Hilda Street subdivision plan sent back to staff
A proposed 11- unit subdivision for Hilda and Aqueduct streets was sent back to Welland planning staff this week over concerns about safety and other possible impacts on the area.
The project would see singledetached homes built, with seven fronting the south side of Hilda Street and four fronting the east side of Aqueduct Street, with an existing home on the large property left in place.
Ward 4 Coun. Tony DiMarco said the issue has been discussed at length at past council meetings and there was no need to go into detail about the report from planning staff that was before councillors Tuesday night.
“This recommendation ( to approve the subdivision) will have a negative impact on the whole area,” the councillor said.
DiMarco said seven new driveways will cause more problems on the south side of Hilda, a street split in two by a grassy median.
The south side of the street takes traffic east, one way from Aqueduct to where Hilda becomes a full street, and where it meets with Gadsby Avenue. The north side of Hilda is one- way leading out of the same streets.
The councillor said there are already issues with overflow parking on Gadsby Avenue and he doesn’t want to see cuts made in the median, as suggested in the staff report, to allow the proposed homes access to both sides of Hilda.
DiMarco also feels Hilda will have to be shut down during home construction and traffic to subdivisions in behind rerouted.
He also raised the issue of a buffer zone between homes on Gadsby and the Hilda/ Aqueduct property that was once part of the city’s official plan.
City planning supervisor Rachelle Laroque said the buffer was removed in 2010 when the city had a new official plan put in place. “It no longer applies,” she said. Ward 4 Coun. Pat Chiocchio is also concerned about the proposal and said residents brought forth a number of issues to him.
The staff report indicated 16 letters from residents were received by the city with concerns such as traffic safety along Hilda, loss of trees, compatibility with the surrounding neighbourhood, servicing, the number of new driveways planned and the types of housing being proposed.
Chiocchio said his main concern is a traffic study completed by the developer which he believes was biased.
“It’s going to create traffic issues … public safety should be addressed,” he said of the proposal.
He said cutting the median on Hilda is no solution either, adding he wanted to see the report referred back to staff.
“They can look at it one more time … address the serious concerns brought forward by the residents.”
Laroque said because the traffic study was done by the applicant on behalf of the city, copies of it could not be given out to councillors without the applicant’s approval.
Ward 1 Coun. Mary Ann Grimaldi asked for the report to be referred back and in a recorded vote, she, Jim Larouche, Mike Belcastro, John Chiocchio, Pat Chiocchio, David McLeod, Claudette Richard, DiMarco, Fokkens and Mayor Frank Campion all voted in favour of the motion. Only Mark Carl and Leo Van Vliet were opposed. John Mastroianni was absent from the meeting.