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A nearly 400-home development proposal in booming Strathroy-Caradoc has received the next step of approval from Middlesex County politicians. Here’s a look at the proposed subdivision and the growing municipality.
THE BASIC BACKGROUND
A seven-hectare subdivision on a 19-hectare property south of Second Street has been granted draft approval by Middlesex County, clearing the path for the 384-home development in Strathroy’s northeast end. The development would create three blocks of mixed housing including one block of high-density homes estimated to have 226 units and two blocks for medium-density development expected to have 137 townhouse dwellings and 21 single or semi-detached houses. The remaining 12 hectares would be subject to a future application.
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THE DEMOGRAPHICS
Although there can be some difficulty predicting population growth in Strathroy-Caradoc alone, Don Kerr, a demographer at Western University’s King’s University College, said the municipality’s growth likely will be similar to Middlesex County and London. A recent report from Queen’s Park forecasts Middlesex and London will grow by 56.7 per cent to 880,000 during 25 years, the fastest expected population expansion in Southwestern Ontario. Strathroy-Caradoc grew by about 3,000 people between 2016 and 2021, Kerr said, bringing the population to about 24,000, an increase of 14.4 per cent to outpace growth in London (10 per cent), Middlesex County (9.9 per cent) and Ontario (5.8 per cent) during that period.
HOUSING NEEDS
There’s a need for more houses to accommodate an influx of citizens. “Population has been outpacing housing starts, no question about it,” Kerr said, adding there will be pressure on Strathroy-Caradoc to construct more homes, but its growth is also an opportunity to draw people to the community. Strathroy’s senior development coordinator, Jake DeRidder, said the subdivision’s development is mainly “high density” housing with “the goal of it being a little bit more affordable.” DeRidder expects more high-density projects in the future to cope with a growing population. Mayor Colin Grantham said he expects to see a “switch to townhomes, walkups and apartments,” because “that’s where the market is for the builders.”
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DEVLOPMENT PROJECTS
Because of Strathroy-Caradoc’s proximity to London, the municipality’s economic development boss, Heather Lalonde, thinks people are “going to see more” subdivisions like the project proposed near Second Street, but said the municipality plans strategically. Lalonde said the development has a good mix of housing and foresees the municipality “doing that moving forward to accommodate all needs of different types of housing.” DeRidder said there are more planned subdivisions “on the go . . . whether it’s an application or some kind of proposal,” and said some were plotted “especially for next year,” although the scope, locations and timeframes of the projects weren’t specified. DeRidder says there are two other projects in the pipeline in the 400- to 500-unit range and 15 other developments that would add up to 1,700 units.
GROWING PAINS
Grantham said both “stuff under the ground (and) stuff above the ground needs to be looked at” by the growing municipality. Strathroy is looking at capacity limits on its infrastructure, he said, including plans to “twin” Strathroy’s wastewater treatment plant. Roadways are also being eyed for updates as more vehicles pass through the region. Grantham cited Head Street as an example of a two-lane road in need of widening to handle increased traffic volume. Industrial land also was cited by Grantham as being in short supply. “We’re soon going to run out of our industrial land, and we’ll continue to work with private investors who own industrial land,” he said.
bwilliams@postmedia.com
@BrianWatLFPress
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