Council approves massive southwest London subdivision, homebuyer loan program, and more

CBC

4 days ago

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London City Council approved several consequential decisions Tuesday evening that will impact everything from the future of a southwest London neighbourhood, where future development will be allowed, to training for first responders.
Here are some of the highlights:
Go-ahead given for 4,000-home plan to densify southwest neighbourhood
Council voted to green light a controversial development proposal that some residents worry will dramatically alter a low-density suburban neighbourhood in the city's southwest.
After a lengthy debate, councillors voted 9-to-5 in favour of changing the zoning rules for a large plot of farmland at 6309 Pack Rd., to pave the way for 4,000 new dwellings which could accommodate as many as 7,000 people.
The dwellings would be spread across 206 single-family houses, 36 street townhouse units, and five high-density apartment blocks, served by six new streets.
The tallest of the buildings could be as high as 16 storeys tall — something residents have opposed since the proposal by Southside Construction Ltd. first became public.
Still, despite the opposition, councillors who approved the request said development in the area is necessary, and the proposal is an example of what London needs moving forward, especially to reach a province mandate.
The opposition has been spearheaded by a purpose-built group called the North Talbot Homeowners Association. It argued the plan completely ignores height and density limits laid out by two separate development plans, the city-wide London Plan and the area-specific Southwest Area Secondary Plan.
While the residents were unable to participate in the council session, Coun. Anna Hopkins, whose ward the future subdivision is in, said she agrees with the residents despite acknowledging the need for high-density developments in the city.
Hopkins has argued on multiple occasions that several key questions regarding the application remained unanswered.
Coun. Corrine Rahman, in Hopkins's corner, argued that the lack of services like schools and transit in the area is not something that should be pushed down the road.
"I represent the northwest. The northwest part of the city is very similar to the southwest ... and they feel very similar in terms of the ability to have services online when [people] move into a community," Rahman said.
"The northwest part of the city is also concerned with the fact that it's been 15 years, and they've been promised transit, and they don't have it."
On the other hand, councillors who agree with the plan maintained their claims that the terms attached to the application will ensure issues related to infrastructure, congestion, and more will have to be addressed before shovels hit the ground.
Growth boundary consultations to continue
On the topic of development, councillors accepted the recommendation to continue the process of consulting the community, developers and local indigenous communities in their review of the city's growth boundary.
Council voted in December to move 1,476 hectares of land inside the city's urban growth boundary. The boundary, located inside the city limits but outside its core, is intended to help manage growth by constraining sprawl while preserving farmland.
The proposed changes to the growth boundary are still in draft form as public feedback is gathered, and the changes will continue to undergo consultation before final approval, which is expected later this year.
A number of developers are currently vying to have properties they own added in the review.
Location set for future Emergency Services Campus in London
Council also selected the final location for a future Emergency Services Campus that promises to be a training hub for southwestern Ontario's first responders.
Council voted 14-to-1 to place the future facilities on a plot of city-owned land at 3243 Manning Dr., roughly six kilometres south of Hwy. 401.
Those in favour noted the potential for the city to recover the costs of creating the campus, especially if other police, fire and EMS services across the southwest are encouraged to use it for training.
"It speaks to the fact that London is ... the capital of southwestern Ontario in terms of standing alone as the largest single-tier municipality," said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis. "There are numerous emergency services throughout the region that need training."
Mayor Josh Morgan said efforts are underway to secure funding from higher levels of government for the campus.
Questions remain, specifically from residents who have concerns over pollution and smells from burning materials for firefighter training, diminishing road quality from heavy vehicle traffic, and noise from a planned on-site firing range.
Those concerns were raised by Coun. Elizabeth Peloza.
City staff assured councillors they would provide them with a report containing answers to these concerns, along with information on an updated study on the feasibility of the site.
The last feasibility study, which can't be made public because it contains sensitive operational details regarding the London Police Service, was finished in 2023.
Return of the Affordable Homeownership Program
Council voted to renew a program that provides interest-free loans to aspiring homeowners looking to break into the housing market.
That's despite opposition from some councillors who sought to find other uses — like London's winter homelessness response — for the provincial funding that goes into the program.
A motion to that end from Coun. Susan Stevenson fell flat because of the narrow accepted use case for the money, which is only available for affordable housing-related applications.
City staff said the province may not approve a change if the city sought it, and may even reallocate the money to a different municipality in response. Stevenson argued she had spoken to provincial officials and believed the province would allow a different use for the money.
Council voted 13-to-2 in favour of relaunching the Affordable Homeownership Program, which initially ran from 2008 to 2013.
During the program's initial run, the city issued 270 loans, lent out $2,317,466, discharged 173 loans and received $2,443,010 in repayments.
The newly renewed program will help 124 households and will cost the city $3.1 million, which has been sitting in its coffers since the program first went on pause. The $3.1 million comes from previously repaid loans and the interest accrued on that money.
If a home purchased with a loan is resold at a greater price than the original purchase price, the purchaser pays five per cent of the capital gains back to the city. Loans are automatically forgiven on their 20th anniversary.
According to Coun. David Ferreira, that means the program can sustain itself and roll on into the future while also helping clear rental waitlists.