A local developer is anxious to begin Phase III expansion of Trillium Woods Subdivision this summer.
The property is located at the end of Turner Drive and Trillium Drive off Booth Road in the West Ferris area of North Bay.
At a special virtual meeting Monday night, council heard a request to re-establish a draft approval to permit the development of 30 residential lots at the rear of the development.
In the end it was recommended that council approve the request.
The addition will bring the number of homes in the subdivision to roughly 100.
“This is a subdivision plan that came to council about five and a half years ago. It was approved and all the conditions were met, and all the work was done with the ministry and the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority,” explained Community Services Committee chair Johanne Brousseau.
“When you have the approval to go ahead and the city approves your plan for your subdivision, you have five years to start building.”
A staff report indicated that in July of 2019 the applicants applied to extend their draft approval for the remaining 30 lots in the Phase II Draft Approved Subdivision.
“Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, the request from the applicant was missed by city staff, and the draft approval for the remaining 30 lots was missed and subsequently expired,” explained Beverly Hillier Planning and Building Services manager for the city.
“It was an unfortunate circumstance that approval lapsed,” said Rick Miller, president of Miller and Urso Surveying Ltd., on behalf of his client.
A staff report indicates over the past seven years, the applicant has “obtained all approval necessary to develop the subdivision to the extent it is now, including all permits required from the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority for development in proximity to wetlands.”
It went on to note that while the property no longer contains Provincially Significant Wetlands, a wetland does exist within 120 meters of area.
“In terms of the environmental issues, there were a number of requirements for some of the lots backing on to the wetlands for rain gardens and turtle fencing and so on. That all has to be installed through the construction to protect the wetlands to the east,” explained Miller.
“So that is all taken care of under the existing preservice agreement and will be carried forward into the sub-dividers agreement for this phase.”
Municipal services and roads are already in place through an approved pre-servicing agreement.
“They’re just at the point of going to put in the utilities, gas, hydro, Bell, Cogeco and the curves and pavement,” said Miller.
The staff report recommendation is that the proposed Plan of Subdivision is given Draft Approval subject to conditions.
And that the owners enter into a subdivision agreement with the city prior to site development to “address servicing, lot grading, stormwater management, buffer areas, sediment/erosion control, general drainage considerations, and parkland dedication.”
The next step is for council to vote on the matter which Brousseau says will take place at its next regular meeting on May 19, which will be virtual.
