Mayor warns it's 'nearly impossible' to deny new development applications that reach city council

Neighbours joining together in fierce opposition of housing developments have had little success this year in convincing council to stop projects from moving forward. 

And as Windsor city council prepares to consider another contested project on Monday, the mayor is warning people that by the time these projects hit the city council agenda, it's "almost impossible" to deny the application. 

"Where city council had more ability to respond to resident concerns in the past, they don't have that same ability today," warned mayor Drew Dilkens during an update on the city's push to build houses on Friday. 

"Once you have an affirmative report from the city planner and a positive vote by the (development and heritage) committee, by the time it comes to city council it is almost impossible to reasonably turn down that application."

He said this as council is expected to decide what to do with a pair of  large residential lots on Sixth Concession Road near Holburn Street on Monday. 

A developer wants to convert the lots into five townhouses to create 27 housing units in an area full of single-family homes, which some neighbours say is an "unacceptable level of density."

The project has been recommended by the city planner and approved by the committee. 

Dilkens said it would take what he called a "gross error" by either of those parties to turn down the application, which is something he hasn't seen since first elected to council nearly 20 years ago.

"It is so remote and so rare. And that's the old system, it's only been made tighter today because the province wants to see housing built," he said. 

Windsor has been under pressure to build more housing in the city as the price of home ownership and rent has soared in recent years. 

City officials estimate there's at least 1,000 people a month moving in to the region as people get hired for the multiple mega projects in the area.

But getting housing projects off the ground has come with opposition by homeowners who believe that the developments are too dense for neighbourhoods.

Townhouse development fits city policies: planning report

The developer looking to build the townhouse complex on Sixth Concession originally pitched the city on a plan that would see 73 units built on the lots back in 2021.

A year later, the developer put forward a revised plan making "drastic changes" following feedback from neighbours during a public meeting, according to a city report. 

Neighbours told the developer that this plan was too dense and would increase traffic to the area, while adding they had concerns about privacy and potential flooding.

The developer, in its application to the city, said a traffic study found "negligible impact" to existing traffic, that provincial and city policies support infill development and privacy fences will be built on the rear lot lines to ease privacy issues. 

Storm water and sanitary sewer capacity "can accommodate the proposed additional dwellings," the developer said a engineer confirmed. 

Despite that report, dozens of neighbours have submitted letters to council opposing the development with many expected to speak to council on Monday. 

Following they mayor's comments about the difficulty to stop an application moving forward, Dilkens was asked if the people presenting to council were wasting their time.

"I wouldn't say they're wasting their time because their views are important," said Dilkens, who rode his bike to the area to get a sense of the flow in the neighbourhood.

But he warned that council needs to be "extremely precise when they turn an application down" and that it needs to be based on planning policies, not on complaints from residents. 

He said this is the result of provincial changes that have tightened up council's role in the approval of housing projects as all levels of government try to address the housing crisis. 

"It's an uphill battle," said Dilkens, who chairs a provincial task force tasked with helping implement the government's housing supply action plan.

Monday's council meeting starts at 10 a.m.