Traffic and parking were top of mind for two delegates at Tuesday's public meeting for a stacked townhouse development proposed by Habitat for Humanity on Shantz Hill Road.
The non-profit organization that provides paths to affordable home ownership is proposing to develop 325 Shantz Hill Rd. with two blocks of 12 stacked townhouses, three-and-a-half storeys in height, for a combined total of 24-units at a density of 32 units per hectare.
Habitat for Humanity is partnering with Activa to accelerate the project and hopes to break ground on the stacked townhouses early next year with a move in date for families within two years, said Habitat Waterloo Region CEO Philip Mills.
Martin Wiens, who lives next door to the property, said he doubts anyone will be as affected by the new development as his family and his neighbours’ family. But he predicts everyone in Cambridge could be impacted by regular shut downs of Shantz Hill Road due to serious crashes, “because it is a terrible place to try and get in and out.”
Wiens said he warned the city planner about his prediction but instead of urging Habitat for Humanity be asked to hire a consultant to undertake a traffic study, he recommended councillors to come out and see for themselves.
“Stand there for five minutes at a busy time…and I think you’ll get a better sense of where the concern is there,” he said.
Although he said he’s in favour of building more affordable housing in the city, he doesn’t feel the property is the place for that many units.
Putting that size of a development on the property next to his “feels like an attempt to bully us into selling,” he said.
“I think it’s excessive intensification for the site in terms of the layout and the environment and the size of it. And I think it’s excessive intensification from a traffic safety standpoint.”
Coun. Corey Kimpson asked if there were options for egress to another street to reduce traffic concerns, but MHBC planner Dan Currie confirmed there are none on that property.
Shannon Lerner, the secretary of the Preston Heights Housing Cooperative, which backs onto the Habitat property, said the co-op’s board of directors voted to support the Habitat project but felt it prudent to express their concern about offering only one parking spot per unit.
Lerner said it's a concern based on their own experience dealing with too many cars and not enough parking, and the belief that access to transit will fill in the gaps.
“Frankly it is not practical to live in the Preston Heights neighbourhood without a car,” Lerner told councillors.
“We are not well connected to transit at this time. Walkability is a concern as there are no grocery stores or doctors’ offices within reasonable walking distance. The closest grocery stores are on the other side of the 401, but there are no sidewalks to help pedestrians navigate the highway interchange.”
Lerner urged the developer to consider adding more parking through the site plan.
Coun. Adam Cooper agreed, saying one parking spot per unit might be a barrier to families wanting to buy into the project.
But Mills said that's typically not the case with Habitat builds, while admitting it can be a point of contention.
Many families move in with no vehicles and are happy to rely on nearby transit, while others are told up front that only one spot is available and make the appropriate accommodations.
Staff is expected to further consult with Habitat for Humanity on its site plan before returning to council in the new year with a full report and recommendation on the proposal.
