Councillors vote in support of more residential and commercial units in downtown Paris

By Casandra Turnbull

In an 8-2 recorded vote councillors voted to support a motion that would encourage County of Brant staff to work with the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) to increase the number of residential units permitted in downtown Paris. During a January 30th council meeting, Paris Councillor Lukas Oakley presented the resolution, which he believes in the long run will improve the affordability and availability of housing in the County. Revisiting the existing limit, which was implemented in the provincial government’s 1987 Flood Plain Policy, would allow for new residential housing to be created downtown through new construction builds and renovations to existing buildings. The current policy is restrictive to the redevelopment of existing units, meaning density cannot increase For example, when the Royal was reconstructed in downtown Paris a few years ago, the number of residential spaces could not exceed what the previous building held, so the square footage could not be broken down into smaller units to allow more affordable spaces.

Oakley confirmed there is no projected number of “increases” the county looks to obtain by working with the GRCA, but said he hopes council’s support will help move the conversation along and hopefully on time for amendment in the Downtown Paris Master Plan, which will be presented to the public later this summer.

While council is supporting more density in the downtown and showing that support by urging the GRCA to reconsider existing policies, it won’t be an easy road The County must balance the need for more density with restrictions along the flood plain, approval of the New Official Plan and the Downtown Paris Master Plan. The resolution lists a ‘wide range of benefits’ for densification: providing housing where businesses and services already exist, reducing pollution, providing year-round economic benefit to downtown businesses and improving the liveliness and feel of the heart of the urban centre

There’s also reference to a special policy area in the new Official Plan (pictured in the adjacent map) that limits the potential for reasonable grown in the downtown area, so staff would need to be mindful of respecting the challenges and safety considerations of an urban centre in a flood plain

Councillor David Miller had pointed questions surrounding the flood plain and wondered how this resolution and current flood plain restrictions would come together. Rob Walton, General Manager of Operations, confirmed the county fully intends to complete a comprehensive study of all buildings backing onto the Grand River as part of the Paris Flood Mitigation Class Environmental Assessment

Councillor John Bell was fully supportive of the resolution. “It cannot come quicker for me,” said Bell who stated this was a large piece of his re-election platform –to see the downtown revitalization plan approved and implemented before the end of this current term.

“We do have to bring GRCA on board with us I think the provincial government will be happy that we are trying to put a denser population into downtown Paris,” he said of any potential changes this motion would have on the already submitted Official Plan.

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Bell said he believes this will bring positive economic value to downtown businesses that struggle during the off season when tourism slows down.

The vote to support, in principle, increasing residential and commercial density in downtown Paris came from Councillors Jennifer Kyle, Steve Howes, Lukas Oakley, John Bell, David Miller, Brian Coleman, Christine Garneau and Mayor David Bailey.

Councillors John MacAlpine and Robert Chambers voted against it. Councillor John Peirce was not present.

Chambers defended his decision well before voting was opened to floor. “I support the operative clauses in the resolution, but I don’t support the resolution,” said Chambers. “Usually, policy directions such as what is outlined in the resolution are incorporated in policy documents such as the Official Plan,” he explained “Setting policy by resolution with extensive policy perimeters is not good municipal practice.” He also cited another reason for declining the resolution – because he believes it circumvents public review/input. “So, I’m not voting against the resolution, just the way it’s being put forward.”

Councillor Oakley said there will be opportunity for public consultation if any changes to density are routed through the Downtown Master Plan. That updated plan will be presented to the public this summer with approval targeted for this fall. Construction on Grand River Street North, in conjunction with the Downtown Master Plan is set to begin in 2025, just ahead of the AODA compliance deadline

“I very much look forward to seeing community input on what I hope to be an ambitious, exciting plan to revitalize our downtown (hopefully with the expanded residential options for public input),” said Oakley.

You can learn more about the Paris Flood Mitigation Assessment here and the Downtown Master Plan here