No stacked townhomes for Phase 2 of Alliston Woods subdivision

A revised, townhouse-heavy plan for Phase 2 of the Alliston Woods subdivision has been approved, though councillors balked at a major portion of it that will reduce what kind of townhomes can be built.

Thanks to an amendment by Councillor Joan Christensen that received support around the horseshoe, the Town will be denying part of the plan that proposes stacked townhouses.

Builder Mountainview Homes was looking to construct 68 stacked townhomes along with street townhouses and single family homes on the property, located east of Spears Road and north of Garrison Road.

“Stacked townhouses of three storeys is not congruent with the neighbourhood,” Christensen said as she put forward the amendment on Monday night.

She said she was uncomfortable with a few aspects of the new proposal, but the stacked townhouses were where that discomfort reached a tipping point.

Council previously deferred a decision on the report, as they had misgivings about the revised plan, and wanted the Town’s legal team to review correspondence they received from the proponents.

There was an approved development proposal on the books for the land, and that included 304 units and more of a focus on single family homes instead of townhouses.

However, consultants for the developers brought forward the new plan, which saw an increase in the overall number of units with fewer single family homes in favour of townhouses.

By denying the application to allow for stacked townhouses but otherwise approving the staff recommendations, the developers are still able to move ahead but can only build from the existing list of unit types, which include–among others–detached and semi-detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and street and block townhouses.

There remains holding provisions to ensure sufficient sanitary sewer and traffic capacity.

Councillor Nick Dubanow said he too had reservations about the stacked townhouse plan, though he supported the idea of trying to build smaller, potentially more affordable, units.

“I hope we continue the intent but without going to three-storey, stacked townhomes,” he said.

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