Oxford County approves 254-home proposal rejected by Woodstock

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Despite Woodstock politicians rejecting a proposed 254-home subdivision citing density concerns, Oxford County council has pushed the development forward.

In a 7-3 vote Wednesday, Oxford County councillors defeated a motion proposed by Coun. Jerry Acchione – who also serves as Woodstock mayor – to reject an official plan amendment that would have pumped the brakes on the subdivision in Woodstock’s northeast.

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Following the rejected motion, councillors voted 7-3 to approve an amendment to Oxford County’s official plan to add the 3.9-hectare development at 401 Lakeview Dr. by London-based Farhi Holdings Corp.

“I think that this is exactly the type of development that we do need,” said Oxford County deputy warden Brian Petrie, who moved the motion to approve the subdivision.

“These are rental opportunities. These are units that are badly needed and provide a diverse group of housing on a property that was completely under-utilized,” Petrie said of the site previously owned by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs before it was declared surplus.

The decision by Oxford County councillors to approve the development comes about a month after Woodstock councillors voted Feb. 20 to quash Farhi Holding Corp.’s  application to rezone the lands, in large part because of the development’s density.

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The developer plans to build 26 semi-detached homes, 68 stacked townhouses and two seven-storey buildings with 80 apartments each. The subdivision also will include a park.

People who live in neighbourhoods near the site voiced concerns at Woodstock council meetings about the project’s density, the height of the apartments, tree removal and traffic safety.

Oxford County is a two-tier municipal government with the county acting as the upper tier, giving it the final say on the official plan.

“I’m disappointed of course that county council is not respecting the city of Woodstock’s wishes,” Acchione said in an interview.

Oxford County planner Eric Gilbert said Farhi’s revised proposal moved the apartment buildings closer to Vansittart Avenue, slightly reduced the number of residential units and provided more parking than in its original proposal. He also noted the proposal’s consistency with the province’s 2024 planning statement.

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Marcello Vecchio, Farhi Holdings director of policy and development, said in an email statement that the company was pleased by the county’s decision.

“The future is smart density,” he said.

Acchione was among the three councillors who opposed the subdivision’s development. The other two were Deb Tait, who also serves as a Woodstock councillor, and Deb Gilvesy.

Woodstock Coun. Bernia Martin – who serves both as an Oxford County and city councillor – was absent at the Feb. 20 meeting when councillors voted on the proposed subdivision. She voted in favour of the development on Wednesday.

“I think if we’re going to build 254 units anywhere at a lower density, it’s going to take up dozens of acres, 50 acres of prime agricultural land in our community, and I’m not in support of that,” Martin said at the debate.

Martin noted the county’s need for more housing and pointed to Oxford County council’s approval in January of a development in Thamesford – a community of about 2,600 people.

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“That was widely celebrated, a community that also will struggle with services and infrastructure, but we recognized that those 1,000 units in Thamesford are needed for housing supply in our community,” she said.

The conflicting positions of the county and municipal councils means Woodstock will have difficulty defending its position if an appeal of the project sends it to the Ontario Land Tribunal, a provincial body that adjudicates planning matters, Acchione said.

“The assumption is going to be it will go to the land tribunal and be heard now that it’s got the (official plan) approval,” he said. “It’ll be harder to defend, but the city of Woodstock still plans on defending our decision.”

Vecchio said the project will take several years to complete and Wednesday’s decision brings the development “closer to getting shovels into the ground.”

“There is still lots of work ahead of us,” he said. “We believe that good planning practices will prevail at the (Ontario Land Tribunal) and we can continue to make progress.”

bwilliams@postmedia.com

@BrianWatLFPress

The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada2

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