Page Application - 95 North Street East CITY OF ORILLIA Addendum to the Public Meeting of Council re Planning Matter Monday, December 12, 2016 Correspondence 3-4 2. Jamie Handy and Tanya Handy - re Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment. 5-6 3. Sondra Welton - re Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment. 7-8 4. Petition from Sondra Welton and Others - re Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment. Page 1 of 8
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Date: Dec. 9, 2016 Council of the Corporation of the City of Orillia Re: Zoning By-Law Amendment (No. D14-856) Planning Office Orillia City Centre, 3rd Floor 50 Andrew St. South, Suite 300 Orillia, ON RECEIVED DEC 0 9 2016 CllY' OF ORILLIA DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT PLANNING DIVISION Dear Council: We live at and are writing due to a proposed zoning amendment to allow for a Three Unit Dwelling at 95 North St. East. Primarily, our concerns are a lack of space for snow and parking, increased traffic, proximity to neighbouring houses and the practice of spot-zoning. The house at 95 North St E. sits on a narrow lot and its footprint covers nearly half of it. The previous owners rented the upstairs of the house to another couple but didn't have space for all their vehicles. Their solution was to make tenants park in the front yard where they were blocked in by the cars in the driveway. Without permission, they used our driveway to get in and out and this caused us concern since we have four kids playing in the yard. On the topic of safety: we have a really great toboggan hill across the street that is enjoyed by many Orillians but, between the row of cars parked and snow banks, the street is crowded during peak toboggan times. More than once, we've witnessed children nearly hit by cars speeding by. Adding units to the lot will only increase the amount of traffic maneuvering through this area, particularly as they will be juggling vehicles on a too-small driveway. The other winter issue is snow removal. The boulevard is tiny and has a hydro pole on it. There's only a narrow strip along the west side of the driveway to pile snow, and the former owners struggled to find room for it all. Their garage blocks access to the backyard so all their snow is pushed to the front. Then we have the size of the lot: It narrows even more at the back so that the deck and balcony come right up to the fence. Their house is only 9 inches from our driveway, so to access their dryer exhaust vent tenants would have to come through the gate to our backyard. This lack of privacy is a bit of a nuisance with a single-family dwelling and becomes a major concern when there are two or three units squeezed into that space. Take into account that each unit may have adults, children and pets living there. When we bought our house, we didn't like how close the house was to our property line but were reassured to learn it was zoned residential. It was the biggest investment we'd ever make, and we wanted to ensure our children would have some privacy in their backyard. As taxpayers, we've chosen to be part of a residential neighbourhood, not one spot-zoned with Duplexes and Triplexes wherever "investors" see an opportunity, and there should be some security in that via an Rl designation. 1 Page 3 of 8
If the applicant, Mr. Birker, wishes to own a Three Unit Dwelling, he should seek one out where there is space and zoning to accommodate such a thing. He does not live in the area and will not have to deal with the consequences of the changes to the property. Whatever good intentions he has to fix up the house and find responsible renters, there is no guarantee Mr. Birker will be the owner permanently. We plan on staying and raising our children here. Once the zoning is changed, it is very difficu lt to go back. We thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Jamie Handy Tanya Handy 2 Page 4 of 8
Council of the Corporation of the City of Orillia Planning Officer Orillia City Cen tre, 3rd Floor 50 Andrew St South, Suite 300 Orillia ON Re: Zoning By-Law Amendment, No. D14-856 Thursday, December 8, 2016 RECEIVED DEC 0 ~ 2016 CITY OF ORILLIA D8Jtl OPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT PLANNING DIVISION Good Afternoon, I am writing this letter in firm opposition to the proposed zoning amen dment No. D14-856, at 95 North St East in Orillia. The proposal requests an amendment from the current duplex status to a three unit dwelling. I have several serious concerns regarding the zoning change, primarily parking as my driveway mirrors the homes, added congestion, space for adequ ate snow removal and the size of lot and practice of