Hastings development adds three additional units
Switch to a stormwater filtration system allows more space for townhomes
Trent Hills council has approved a change that will add three additional townhomes to a Hastings development by eliminating a stormwater pond and installing a filtering system that takes less space.
Developer McDonald Homes sought a change to the draft subdivision plan that was approved in 2020 for 26 new homes on Homewood Ave. in Hastings. The original plan called for a stormwater holding area that would naturally filter the water before it made its way to the Trent River. Instead, an oil and grit filtration system will be installed, and the water will be discharged into the river, as it is now.
The new plan, passed at the meeting on Oct. 8, allows 10 detached homes, four semi-detached, and 15 townhomes instead of 12, on the eastern side of Homewood Avenue. The extra units are worth about $1.5 million in gross income.
Instead of flowing into a dry pond where it would be held, the stormwater will flow through roadside and backyard ditches to a filtering unit, said a report done in July by WSE Consulting Inc.
In response to a question from Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalfe, Neil Allanson, Manager of Roads and Urban Services, said the municipality already has similar grit and oil filtering systems in other locations. The units require annual cleaning but that is all. The Homewood Ave. unit will be installed by the developer, but maintenance will be a municipal responsibility.
Mayor Bob Crate said that some current residents have expressed concerns about parking, since the street dead ends at the river and especially on weekends people park in the turnaround area and walk the nearby trail.
They also have worried about access by fire trucks and whether there will be enough space for emergency vehicles to turn around.
Jim Peters, Director of Planning and Development, said that when construction is completed the turnaround area will be larger than it is now. He suggested posting no parking signs and enforcing the bylaw may deal with the problem.
Councillor Dennis Savery noted that the plans call for a bike lane in the roadway and asked how that would work if people were going to park on the street. Peters responded that this street would be no different than in other in the municipality.
