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A North Bay property with an existing 160-unit apartment building located near the intersection of Airport Road and O’Brien Street could see the commercial spaces on its ground floor converted to 30-plus residential units with the eventual approval of a rezoning application.
The community services committee of North Bay City Council also heard the official plan amendment submitted by Antech Design and Engineering Group, on behalf of property owner Golden Estates Limited, could pave the way for a second apartment building with up to 35 units to be built on the western portion of the property known as 392 Airport Rd.
Monday, the committee recommended the rezoning from "District Commercial" to "Residential" and moved the applications forward for a vote during Tuesday's special council meeting.
The eastern part of the property is already developed with an existing apartment building with the storefronts of the businesses on the ground floor opening to the parking lot accessible by Airport Road. The western section of the property is vacant and is used for parking for the existing apartment. The rezoning application would allow the conversion of the ground floor commercial spaces to residential units in the existing building and designate the entire property as solely residential without a commercial component.
Council approval would also permit the construction of a second apartment building with residential units on the ground floor instead of the previously designated commercial and residential mix. According to the staff report recommending the rezoning, "the proposed development would result in new apartment units being constructed in an existing built-up area of the community on full municipal services."
All committee members were supportive of the housing component of the plan although there was some discussion about a perceived lack of infrastructure — namely sidewalks — in the area to support new and existing tenants. There is a transit stop in front of the existing building but the nearest sidewalk — on the east side of O'Brien Street — continues up the hill on Airport Road, away from the building. A sidewalk is to be built from Algonquin Avenue to the access to the multi-use pathway situated several hundred metres — and across — Airport Road. A pathway also winds its way along the remaining portion of the south side of Airport Road. There are no sidewalks on the north side of Airport Road between O'Brien and Algonquin where nearby commercial establishments are located.
Golden Estate is not proposing to change the existing “Open Space” designation on the property which surrounds Chippewa Creek, per the report. A Special Zone designation, as requested, would recognize the property’s existing built form. The specific variances from the minimum standards of the zoning by-law requested by this application are as follows:
- Reduce the minimum front yard setback to the existing 11 metres;
- Reduce the minimum exterior side yard setback (southern property line) to the existing 11 metres;
- Reduce the minimum landscaping buffer to the existing buffer to nil; and
- Reduce the minimum number of loading spaces to one.
If the property is rezoned as residential, the property owner could then submit a building application for the planned complex that would meet the new regulations.
