Eric and Dawn Fry are hoping to build 16 apartments in the old Stedmans building on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad / File)
The Region of Queens announced its public engagement sessions this week for a possible change to the land use bylaw that could significantly alter the downtown landscape.
To do that, the region would have to amend its bylaw. In the downtown commercial district, residential units are permitted in buildings only if they have a primary commercial use.
Two sessions are planned for Queens Place Emera Centre on June 17 and June 19. Both are from 5 to 8 p.m. Both sessions are open to the public, though the first session is geared more toward business owners, while the second session is for everybody else.
Region staff and consultants UPLAND Planning will be there to answer questions.
The consultants will prepare a report for council by the end of June. The region’s planning advisory committee will review the report. Council will then discuss any recommendations from the committee.
If there are proposed amendments to the land use bylaw, councillors would vote on those. If it passed first reading, then there would be a two-week notice period for a public hearing to be held before the final vote.
Eric Fry of SDL Investments Limited is hoping to build 16 apartments in the old Stedmans building on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED Mon., June 2 at 4:45 p.m.
The public will be able to give their feedback on a proposed new apartment building on Main Street in Liverpool that may result in a significant change to the downtown landscape.
The Region of Queens is considering an application from Eric Fry, president of SDL Investments Limited, to turn the former Stedmans building at 194 Main St. into 16 apartments. It was most recently used by a real estate development company. And before that, it housed a discount store and office space on the ground floor.
The region’s land use bylaw permits residential units on Main Street only in buildings with a commercial storefront.
The proposal from Fry’s SDL Investments Ltd. does not have any commercial element.
That means the land use bylaw would have to be amended for the project to go ahead. And that requires a public hearing.
The region’s planning advisory committee discussed the proposal in May.
Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton, a member of the planning advisory committee, said the committee wasn’t comfortable giving a recommendation on the potential bylaw change without “some thorough public engagement”.
“PAC was uncomfortable moving a recommendation forward without public engagement, knowing that either allowing this use by right or by development agreement, could open it up to some significant change,” she told councillors at their regular meeting last week.
Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR on Monday that the committee wanted a “more robust public information opportunity” before a public hearing “to be able to provide more information to the public about what the shape of the amendment to the land use bylaw that’s being envisioned, what that looks like.”
“So as a way to get a full package of information to engaged members of the community and then providing them with an opportunity to have their say. It’s not required by the province. It’s best practices, I think,” Christian said.
“We know that this is an important conversation for us to be having and so we wanted to make sure that we have lots of opportunity for getting the information out there and giving folks an opportunity to provide their feedback.”
Public information sessions are planned in the community room at Queens Place Emera Centre, on June 17 and June 19, both from 5 to 8 p.m. One will be geared more toward the business community and the other toward residents, Christian said.
“A formal notice and some promotional materials will be coming out early next week,” Christian said. “It’s going to be a drop-in, drop-out type of engagement and information session as opposed to a town hall with a microphone. … And the organization will be set up with information and with some ways for folks to give their input.”
He said this type of consultation is more effective at getting information to people and gathering feedback.
Originally, residents and business owners were also going to be able to complete an online survey. But Christian said Monday that may not happen.
According to a report from Mike MacLeod, director of land use, members of the planning advisory committee “felt that opening up the (commercial downtown zone) to residential development as-of-right was not in the best interest of the community and that if council was to permit this use, controls would need to be established.”
MacLeod said the committee asked for draft amendments to be prepared for them to examine before they made a recommendation to council.
The consultants will prepare a report for council by the end of June. The region’s planning advisory committee would review the report, and then council would discuss the committee’s recommendations at its July meeting.
Christian said if there are proposed amendments to the land use bylaw, councillors would vote on those. If it passed first reading, then there would be a two-week notice period for a public hearing to be held before the final vote.
Fry gave councillors details of his proposed development at their April 22 meeting.
He wants to build 16 one- and two-bedroom units over two floors. Parking for the units would be indoors on the ground level, where there would also be storage units and four apartments. One-bedroom apartments would be about 800 square feet, while the two-bedroom units would be from 1,100 to 1,500 square feet.
Eric and Dawn Fry are hoping to build 16 apartments in the old Stedmans building on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
A developer is hoping to turn an old storefront on Liverpool’s Main Street into apartments.
