Just the Facts:
● The City of Guelph approved the development of a six-storey, 48-unit apartment building at 303-317 Speedvale Avenue East, with 24 affordable units led by Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington.
● The site-specific amendments permit a higher density of 200 units per hectare, reduced parking of 47 spaces (compared to the required 65), and modified setbacks, landscaping, and angular plane requirements.
● The development includes a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, with two active entrances, bicycle parking provisions, and a height cap of six storeys, in alignment with the city’s housing and affordability goals.
GUELPH — On September 10, 2024, the City of Guelph approved an Official Plan Amendment and a Zoning By-law Amendment for the development of a six-storey, 48-unit apartment building located at 303-317 Speedvale Avenue East.
The project is led by Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington, with Strik Baldinelli Moniz Ltd. representing the developer.
The approved development will feature 24 affordable units, which will either be rented or sold below the provincial affordability thresholds.
The subject lands, approximately 0.26 hectares in size, were previously zoned as Low Density Residential 1 (RL.1) and Site-specific Convenience Commercial (CC-5). These designations have been amended and rezoned to a Site-specific High Density Residential 7 (RH.7-21) Zone to facilitate the approved development.
The new zoning permits a density of up to 200 units per hectare, surpassing the previous limit of 150 units per hectare.
Additionally, various site-specific regulations have been implemented to accommodate the development.
Key adjustments include a reduced front yard setback of 2.3 metres (down from 6 metres), a decrease in landscaped open space to 31.96% (compared to the required 40%), and a smaller buffer strip in the rear yard, reduced to 1.5 metres from the standard 3.0 metres.
The building itself will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units and will include 47 parking spaces—10 of which will be located inside the building, with the remaining 37 on the surface.
City regulations require 65 parking spaces for a building of this size. The approved reduction lowers the required parking spaces to 47, resulting in a parking ratio of 0.97 spaces per unit.
Furthermore, the visitor parking count has been reduced to three spaces as opposed to the required nine.
Other specific provisions include adjustments to bicycle parking. The development will offer 28 long-term bicycle parking spaces at a rate of 0.58 spaces per unit, lower than the standard one space per unit, and eight short-term bicycle parking spaces, set at 0.17 spaces per unit.
The amendments also allow for the building to have two active entrances, facing Speedvale Avenue and Manhattan Court, and a modified angular plane of 50 degrees from the centreline of the right-of-way (instead of 45 degrees).
Additionally, the development’s height will be capped at six storeys, which is in line with city standards, permitting between three and ten storeys.
The development aligns with the City of Guelph’s strategic plan, aiming to improve the housing supply, particularly in the high-density residential sector, while also supporting affordable housing initiatives.
To read more articles on this specific development, click here.
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