Newmarket residents got their first peek at a proposed development near Davis Drive and Prospect Street that would bring more than 40 purpose-built rental apartments to town, along with stacked townhouses for ownership.
The housing project known as The Laneway was the subject of a virtual public planning meeting June 29 where a representative for the developer provided an overview of the vision for the property, located just west of Southlake Regional Health Centre.
The low-rise project would see two four-storey rental apartment buildings built at 49 Charles St. and 52 Prospect St., with 21 units apiece, and one nine-unit, three-storey stacked townhouse block at 55 and 59 Charles St.
“We’re pretty excited about it, we have a chance to do something a little bit unique with that space,” project manager Drew MacMartin of MacMartin Group told NewmarketToday after the meeting. “It’s in the early stages, we had the first submission, got the comments back, and we’ll make a second submission soon once we receive the comments from the public meeting.”
If approved, The Laneway will include the first purpose-built rentals since the Rose Corp. opened 212 Davis Dr. in 2017, after a nearly 30-year drought in that form of housing stock in York Region.
The Laneway development is bordered by Charles Street to the west, Granby Place to the south, Prospect Street to the east, and Davis Drive to the north. Two town-owned laneways on narrow Granby are incorporated into the development’s design.
The rentals will offer a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, a majority of which will have balconies, with at-grade parking stalls beneath the elevated buildings.
The three-story stacked townhouses are located to the south of the buildings and will feature nine units for sale.
“A rental building hasn’t been built in a long time and we’re excited to bring more units to town,” MacMartin said.
Other proposed features of the project include a public art component on one of the building’s stairwells without windows and the dedication of 1,100-square-metres to the town to be used as parkland.
MacMartin said, at this point, the renderings of what the development may look like are meant to give a perspective of size, and do not represent a final design concept.
Meanwhile, four members of the public submitted deputations expressing concerns about the housing development, including a longtime nearby homeowner and his family members.
Murray MacDonald, 88, who has lived on Charles Street near the proposed project since the early 1950s, wrote to council to express concerns about increased congestion in the area, as well as the lack of upkeep at a five-unit rental building on Prospect Street owned by The Laneway developer.
“The owners of said properties don’t believe in upkeep, the grass and garbage at 52 Prospect St. are atrocious,” MacDonald said. “I called the complaints department many times.”
MacDonald’s family members, Bruce and Maureen Carmichael, also submitted concerns about the impact ongoing construction would have on MacDonald and other neighbours, as well as the traffic on Granby Place and the adjacent laneways.
“These laneways are not designed for the width and weight of heavy machinery traffic, heavy delivery trucks, and cement trucks associated with this construction project,” the Carmichaels said. “The laneways are very narrow and would only permit one-way travel. Two of the laneways are just gravel pathways originally designed for horse and cart traffic to and from the dairy on Prospect Street.”
A current tenant at 52 Prospect St., Venus Rebollado, took the opportunity to submit photos of the water-damaged ceiling in her unit that she says has been ongoing and not repaired by the owner.
“Our concern is how can the town be sure that this applicant is capable of putting up the proposed project following safety and up-to-standard building codes when they can't even maintain a five-unit small building apartment in a decent habitable condition?” Rebollado said.
“We have lived in the said building for years and ever since it was sold to the applicant by the previous owners, the condition has severely deteriorated. Now, they're using the pandemic as an excuse for not being able to fix it, but the condition has been like this years before the pandemic,” said Rebollado.
When reached for comment on the deteriorating condition of 52 Prospect St., owner Robert Marzilli said in an emailed statement that “the building is very old and it has been a struggle to get service workers in during COVID”.
“We will be demolishing it soon to make way for this new vibrant development that will contribute valuable rental inventory to a community that is in very short supply,” Marzilli said. “We look forward to working with the councillors, planning staff, and the community at large to bring this beautiful project to life.”
MacMartin said the proposed Laneway development intends to improve the area.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor urged the developer’s representatives to convey the Prospect Street tenant’s concerns, after looking at the submitted photos of the damaged ceiling.
Councillor Bob Kwapis, in whose ward The Laneway would be located, said the modern mixed-use housing complex is a welcome addition to the area.
Kwapis said he’d like more information on how the developer would handle garbage pickup at the complex and asked if enough visitor parking was available.
Residents are encouraged to review The Laneway proposal and submit their feedback.
You can view the public planning meeting here and read the supporting documents.
To submit your feedback, email [email protected].
Town staff will continue to work with The Laneway representatives to address comments from the public, council, and its own departments, and will report back to council with a report on the development application that could include a recommendation to approve the proposal, deny it, or approve with certain modifications.
