Council puts brakes on contentious apartment proposal

GUELPH — City councillors have put the brakes on a contentious apartment building proposal in the south end, saying they need more information about the environmental impact of the proposal before deciding whether to approve a zoning bylaw amendment.

In a 76-page report, city staff had recommended the amendment be approved, but that it be subject to a holding provision under which no development would be allowed until the applicant had satisfied the environmental concerns.

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City planning manager Jim Riddell said staff have reviewed the application and are confident a 30-metre buffer is sufficient. He also noted the applicant has widened a proposed “deer corridor” to allow wildlife movement through the development.

Councillors heard the proposal has been endorsed by the city’s Environmental Advisory Committee and the Grand River Conservation Authority.

But Judy Martin, local representative of the Sierra Club of Canada, argued the buffer is not wide enough and there has not been sufficient study of the impact of the development on habitat.