GSP Group on behalf of Schlegel Urban Developments Corp. has submitted Official Plan, Zone Change and Draft Plan of Subdivision applications for the property located at 52 Hawkesville Road, 110 and 118 Northside Drive, St. Jacobs. The subject lands are located north of Hawkesville Road, east of the railway line, west of Northside Drive as well as the Calvary United Church, and south of King St. N. and is generally located at the northwest corner of St. Jacobs.

The 28.98 hectare (71.6 acre) property is irregularly shaped, with approximately 15.24 hectares (37.66 acres) being developable. The property is currently vacant. The site is generally flat, with about half of the property being protected for environmental features. The site is also located adjacent to the CN Railway tracks that are along the westerly property line.

The applicant is proposing a residential neighbourhood with the following:

  • 5 Low Density Blocks (Single Detached Dwellings) – 46-78 units
  • 10 Low/Medium Density Blocks (Single Detached, Semi-Detached and/or Townhouses) –101-236 units
  • 2 Medium/High Density Blocks (Street Townhouses and/or Multi-Residential) – 40-95 units
  • 2 Parks - 0.62 hectares total area
  • Open Space Block (woodlot) – 13.79 hectares
  • 1 Stormwater Management Facility – 1.54 hectares
  • Residential Reserve – 0.12 hectares
  • 2 Future Development Blocks- 0.10 hectares
  • Public road system
    • 1 access onto Hawkesville Road
    • 1 access onto Northside Drive

A small portion of the property is within the St. Jacobs Settlement Boundary and designated Residential and Ancillary within the Township Official Plan in Section 7.28 on Schedule A. The other portion of the lands are not located within the Settlement Boundary and are designated Prime Agricultural Area. It is noted that while a portion of the lands that are not located within the Settlement Boundary in the Township’s Official Plan, they are located within the Settlement Boundary as approved through Region of Waterloo Official Plan Amendment 6 (ROPA 6). It is also noted that these lands are included within the Settlement Boundary as part of the Township of Woolwich Official Plan Review. For the purpose of this Official Plan Amendment application the applicants have requested to bring the Township’s Settlement Boundary into conformity with ROPA 6 and as directed by the Province.

The property is zoned Agricultural (A), which permits agricultural uses as well as a single detached dwelling as well as some additional ancillary uses. The applicant is proposing to amend the Zoning By-law from Agricultural (A) to Residential 5 (R-5) and Residential 6 (R-6) zones along with a number of special provisions. The R-5 zone is identified as a medium density zone that includes residential forms including, but not limited to: Single-detached, Semi-detached, Duplex, Triplex and Fourplex. The R-6 zone is identified as a high density zone that includes residential forms including, but not limited to: Fourplex, Townhouse and Apartments. The application also includes additional provisions to reduce the front yard, reduce the driveway, reduce the rear yard, reduce lot area for semi-detached dwellings and increase the building height, remove the density minimum and several other adjustments to the current zoning provisions.

The environmental feature on the northerly portion of the property is proposed to be conserved. The applicant is proposing to zone the lands as O-1 accordingly. The O1 Zone, which permits a range of passive as well as active recreational uses (Playgrounds, Accessory Buildings) is also proposed for the proposed park within the subdivision.

The application is proposed to be implemented through a Plan of Subdivision.

The applicant has submitted the following documents / studies in support of this application:

  • Application forms for Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and Plan of Subdivision;
  • Draft Plan of Subdivision and Draft Phasing Plan;
  • Coloured Concept Plan;
  • Consolidated Property Areas Sketch;
  • Property Survey;
  • Conceptual Landscape Plan;
  • Urban Design Brief;
  • Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan;
  • Environmental Impact Study;
  • Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment;
  • Environmental & Stationary Noise and Railway Vibration Study (Land Use Compatibility);
  • Rail Safety Memo;
  • Archaeological Assessment;
  • Planning Justification Report;
  • Functional Servicing, Stormwater Management, Salt Impact Report;
  • Preliminary Grading, Drainage, Servicing and Stormwater Management Plans;
  • Hydrogeological Report;
  • Water Balance Report;
  • Geotechnical Report; and,
  • Traffic Impact Study.