Stacked townhouses bylaw in Stratford passes first reading

The town council of Stratford, P.E.I., has taken the first step toward allowing stacked townhouses in the community.

A bylaw amendment which would allow developers to build the units in nine residential zones where regular townhouses are already permitted passed first reading last week.

Stacked townhouses are often split into upper and lower units, each with its own entrance, so developers can create twice as many units on the same lot size.

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Coun. Jeff MacDonald, who represents the Stewart Cove area, voted to pass the amendment.

"They are a very attractive option for certain developers because it allows them to be a little more dense for sure, and keep costs low to allow for a more diverse housing mix," he said.

The amendment would allow stacked townhouses in R2 residential zones and above, including areas in Kelly's Cove and Stewart Cove.

It passed with a vote of 5-1, though there were concerns from some councillors the town may be moving too fast, and that the change may affect traffic.

Concerns about parking

Coun. Jill Chandler, who also represents Stewart Cove, cast the only vote against the amendment.

"I don't necessarily think that we're there yet as far as our urban core, urban centre or walkability to amenities," Chandler said during that council meeting.

"When I drive around the town now, even in single-family homes I see houses with multiple vehicles and cars parked on the street oftentimes."

Chandler also noted concerns over the bylaw's minimum 1.5 parking spaces per unit, but said she was not totally opposed to stacked townhouses.

"I like the idea, I like the density, I like the look of them," she said.

Other councillors also voiced concerns about parking.

Coun. Gordie Cox referenced a new development in Stratford where he said increased parking on the street affected traffic. 

Coun. Ron Dowling shared concerns about the bylaw's minimum 1.5 parking spaces per unit.

MacDonald told CBC News Stratford needs to create affordable housing and that the town must speed up these initiatives, not delay them.

"I might respectfully disagree with some of the councillors who stated that we have to 'slow down.' I think in actual fact the opposite is true," MacDonald said.

'Our mentality around affordable housing has to change'

During the council meeting, Coun. Jody Jackson addressed some comments members of the public made about the bylaw amendment and a proposed development of stacked townhouses on Swallow Drive. Comments which he found to be "troubling."

Jackson said the comments suggested affordable housing would introduce desperation to the community and that people's own undesirable actions and bad choices put them in need of help. 

"To equate those who need affordable housing with being dirty or causing infestations is insulting," he said. "Our mentality around affordable housing has to change."

Jackson shared his own experience of losing a home in the early 1980s because of interest rates.

"That could happen again. My father had a full-time federal job, and it still happened," he said.

MacDonald said he also disagreed with some of the comments from the public.

"What I don't necessarily support are these stigmatizing views of renters, or low-income renters," he said, adding he would like to change the mindsets of people, some of whom haven't tried to buy a house in the last 20-30 years.

Council denied the application from a developer who wanted to rezone five low-density housing lots on Swallow Drive into two 10-unit stacked townhouses. 

Several councillors agreed they didn't want patchwork development and also had traffic concerns, but overall felt development needed to slow down.

The zoning bylaw change to allow for stacked townhouses which passed first reading will get a second reading in December.