People living on Upper Queen Street pushed hard, but in the end, London city councillors voted to allow two five unit townhomes to be built on an empty lot on their street.

The development will go in at 489 Upper Queen St., not far from the intersection with Commissioners Road, following a 11-4 vote at London City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

The planned townhomes drew the ire of people living in the community, who called the development too intense. At a Public Participation Meeting, one of the people who spoke against it was Cst. Holly Kelly – a London Police officer who wore full uniform to the meeting. She’s currently under investigation for her actions.

“We don’t need million dollar homes. We need more homes, period. And more affordable homes in particular,” said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, who voted in favour of the development. “When I hear that (Upper Queen) is going to be traffic chaos because of these townhomes, it’s just not supported by math. It’s not supported by facts.”

Elizabeth Peloza, the councillor for the ward the development will be in, was one of four who voted against the plan.

“They’re concerned that it doesn’t align aesthetically with the neighbourhood,” Peloza said of her constituents who live nearby. “The London Plan (states) ensuring new developments are a good fit within existing neighbourhoods.”

However, only Steve Lehman, Paul Van Meerbergen and Steve Hillier heeded her concerns.

All other members of council voted in favour of the development.