Halton Hills mature neighbourhoods - Assessing impacts

NRU
March 30, 2016
By Geordie Gordon

Concerned about the impact that largescale homes are having on the character and integrity of mature neighbourhoods, the Town of Halton Hills has passed an interim control by-law restricting change until its study of Mature Neighbourhoods Character is completed.

Halton Hills planning policy manager Steve Burke told NRU that the impetus for the study stems from community concerns over the impact of new larger homes that are replacing smaller houses in established neighbourhoods.

Ward 3 councillor Moya Johnson said the issue has been simmering over the past few years, as older neighbourhoods have been subject to housing tear-downs and rebuilds. Johnson said that recently a two-storey home was constructed in a neighbourhood of predominantly small, wartime bungalows, which created conflict with neighbours due to the second-storey overlook.

“We realized that the [new] house met all of our specifications, so there was nothing we could do. But it did spark a lot of discussion ... It’s time to look at this [issue] and make sure we have all the rules in place that protect old neighbourhoods,” she told NRU.

Johnson added that there is a recognition that there may be a need to build something new in older areas, as the lots are able to accommodate larger houses and the smaller houses aren’t always large enough to accommodate families. However, she said it is time to study the issue, as other municipalities have done.

The interim control by-law, approved February 29, applies to any lands, buildings and structures that are designated in the town zoning by-law as low-density residential one or downtown commercial two. With the intention of restricting change in those areas, the interim control by-law prohibits either the construction of, or additions to, a single-detached dwelling that results in a 25 per cent or more increase in the gross floor area of the existing home.

Burke said the Mature Neighbourhoods Character Study is intended to determine the impact that large-scale rebuilds might have on the character of the neighbourhood and propose amendments to the town’s zoning by-law to address those impacts. According to the study terms of reference, the concern over the impact of the large-scale rebuilds stems partially from the fact that in Halton Hills’ mature neighbourhoods, properties have not always been built to their full development potential under the zoning by-law.

“If, in fact, [an owner] built right to the zoning by-law permissions, it may result in a home that might be considered out of scale with the surrounding houses, because we’re dealing with neighbourhoods that are from the 1960s and 1970s, where you’ve got smaller homes on larger lots,” he said.

Halton Hills is currently in the process of retaining a consultant to undertake the study, with the expectation that one will be selected by the end of April. The Mature Neighbourhoods Character Study is intended to be completed before the interim control by-law expires, March 1, 2017.