Triplexes in Westboro, heading south on Roosevelt and Edison: Make your views known!

Triplexes in Westboro heading south on Roosevelt and Edison: Make your views known!

This week you may have received a flyer prepared by concerned neighbours on Edison regarding applications for triplexes at 483 Edison and 514 Roosevelt.

The developers of these properties have applied to the city for a pair of triplexes at each of the sites. Many in our community have since contacted the Westboro Community Association asking where we stand on the issue and what residents can do to make themselves heard. We are very pleased that these applications have garnered this level of community interest. We too are concerned with the rapid rate of development in our community and the toll it has taken on our green space, our infrastructure, the safety of our streets, and the character of our neighborhoods.

The WCA has a small planning committee that meets every few weeks to review the many infill development applications for Westboro. The Committee has been in touch with the planners for both Edison and Roosevelt and we have expressed our concerns about the proliferation of triplexes throughout Westboro, especially as it moves south and north of Byron into the lower density residential fabric. These areas are mostly zoned R3R, meaning that triplexes are a permitted use. While welcome new neighbours, we object to the current model of side by side triplexes being proposed for sites where there used to be single family homes on lovely treed lots.

The city approved this model on Ravenhill, where we now have six adjacent triplexes, and we have since seen the same model approved on Winona and on Elmgrove. We are dismayed to see it now moving even further south. This is particularly alarming since the next move seems to be for the owners of the triplexes to then apply for rezoning to allow for a fourth unit. As such, we continue to lobby the city for a definition of a “transit oriented community”, clear transition areas between high and low density areas, and some neighbourhood boundary lines.

On October 3, the city will hear the Edison and Roosevelt applications at Nepean City Hall at 1 PM. We will be providing our formal comments at that time.

However, we need your help.

One way for concerned neighbours to do so is by submitting comments directly to the Committee of Adjustment here.

Another way is for you to show up and attend the hearing on October 3rd (1:00pm). These are open to the public and anyone can come.

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We have received many letters on this issue directed to our website, and thank you for those.  We are sorry we cannot respond to all of you, given that we are volunteers-and a small group at that! For additional information, you can also visit our Facebook page here.

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