posting
08-13-2008, 12:25 AM
The following article on intensification in Hamilton provides some insights on the complexity of this issue.
-- Kingston Electors
CATCH News – August 3, 2008
Hamilton, Ontario
Neighbourhood walkability at issue
A proposal to eliminate the only convenience store in the Pleasant Valley area of Dundas will be debated at Tuesday’s planning committee meeting. The move to replace the commercial zoning with three single-family homes is opposed by at least one family as environmentally unsustainable but supported by others who see the store as a nuisance.
The store has operated for about 15 years at the corner of Pleasant Avenue and Autumn Leaf Road and is the last remnant of a larger commercial plaza. The neighbourhood has about 4000 residents in 1400 homes. Nearly all are single-family residences and ninety percent were built prior to 1986 according to census records.
City planning staff acknowledge that it is “the only convenience store within the Pleasant Valley East and Pleasant Valley West neighbourhoods” and is centrally located, and that such facilities would normally “be encouraged as part of a strategy that supports environmentally sustainable land uses that promote walking and cycling”.
But their report supports the conversion to three house lots as consistent with provincial policies favouring intensification and infill.
“There is a strong policy basis for residential infill and the proposed rezoning to permit additional dwellings on proposed lots is reasonable and would conform to the required policies,” argues the report. “The property has experienced difficulty operating as a convenience store because it only serves a very localized market, and …it would be difficult to sustain the commercial uses of the property over the long term.”
They note the owner says the store has changed ownership six times in the last nine years and that only two letters have been received supporting its continued operation. One family argued the change “speaks to many of our city’s environmental and community priorities” and will greatly increase car trips.
“Close the store and every errand in our community becomes a trip in the car – every quart of milk, every video, every lottery ticket,” the couple contends. “This, at a time when gas prices are rising, when our city is trying to build liveable communities, to encourage mixed-use neighbourhoods, to discourage reliance on the automobile, to cut pollution.”
They also note the store is the last “public space” in the area after the recent closure of the school and its conversion to residential uses. That feature led another couple, who live right next door to the store, to applaud the rezoning proposal as an elimination of a “youth hang-out” that they say generates litter and vandalism. They also argue most customers arrive at the store by car.
“Currently there are between 85 and 150 cars entering and exiting the store parking lot on any given day, not always to patronize the variety store, but to mail letters deposit unwanted goods in and around one of two charity boxes,” the second couple writes. “Compared to the vehicular activity in and out of the store parking lot, we see very little ‘foot traffic’.”
The staff report acknowledges there are no neighbourhood parks but notes the store should not be seen as a “public place” for youth to gather.
“Activities associated with the use of the property as a meeting place for young people, such as loitering, would also be generally discouraged by the owners.”
The staff report cites Official Plan policies that allow commercial uses “to a limited extent” in residential neighbourhoods “to reduce car trips and enhance residential amenities” but says city planning doesn’t require local convenience stores.
“While neighbourhood commercial uses add value to residential neighbourhoods through the provision of convenience goods and services, which contribute to fewer vehicle trips, they are not regarded as an essential land use component within neighbourhoods.”
The planning meeting starts at 9:30 am Tuesday in the Albion Room of the Convention Centre. Citizens can request to speak, but normally need to apply by noon on the day prior – an action made nearly impossible by the agenda only being made public on Friday morning.
CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at www.hamiltoncatch.org.
-- Kingston Electors
CATCH News – August 3, 2008
Hamilton, Ontario
Neighbourhood walkability at issue
A proposal to eliminate the only convenience store in the Pleasant Valley area of Dundas will be debated at Tuesday’s planning committee meeting. The move to replace the commercial zoning with three single-family homes is opposed by at least one family as environmentally unsustainable but supported by others who see the store as a nuisance.
The store has operated for about 15 years at the corner of Pleasant Avenue and Autumn Leaf Road and is the last remnant of a larger commercial plaza. The neighbourhood has about 4000 residents in 1400 homes. Nearly all are single-family residences and ninety percent were built prior to 1986 according to census records.
City planning staff acknowledge that it is “the only convenience store within the Pleasant Valley East and Pleasant Valley West neighbourhoods” and is centrally located, and that such facilities would normally “be encouraged as part of a strategy that supports environmentally sustainable land uses that promote walking and cycling”.
But their report supports the conversion to three house lots as consistent with provincial policies favouring intensification and infill.
“There is a strong policy basis for residential infill and the proposed rezoning to permit additional dwellings on proposed lots is reasonable and would conform to the required policies,” argues the report. “The property has experienced difficulty operating as a convenience store because it only serves a very localized market, and …it would be difficult to sustain the commercial uses of the property over the long term.”
They note the owner says the store has changed ownership six times in the last nine years and that only two letters have been received supporting its continued operation. One family argued the change “speaks to many of our city’s environmental and community priorities” and will greatly increase car trips.
“Close the store and every errand in our community becomes a trip in the car – every quart of milk, every video, every lottery ticket,” the couple contends. “This, at a time when gas prices are rising, when our city is trying to build liveable communities, to encourage mixed-use neighbourhoods, to discourage reliance on the automobile, to cut pollution.”
They also note the store is the last “public space” in the area after the recent closure of the school and its conversion to residential uses. That feature led another couple, who live right next door to the store, to applaud the rezoning proposal as an elimination of a “youth hang-out” that they say generates litter and vandalism. They also argue most customers arrive at the store by car.
“Currently there are between 85 and 150 cars entering and exiting the store parking lot on any given day, not always to patronize the variety store, but to mail letters deposit unwanted goods in and around one of two charity boxes,” the second couple writes. “Compared to the vehicular activity in and out of the store parking lot, we see very little ‘foot traffic’.”
The staff report acknowledges there are no neighbourhood parks but notes the store should not be seen as a “public place” for youth to gather.
“Activities associated with the use of the property as a meeting place for young people, such as loitering, would also be generally discouraged by the owners.”
The staff report cites Official Plan policies that allow commercial uses “to a limited extent” in residential neighbourhoods “to reduce car trips and enhance residential amenities” but says city planning doesn’t require local convenience stores.
“While neighbourhood commercial uses add value to residential neighbourhoods through the provision of convenience goods and services, which contribute to fewer vehicle trips, they are not regarded as an essential land use component within neighbourhoods.”
The planning meeting starts at 9:30 am Tuesday in the Albion Room of the Convention Centre. Citizens can request to speak, but normally need to apply by noon on the day prior – an action made nearly impossible by the agenda only being made public on Friday morning.
CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) updates use transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at www.hamiltoncatch.org.