Eric and Dawn Fry of Fall River bought 194 Main St. in January and hope to turn it into 16 one-bedroom and two-bedroom rental units.
Eric Fry told QCCR that they applied a few weeks ago to the Region of Queens to allow for apartments on the ground floor. The region’s land use bylaws permit residential units on Main Street only in buildings with a commercial storefront.
“We would rather see it as 100 per cent residential because there’s more of a need in that area for residential than for additional commercial space because there’s a fair amount of vacant commercial space on Main Street.”
The property is known locally as the old Stedmans building. Before it was bought by the Frys, it sat vacant for a few years and was heavily damaged by extreme weather. And before that, it housed a dollar store and office space on the ground floor.
Fry said Tuesday that they’re also planning indoor parking, which would be accessed on the Water Street side at the back of the building.
“We’re hoping that there won’t be any or too much opposition to what we’re trying to do because we know that there’s a need for housing there and I think this would lend itself nicely. … So it could be a pretty desirable development when it’s completed.”
Tenants recently moved into the couple’s other development, The Falls in Milton, located on the Mersey River. That building is full and targeted to people 55 and over.
This new development would be marketed to a more mixed demographic. Fry says he hopes to attract health care or other professionals. And two or three units could qualify as affordable housing.
According to Viewpoint, the 30,000-square-foot building sold for $235,000 after almost a year on the market. Fry said it’s too early to estimate the budget for the project or what the rents will be.
“The two criteria that I typically use are location and potential. And I think that’s got both in spades. It’s very central and a lot of potential. It took a little creativity with our design team and our construction manager to work through a feasible plan, in order to make it all accessible. We’ll be adding windows and skylights for the upper units. We think it’s really going to begin to transform Main Street, so we’re excited about it.”
They’re working with a partner on the project and have named their company SDL Developments, as an homage to the building’s former life as a Stedmans department store.
While they wait to see how their application goes with the municipality, Fry said workers have been cleaning up debris inside the building.
He said he and his wife wanted to invest in the community after they bought a cottage in Port Mouton in 2015 and fell in love with the area.
“We’re not trying to disrupt anything or upset the apple cart. My wife and I have lots of great relationships in Liverpool and we’ve gotten to know a lot of folks in the municipality and we love it. What we’ve done with The Falls in Milton would be frankly representative of the type of approach we would take, very open and communicative with the public and a quality product that people can be proud to call home.”
Fry said that if their application with the municipality succeeds, they hope to begin construction by the end of June.
Tony Flint, a resident of Bristol Avenue in Liverpool, speaks to Region of Queens councillors on Tuesday about a proposed 24-unit apartment building on his street. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)
Residents of Bristol Avenue in Liverpool say they’ve lost faith in Region of Queens councillors after a bungled vote on a controversial proposed development.
A 24-unit apartment building is planned for the area, which is the main thoroughfare into and out of downtown Liverpool.
Residents say the development is too big for the neighbourhood. They say the population could triple in an area with only a two-lane street, one sidewalk, and already hectic traffic.
Councillors heard the appeal on Tuesday during their regular council meeting. As part of that process, the appellant and the developer can make their cases to council.
Developer Larry Cochrane was at the meeting, but left before the appeal was heard.
Resident Tony Flint told councillors that congestion and noise will only get worse if the apartments are built. He and other residents are also concerned about pedestrian safety and the ability for emergency vehicles to get to the new building.
“So all of a sudden you have a massive influx of people in an already very busy street,” he said. “I think that looking at the drawing, the developer probably tries to do as much as he can with the available space, but it’s really, really cramped.”
Mike MacLeod, the region’s director of land use, said no traffic studies were completed or required as part of the process. He said Cochrane met the requirements of the Land Use Bylaw.
Councillors debated a motion to deny the appeal and allow the development to go ahead.
At first, a majority of councillors voted 4-3 not to reject the residents’ appeal. But then, council took a break. After discussion among the mayor, councillors and the interim CAO, they returned.
Mayor Scott Christian said that a councillor was confused by the motion.
“At least one member of the council didn’t understand the way that they were voting with respect to that motion,” Christian told the meeting as Bristol Avenue residents watched.
“I’ll ask for your forgiveness. I’ll just try to be transparent here. We have four of the seven of us are new. I myself am a new chair here. I want to circle back on that motion to make sure that it’s 100 per cent clear for the council with respect to what they’re voting for or against.”
