Council was asked to grant Approval in Principle for the residential component of an Institutional Use at 759 Empire Avenue. Eastern Gate Church has submitted an application to develop two buildings with a total of 22 affordable housing units on-site. The residential units will be owned and managed by the Church as part of their Institutional Use, which is permitted under the Institutional (INST) Zone. Preliminary review confirms the site can be serviced and accessed appropriately.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to consider rejecting an application for a Warehouse and Office Use at 537 Thorburn Road, located within the Broad Cove Watershed and zoned Rural Residential (RR). The proposal includes a 557m² warehouse for storing cleaning and construction materials and a 468m² office area. While a warehouse is a discretionary use in the RR Zone, office use is not permitted. Given the site’s location within the protected watershed and the City’s longstanding policy to limit development in this area to protect water quality, it is recommended that the application not be approved.

Decision: Rejection approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to reject a proposed Building Line Setback at 130 Shoal Bay Road. The applicant wishes to subdivide the property to create a second lot but cannot meet the required 30 metres of frontage at the standard 6-metre Building Line. They propose setting the Building Line at 50.14 metres to achieve the necessary frontage, resulting in a flag-lot configuration and backlot development.

This type of configuration poses challenges for municipal servicing, emergency access, and civic addressing. In line with Council’s 2021 direction against long, narrow accesses for new residential lots, staff recommend that the Building Line not be established, meaning subdivision would not be permitted.

Decision: Rejection approved. 5 voted for rejection; Councillors Noseworthy, Davis, and Ridgeley voted against.

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Council was asked to approve the demolition and rebuild of a non-conforming single detached dwelling at 16 McKay Street. The property does not meet minimum Lot Frontage, Side Yard setbacks, or Building Line requirements under the Residential 3 (R3) Zone. The proposed new dwelling would be built on the same footprint as the existing one and would not increase non-conformity. As per Section 7.5.3(a) of the Development Regulations, Council approval is required for any changes to non-conforming developments.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to approve parking relief for one (1) space for a proposed four-plex by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation at 2-12 Army Street. The development requires four parking spaces under the Development Regulations, but only three are proposed.

The applicant explains the units are intended for transitional housing, where tenants are unlikely to own vehicles and typically rely on nearby public transit routes. As per Section 8.12, Council may approve the request without a formal Parking Report if satisfied with the staff recommendation, which supports the relief.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to approve a 10% variance on the rear yard setback at 94–96 Forest Pond Road to allow an extension to a single detached dwelling. The proposed setback is 5.4 metres, slightly below the 6-metre minimum required in the Residential Rural Infill (RRI) Zone. As permitted under Section 7.4 of the Development Regulations, the variance is within allowable limits. Notices were sent to neighbouring properties, and no objections were received.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to approve parking relief for one (1) space at 244 Ladysmith Drive, where a single detached dwelling with two subsidiary units is proposed. Development Regulations require three parking spaces, but the applicant is providing two.

The applicant notes the property is near a bus route and suggests a second driveway could be added once Curlew Place is completed. As the request does not warrant a full Parking Report, Council may consider the staff report sufficient for decision-making.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to consider rejecting a Discretionary Use application from Rockwise Medical to operate a family medical clinic as a home occupation at 7 Chimo Place. The clinic would occupy 43m² of the dwelling and operate weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with up to 20 clients per day and four at a time.

The property is zoned Residential 1 (R1). Thirteen public submissions raised concerns about increased traffic, limited parking, safety, infrastructure strain, and impacts on neighbourhood character. Although the proposal meets minimum parking requirements, only two on-site spaces are available, which may not be adequate for the expected number of clients.

The application meets general home occupation criteria, but increased traffic on the cul-de-sac could cause ongoing concerns. If approved, only hours and days of operation can be regulated—not the number of clients.

Decision: Rejection approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to consider a Discretionary Use application for a 35m² extension to a Single Detached Dwelling at 99 Pearltown Road, located in the Agriculture (AG) Zone. Since the dwelling is not associated with an agricultural use, it is considered discretionary.

A 0.7% variance is also requested for the side yard setback, reducing it slightly to 5.96 metres (minimum required is 6 metres). The Provincial Land Development Advisory Authority has approved the proposal, and no public submissions were received. The variance falls within the allowable 10% under Section 7.4 of the Development Regulations.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to set the Zone Standards and approve parking relief and heritage building elevations for a new mixed-use building at 30 Duckworth Street. The proposed building, submitted by B&G Holdings Inc., will feature office use on the main floor and residential units above. Located in the Commercial Downtown Mix (CDM) Zone within Heritage Area 2, Council must set zone standards for setbacks: east side yard 1.17m, west side yard 0.07m, and rear yard 1.7m.

Parking relief is requested for one space, justified by the sole proprietor office tenant not requiring parking, with nearby on-street parking and public transit available. Staff recommend Council accept the staff report instead of requiring a parking or heritage report.

The building elevations comply with Heritage By-Law standards, with final window details to be confirmed at the permit stage.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to consider a map amendment to Appendix C, Map 5 “Waterways and Flood Hazards” to incorporate the 100-Year Climate Change Flood Risk Maps from the approved 2023 Flood Risk Mapping Study by Stantec Consulting. The amendment updates floodplains and buffers on the map but does not change the Development Regulations text.

Staff recommend public notification of the amendment, but a public meeting is not required since the changes reflect Council-approved flood risk data.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to consider a text amendment to enable more residential uses across various zones and modify the size rules for Subsidiary Dwelling Units (SDUs) within Single Detached Dwellings.

Key changes include:

• Adding Semi-Detached Dwellings as a permitted use in the Residential 1 (R1) Zone.

• Allowing Dwelling Units above the second storey in the Commercial Regional (CR) Zone as permitted (not discretionary).

• Changing Accessory Dwelling Units in the Industrial General (IG) Zone from permitted to discretionary.

• Permitting Lodging Houses and Accessory Dwelling Units as discretionary uses in the Agriculture (AG) Zone.

• Adjusting SDU size rules so two SDUs combined can be larger than the main unit, provided each is smaller individually, aligning with the National Building Code.

These amendments aim to increase housing supply and variety while maintaining appropriate density. Allowing new housing types in the R1 and AG Zones supports flexibility and accommodates on-site accommodation for farm or forestry workers. Public consultation will occur via notification (no public meeting), consistent with Municipal Plan policies and CMHC’s Housing Accelerator Fund goals.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Council was asked to adopt Development Regulations Amendment Number 59, 2025, to rezone 18 Campbell Avenue from Residential 2 (R2) to Residential 3 (R3) to allow development of two semi-detached dwellings on smaller lots.

Key details:

• The R2 Zone permits semi-detached dwellings but requires larger lot size and frontage than the subject property has.

• The R3 Zone allows smaller lots; one lot meets the minimum frontage (7.5m), the other requires a 5.7% variance (7.07m frontage).

• Parking relief is requested for two spaces (total four spaces required).

• The property is in Heritage Area 3; proposed building design meets heritage standards.

• Staff recommend accepting a staff memo in place of the required land use and heritage reports due to the small scale and permitted nature of the development.

• Public consultation included advertising and mailings; no objections received and online survey support was unanimous.

If adopted, the amendment will be forwarded for provincial registration.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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