskirts of town,” said the Dryden's, in a letter. “We knew that some development would be inevitable…(and) we knew that there was a proposal to sever the land, but did not think a subdivision would be built.”
Referencing Bill 23 and the Build Homes Faster Act, the Dryden’s don’t understand why “small, rural” Mount Forest should be subject to the development boom.
“With so many houses, the number of people and traffic will increase exponentially in our neighbourhood and on our street,” said the Dryden's. “Instead of a green field where white-tailed deer bring their young to feed and rest out of harm's way, there will be townhouses looking into our backyards, many people and vehicles, and lots and lots of noise.”
Adding to the Dryden’s concerns about privacy screening and storm water mitigation, Haley asked that the developer consider replacing the proposed 1.8 metre wooden fence with a taller fence or tree line.
“(The proposed fence height) is hardly tall enough to screen anything,” said Haley. “The cluster/row housing that will run along the backside of the Melissa Crescent properties will have a clear unobstructed view directly into our homes & backyards completely eliminating any of the privacy we've come to expect.”
He also asked who to contact in the city about additional garbage blowing into his yard from construction sites.
“I picked up bags of garbage in my yard from the recent build projects along the west side of Cork Street, and I'm not willing to do that for a project of this size,” said Haley. “It shouldn't be the responsibility of the neighbours to deal with their garbage.”
The public meeting is set for 2 p.m. Monday at the township office in Kenilworth.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
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