Council questions zoning update changes

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

What could be called housekeeping updates to Tillsonburg’s comprehensive zoning bylaw raised some questions at council.

The question if the new zoning for emergency care establishments should be permitted in certain zoning types was the big question highlighted in the report. It was suggested this zoning be restricted to not include properties fronting on Broadway. The changes also included updates to include new provincial provisions for additional residential units in R1 zoning, increasing the maximum driveway width from 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the front yard, decreasing the amount of parking needed in commercial, school and multi-unit residential from 1.5 to 1.25 per dwelling unit, and other bookkeeping changes.

Deputy Mayor Dave Beres asked how the changes to maximum driveway width will affect lot coverage. Previously, there were restrictions that the maximum ground coverage on a lot was 36 or 38 per cent to allow groundwater to get through the grass to the aquifer, he noted.

“Is this going to affect those numbers,” Beres asked.

Planner Marc Davidson said there isn’t a change in overall lot coverage. He said there have been discussions with the engineering group and one of the discussion is the increasing amount of impermeable surface on a lot.

Beres asked, and it was confirmed, the solution may be decreasing, for example, deck size to increase driveway size.

Coun. Kelly Spencer commented that second choices for zoning for emergency care establishments seem counterintuitive as with the word “emergency” it denotes a sense of urgency, but outlines a minimum 90 days to two months to get through the process, and if an emergency shelter is needed it would be more immediate. Davidson said this is correct and the planning act isn’t a quick document.

Mayor Deb Gilvesy was glad to see the amount of parking needed for school zones increasing, and asked if that would just be for future schools. Davidson said that was correct unless there were modifications to existing schools. She also noted the reduction in parking from 1.5 to 1.25 parking spaces, asking if this is occurring in other municipalities as well.

When she was told it was the case from Davidson, Gilvesy asked if there are any statistics to show there are fewer automobiles per household. Davidson said this was based on what surrounding municipalities were doing. Gilvesy is noticing a growing number of multigenerational homes with three or four cars.

“I was down a street the other day and literally dodging vehicles on the other side,” she said. “I am not sure we aren’t contributing to some of the parking problems in town.”

Davidson said this is controlled through the planning process, but doesn’t include additional residential units. He said wider driveways are part of the solution.

“The intent is to get as many vehicles as we can off the street,” Davidson said.

Council accepted the changes and opted for the option for emergency care facilities to be allowed in the central commercial and entrepreneurial district not fronting Broadway, as well as institutional areas, instead of requiring site-specific zoning.