A townhouse development proposed for the corner of Knotty Pine Road near Lequesne Avenue in Langford isn’t just attracting the attention of neighbouring residents, it’s coming under scrutiny from residents opposed to the City’s mandatory sewage hookup policy.
“A person runs a sewer line past your house and by 2019 you have to hook up … This 2019 date is going to come back and haunt a lot of us,” said resident Glenn Willing at a public hearing Monday.
“This is a bit of a train wreck in some ways.”
While a staff report notes the developer would be responsible for extending sewer lines to the site and connecting all proposed units, as well as paying for any servicing upgrades that would be required for the development, it does not mention neighbouring properties.
While it’s not a new bylaw, Langford council members and staff have recently voiced their intentions of enforcing mandatory sewage connection.
In an attempt to get property owners connected, they have given notice that any property on a sewer line must be connected by 2019. If the Knotty Pine applicant has to run a sewer line in front of neighbouring properties to be able to service the development, neighbouring property owners would then be forced to connect to the line by that time. “This is a huge bill,” Willing said.
It was a sentiment shared by neighbour Jack Jazlowiecki, who noted a number of residents in the area are seniors and the potential bill to hook up to sewer is creating quite the fear factor on the street.
Jazlowiecki also brought up parking concerns surrounding the development.
“People don’t tend to park in their garage … Who’s going to enforce it?” he asked. “I’m just fearing there’s going to be some spillover on the street.”
He also noted area residents are already concerned about spillover parking, as nearby developments, such as those under construction on Hockley Avenue, are causing some motorists to find alternative places to park while they shop or go about their business.
“Everybody’s getting pushed out to the neighbourhoods,” he added.
Coun. Lillian Szpak noted “the number one issue we have in our neighbourhoods is parking.” She added bylaw officers try and sort out parking issues within residential areas, but will also issue two warnings before issuing tickets to violators.
The proposed development, which would see two single-family homes at 2822 and 2824 Knotty Pine Rd. removed to make way for six townhouses, is bordered by single-family dwellings to the south and east and shares a property line with townhouses to the west. Gordon United Church is to the north, but the legal access for that property is off Goldstream Avenue.
Each unit in the proposed development, which is separated into two blocks of three units, would have direct access from Knotty Pine Road to an attached single-car garage.
Each home would also feature patios at the rear and landscape screening would be provided, as part of a development permit, in order to preserve some privacy for neighbouring lots.
“Our concern is with the addition of street amenities and landscaping,” said a Gordon United Church representative. “Now, there’s (going to be) a development on the street and not just on the property.”
The church was concerned that the development drawings made it look as if the landscaping and street improvements would extend past the property line and block the rear access to the church property. After some discussion it was determined that none of the changes could carry past the property line and the access would remain clear. “That helps clear up a lot of things,” he said.
The Knotty Pine properties are zoned for one- and two-family residential and are in the process of being rezoned to medium-density apartment. Council members gave second and third reading to that bylaw amendment after the public hearing.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com
