KITCHENER — Polocorp Inc., acting on behalf of Alina and Ioan Solomes, has unveiled plans for the development of 1385 Bleams Road in the Rosenburg Neighbourhood.
Situated southwest of the Fischer-Hallman Road and Bleams Road intersection, on the south side of Bleams Road within the Rosenberg Neighbourhood, the property encompasses a former schoolhouse, a woodshed, and a garage.
Notably, the stone schoolhouse, woodshed, and post and rail fence along Bleams Road hold designations under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, with the schoolhouse presently serving as a residential dwelling.
The development concept focuses on the vacant portion of the property, west of the existing dwelling, spanning approximately 1,707 square metres with a frontage of about 44.8 metres on Bleams Road.
Also, the Subject Property is located within the ‘Urban Designated Greenfield Area.’
The proposal, outlined in a Planning Justification Report, received approval for a Zoning By-law Amendment to pave the way for the construction of eight three-storey townhouse dwelling units, complete with parking and amenity areas.
The project included a consent application to sever the proposed development from an existing heritage dwelling on the property.
The Subject Property, previously designated as ‘Medium Density Residential One’ in the City of Kitchener Official Plan and zoned Agricultural One (A-1) under the City of Kitchener Zoning By-law 85 – 1, received approval to rezone the site, facilitating the proposed development.
The site has been rezoned to ‘Medium Rise Residential Six’ (RES-6) with specific provisions tailored to the project’s needs.
The special provisions are designed to accommodate the existing heritage buildings and townhouses.
With the transition to a RES-6 zoning designation, the single detached residential dwelling (comprising the heritage buildings) becomes a legal nonconforming use on the retained lot.
To address this, the Zoning By-law Amendment introduces the single detached dwelling as a permitted use and incorporates regulations from the RES-5 zone, ensuring compliance.
In addition, the changes required are outlined for the heritage buildings within the RES-5 zone.
These include a rear yard setback provision of 0 metres, whereas 0.6 metres is required, and a provision to increase the maximum height allowance of 3.0 metres for the shortest exterior wall to approximately 4.0 metres.
Furthermore, the proposal seeks to accommodate the development within the RES-6 zone by requesting special provisions.
Notably, the minimum requirement for the interior side yard stands at 4.5 metres, while the applicant is seeking a reduced setback of 1.2 metres for both the east and west sides of the property.
The provisions aim to optimize the use of space while ensuring compatibility with the surrounding area and heritage considerations.
Each unit is planned to feature a private driveway and garage. At the same time, three visitor parking spaces, including one accessible spot, will be allocated on the northeast side of the shared driveway.
Additionally, access to the townhomes will be facilitated through a common driveway from Bleams Road.
Moreover, private amenity areas, approximately 24.3 square metres each, will be situated at the rear of each dwelling.
It is planned that the shared driveway and visitor parking will fall under a Common Element Condominium, while the townhomes will be designated as Parcels of Tied Land (POTL).
The proposal assured that no alterations would be made to the existing heritage buildings, which will remain intact on the retained parcel.
In summary, the proposed development at 1385 Bleams Road marks a significant step toward augmenting housing options in Kitchener, catering to the growing demand for townhouse dwellings in the region.
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