Apartments to be added downtown
Apartments to be added downtown
Building will get 4 small units and dedicated parking space
The Burgis Building as its known to longtime residents, one of the main features of downtown Campbellford, is going to get a main floor facelift that will add four small apartments and updated retail frontage on Front St.
The owner of the building, 2836469 Ontario Inc. based in Bowmanville, is seeking approval to add the four small units to the back portion of the building, overlooking the Trent River, while retaining one or two retail units in the front.
The entire ground floor of the building on Front St. at the bridge is currently retail. It’s hoped that dividing it into smaller units will make it more affordable for store owners.
The zoning change need to permit this renovation was discussed on Tuesday at council’s regular public hearing session.
Lower Trent Conservation wanted the redevelopment delayed until it completes its work of revising floodplains along the Trent. The municipal planning department said that wasn’t necessary, noting that at the rear the first floor is well above the level of the core wall.
As part of the renovation, the owner has contracted to rent four parking spaces at 36 Saskatoon Ave., the former Macmillan building, for at least five years, consultant Kevin Duguay said on behalf of the owners.
Duguay said the right to have the parking spaces could be registered on the property’s title if the municipality wanted.
He noted that he had canvassed the downtown area and these were the only spots available.
Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf noted that the apartments will be small – 35- to 45-square metres (376- to 485-square feet) – and asked whether they met legal requirements.
Cristal Laanstra, Trent Hills’ Manager of Planning, said those sizes did meet the requirements of the Ontario Building Code.
Laanstra said that at the next council meeting the planning department will present bylaw amendments allowing the redevelopment to go ahead.
The meeting also discussed severances on two rural properties to create building lots. In each case the Lower Trent suggested a deferral and more study, but the town’s planners recommended the changes proceed because the owners had already done environmental assessments that mirrored what the conservation group wanted to do on its own. Laanstra said there was no need to require the owners to pay for more studies.