Paul Mason, Resident, appeared before the Committee and stated that he has resided at 89 Garden Street since 2019. He advised that he received notification in 2020 about extending Dunlop Street to Garden Street, that traffic signalization would be installed north of his driveway, and that on-street parking would not be permitted. Mr. Mason stated that he requested a copy of the schematic drawing of the intersection to ascertain how far the traffic signalization would be from his driveway, noting that it showed that he would lose a portion of his driveway apron. Mr. Mason stated that he inquired about widening the west side of Garden Street where there were no homes instead of taking parking space and driveway aprons away from residents on the east side of the road. Mr. Mason stated that it was suggested that he request permission to pave a small section of Town owned land on the north side of his property to replace the removal of a portion of his driveway apron, noting that he believed that there would not be any cost except for the paving. Mr. Mason advised that the Town indicated that the cost for minor variances and an encroachment agreement would be over $4,000.00 and that there would be an ongoing annual cost for the encroachment. He stated that he would not have looked into an encroachment agreement if a portion of his driveway apron had not been removed. Mr. Mason noted that he explored this solution due to safety reasons, the difficulty in maneuvering his vehicle in and out of the driveway and because there was not enough space to allow for a vehicle to pull in behind his vehicle for deliveries. Mr. Mason referenced portions of a memorandum to Council which indicated why Staff were not recommending an exception from the Fees and Charges By-law. He noted that he was applying for the exception to the by-law out of necessity as a result of a portion of the driveway apron being removed and creating an unsafe situation. Mr. Mason noted that the memorandum indicated that the fees to facilitate the extension of his driveway onto Town land were to recover the Town’s costs for evaluating and preparing applications and agreements. He stated that Garden Street was a unique and busy road, and that on other four-lane roads such as Thickson Road the houses were set further back onto the property providing more vehicle parking space. Mr. Mason stated that the rational for the road improvements were to construct 96 residential units and a future condominium in the area, noting that the 10-year plan was to extend Garden Street from Brooklin to Highway 401 which would result in an increase in traffic on Garden Street.
A question and answer period ensued between Members of Committee and Mr. Mason regarding:
- details about the delegate’s other concerns related to the traffic signalization and removal of a portion of the driveway apron;
- details about safely maneuvering vehicles due to the removal of a portion of the driveway apron; and,
- whether the delegate has the ability to park on the existing apron.
It was the consensus of the Committee to hear Item 5.3.1, Memorandum from F. Santaguida, Commissioner, Legal and Enforcement Services/Town Solicitor, dated September 3, 2024 regarding a Request of Exception from Fee By-law # 7220-17 - Driveway Encroachment for 89 Garden Street, at this time.