It was an early 5PM start for the Special Council meeting, mainly for 314 Main St. E., that was rescheduled from last week. Despite the dinner hour, the delegations representing the residents of Lawrence Avenue and the developer (Branthaven) were ready, willing and able to put their best points forward to Council.
The proposed development and Zoning By-law Amendment has been a contentious matter between residents there and the developer on many fronts. The residents take the position that the development is not the same one proposed to Council and does not respect their existing neighbourhood and does not meet the Town’s own planning principles.
You can read more about the development at the Town’s development application microsite by clicking this link here.
Councillors brought up concerns over height, flooding, compatibility, transition between the development and the existing neighbourhood and potential lawsuits. One of the more interesting comments came from Councillor Vaine who stated how Members of Council were elated at the original proposal and that “we can’t just suddenly change our mind, because we know that we feel that we are suddenly going to lose votes”.
Speaking of votes, if you are wondering “How They Voted?” on the zoning amendments for this development, well wait no more:
| YEAS TO APPROVAL | ||
|---|---|---|
 Councillor Ritchie Ward 1 |  Councillor Kadwell Ward 2 |  Councillor Dunstall Ward 3 |
 Councillor Vaine Ward 3 |  Councillor Sharpe Ward 4 | |
| NAYS TO APPROVAL | ||
|---|---|---|
 Mayor Jordan |  Councillor Freake Ward 1 |  Councillor Vardy Ward 2 |
Councillor Bothwell was unable to attend the meeting.
The approval is subject to the LPAT appeal period and given the organized nature of the residents, it appears quite probable that this decision will go before the tribunal.
You can view the meeting below: