Developers pitch 6-storey apartment build on Arthur Street

Fort Erie councillors may have found another piece to address their ongoing push for more apartment units.

The owners of 1023 Arthur Street are proposing a six-storey purpose-built apartment building with an additional three on-street townhouse units. The proponents will be seeking a zoning bylaw amendment to make the build possible.

No decisions were made at the October 7 council-in-committee meeting. Instead, the report from staff was meant to introduce the proposal and seek feedback from council and the public. A recommendation report will come back to a later meeting.

However, Councillor Nick Dubanow hit on the challenge of ultimately approving these types of builds.

“It’s almost a pick-your-poison situation because we know we have this concern and we know we need purpose-built rentals,” he said, shortly after listening to concerns from an Arthur Street resident.

Susan Taylor lives on the street and said they’ve already faced extensive development in the area, which has been a pain for existing residents as they deal with everything that comes with construction. Additionally, she said the height of the proposed building doesn’t really fit in with the neighbourhood, and the nearby intersection with Garrison Road is already problematic.

“The main concerns are the infrastructure, the crowding,” she said, adding she and others would like to see the height come “down to something that would fit in a century neighbourhood.”

Dubanow, who is the ward councillor for the area, said he understood the comments.

“It’s a concern I understand, but at the same time if we can’t build a building like this here, I don’t know where else in our community we could,” Dubanow said.

He and others suggested having staff look at ways to get creative with the property and also to have discussions with the region about Garrison Road.

According to a staff information report, the property is 6,149 square metres on the west side of Arthur Street, south of Garrison Road. It’s primarily surrounded by residential and commercial areas.

Under the proposal, the apartment building would contain 63 total units. The three on-street townhouse units will front onto Arthur, and an existing detached home will be retained.

The information report said the plan is to have balconies for all apartment units, as well as a 122-square-metre rooftop terrace.

At six storeys, the building would reach 26 metres in height.

For parking, the proponents say there are 95 spaces total, 33 of which will be covered parking. That works out to 1.5 spots per unit, which is in line with town policies, the report said.

Landscaping minimums also comply with town policy.

The developers are seeking relief from some requirements, including minimum lot frontage and area, minimum side and yard, minimum lot area for one of the townhouses, as well as maximum density for the area where the three townhouses will be located.

The town’s housing needs assessment has identified purpose-built apartments as a specific need in Fort Erie, and town politicians have repeatedly brought it up during recent meetings when other forms of development proposals have come forward.

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