spot-zoning in residential neighbourhoods. I have resided at for eight years. Upon purchasing my home, I looked into the homes around me to ensure they were zoned residential and tmderstood that 95 North St East was, at that time, a duplex however unoccupied. Approximately 5 years ago the home was purchased by the previou s owner who rented the unit on the main floor to a couple with 2 young children and the u pper unit to a second couple. The home occupies a narrow footprint, with a side driveway that then narrows into a yard only the w idth of the home. There is not adequate parking for the vehicles and this has been a specific concern through winter months. The couple in the upper unit sublet one room, and there were five vehicles to be parked at the home causing congestion, often parking on either side of the street where they frequently received tickets for overnight parking. In addition, the renters parked illegally on a front 'pad' often driving in or out across the end of my driveway to access the pm king, which was very hazardous. This congestion, and lack of yard space adds to the concern regarding snow removal in winter months. With a narrow footprint, there is not adequate space for snow removal. The previous owners consistently sh uggled with finding room to put snow, I spoke with them on multiple occasions as they would attempt to shovel the snow 'between' our driveways which is only separated by a open metal fence and in turn I would then be forced to re-sh ovel my own drive. Another consideration is congestion, in the winter months North St E is a very busy location with many children, families etc enjoying the snow when the golf course opens its' gates and allows sledding. There is very limited space on the road due to families parked along the sh eet to access the hill limiting any parking m1d the bill"lks on the north side are kept low, added ccus in this area will add to congestion, and placing their snow onto this city embankment should not be an option or acceptable. Page 5 of 8
I understand. Orillia is one of the top cities to continue to grow, an d. it brings multiple investors to our area which is fabulous for our economy however should Mr Bu ker had. wanted a triplex, ;h_e 1 should not have purchased. a residential home zoned Rl with limited spa ce. U1eli~ 1s rio guarantee that Nlr. Birker will not invest, renovate and flip this home in a year for profit. His representative spoke with myself regarding their pla:nsr.however should Mr. Bu ker choose to sell the property a t 95 North St East after it is rezoned. it would. be difficult to reverse a zoning change and the next owner may not respect a resic{enti~~ 11~ighbourhood., especially should our economy change in future. As a taxpayer; I chose to purchase a home in an area zoned as residential Rl, not in a location where investors may have locations 'spot zoned' to accommodate their personal agendas. The home at 95 North St East is a residential home, and should remain zoned as one whether it be a single family dwelling or duplex, in lieu of all considerations outlined above. Thank you for your time and consideration of my concerns. Sondra Welton 2 Page 6 of 8
RECEIVED Petition to stop proposed Zoning amendment at 95 North There has been an application to rezone the property at 95 North St East from an R 1 to an R 1-X to permit 1 =rh aa {,~m";.',','xlali:~;; ~ ' Spot-zoning in this way diminishes the integrity of the City's zoning by-laws whereby current and future home owners have no assurances in the neighborhoods they've chosen to invest in. Additionally, the lot size is not sufficient to accommodate more units. There are already issues in terms of parking, snow removal, and insufficient space with the current zoning. We, the undersigned, urge council to disallow the amendment application No. 014-856. Printed Name Signature Address ~(Y'- Date MM/00/YY I~ 1()./07/J(f? /2/tJ?;/? Page 7 of 8.- /~-
RECEIVED DEC 0 9 2016 Petition to stop proposed Zoning amendment at 95 North st EastcrrY of ortlua QEVEbQPMENT SERVICES OISPARTM~NT ~~A~HIHQ DIVISION There has been an application to rezone the property at 95 North St East from an R1 to an R1-X to permit a=tllree l )nff Dwellfng. Spot-zoning in this way diminishes the integrity of the City's zoning by-laws whereby current and future home owners have no assurances in the neighborhoods they've chosen to invest in. Additionally, the lot size is not sufficient to accommodate more units. There are already issues in terms of parking, snow removal, and insufficient space with the current zoning. We, the undersigned, urge council to disallow the amendment application No. 014-856. Printed Name Signature Address Date MM/DDIYY Page 8 of 8