Hendershot Drive subdivision approved despite being another ‘missed opportunity’

Another property that some councillors believed could have been a prime spot for a much needed apartment building is instead set to increase the number of townhouse units in Fort Erie by 29.

At the August 12 council-in-committee meeting, a staff report recommending approval of a 29-unit development on Hendershot Drive in Stevensville received the go-ahead from councillors.

However, it came with some misgivings.

Coucillor Tom Lewis called it another “missed opportunity where it could have been an apartment building.”

Politicians in Fort Erie have been beating the drum in recent months for apartment buildings, one of the core housing needs the municipality has identified. However, staff noted in the recommendation report “the proposal aligns with Town, Regional, and Provincial planning policies and constitutes good planning,” as they recommended approval.

A second concern brought forward was the absence of a through road. A secondary plan governing the area did call for an interior road in the development to connect Hendershot to East Main Street. However, private ownership of neighbouring lands makes a proper connection at this point unavailable.

Instead, the report says Hendershot will end with a traffic circle that would be deeded to the Town, and a separate emergency access would be built that would allow pedestrian access to East Main Street as well as emergency access if it were needed.

Should the separately owned lands come into play in the future, a full connection could be made.

Mayor Wayne Redekop also put forward two amendments that passed. The first requires the developer to pay for the installation of sidewalks beyond the development property in order to ensure a full connection of sidewalks in the area.

This caused some concern.

Staff estimated it would cost $42,000, however, there were some worries that geographical issues could make it end up costing substantially more and cause friction with the developer.

“We don’t know when this is going to proceed, we don’t know if this is going to be constructed at the same time,” said Redekop.

“But if we don’t put it in now, we can’t put it in.”

A second amendment by Redekop will include a condition that compels the developer to either provide easements or build the garages in certain ways to ensure residents have easy access to their rear yards. This was a concern among residents at an earlier meeting, as some of the interior lots would be limited in how people living there would access rear lots and make things such as lawn mowing a challenge.

The staff report outlined other concerns from residents, including drainage, sanitary capacity in the lagoons, and street urbanization. Staff said there were conditions in place to handle these concerns and that the extension of Hendershot will be done to full urban standards.

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