So they voted again. Three councillors — Jack Fancy, Wanda Carver and Stewart Jenkins — changed their vote to deny the appeal after all.
Coun. Courtney Wentzell was the only vote against rejecting the appeal.
After the meeting, Bristol Avenue resident Janet Perry was visibly upset.
“I’m disappointed and I don’t understand the two separate (votes). We had the motion, it was defeated. They go out and change their minds. I think it’s totally unfair.
“I’ve lost faith in council and the process that we went through.”
Resident Roger Wilcox said the process to approve new developments is flawed.
“The town has a problem because of this development procedure that’s inadequate. (They’re) scared of being sued. … That’s why they changed their vote.”
Flint said he’s worried about someone being injured or killed because of the increased traffic. And he worries that council doesn’t care.
“It means that regardless of the possible dangers to the public, they’re just pushing it ahead anyway. Certain people are friends with certain people and that’s the way it works.”
Developer Cochrane is the treasurer of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce. His wife is the vice-president. The chamber’s president is Ashley Christian, who is married to Mayor Scott Christian.
The mayor told QCCR after the meeting that he wasn’t in a conflict.
“From my perspective, I don’t feel there’s a conflict of interest. Certainly if residents feel that there is, I’d be happy to speak to that or think about it. To be honest, … my wife’s involvement with the chamber of commerce or Larry’s involvement with the chamber of commerce would have no bearing on my decision-making process or procedural approach to handling that situation.”
During the appeal, some councillors appeared to sympathize with residents’ concerns, especially about traffic and safety. But Christian said they were handcuffed by provisions in the municipality’s land use bylaw.
“The challenge is that legally we really are bound to the municipal planning strategy and land use bylaws.”
Barring another council reversal, the way is now clear for the four-story apartment building to go ahead.
Bob Chouinard, Valerie Wilcox, Carolyn Campbell, Janet Perry, Tony Flint and Roger Wilcox, all residents of Bristol Avenue in Liverpool, were among a group of people who told Region of Queens councillors on Tuesday that they oppose a 24-unit apartment building proposed for their street. (Rick Conrad photo)
Residents on a busy street in Liverpool are concerned it will only get more hectic if a 24-unit apartment building is built in their neighbourhood.
About a dozen people presented a petition to regional council on Tuesday and spoke against the development planned for 48 Bristol Ave., during the meeting’s regular time for public comments or questions.
They say they have 35 signatures of residents upset that the proposed four-storey building is too big for the area. They are worried about increased traffic, motorist and pedestrian safety and increased noise.
They say the design doesn’t fit with the character of the many historical homes in the area. And they’re also concerned that existing water and sewer services can’t handle up to 100 new residents.
Tony Flint, who lives right across from the proposed development, organized the petition. He told councillors on Tuesday that it would be a mistake to allow the development to go ahead.
“I think a 24-unit, four-storey building with the potential of housing as many as 100 people and 50 vehicles is way too much for the footprint of the real estate,” Flint said in an interview after the meeting. “It’s just an inadequate property to handle a building of this nature.”
Bristol Avenue is a busy thoroughfare into and out of Liverpool. The two-lane road is the main access to and from downtown Liverpool. If you live in downtown Liverpool, Western Head or Mersey Point, it’s the most direct route to get to many services like the town’s two grocery stores, Queens Place Emera Centre and gas stations, or to get onto Highway 103.
There is no sidewalk on the side of the road where the development is proposed. It’s currently undeveloped green space with mature chestnut trees. The 6,720 square-foot building would be set back 10 feet from the street, with 24 parking spots behind and on the side of the building. The lot is about 36,000 square feet.
As part of the site plan approval process, residents within 100 feet of the development were notified by the municipality in a letter dated June 19. According to a letter from development officer Mike MacLeod, they had 14 days to appeal.
Mayor Darlene Norman said Wednesday that councillors found out about the development last week when they received their meeting package.
“There’s a process for appealing. They write a letter to the planner stating that they wish to appeal and then they give their reasons of which they’re appealing. And it has to be based on the criteria that the site plan was approved on.
“Unless there are appellants, unless people within the 100 feet of the subject property make application to be an appellant and to appeal the site plan approval then there is nothing council can do at this time.”
Norman said the proposed building meets the zoning requirements. She added that staff take a serious look at new developments to ensure they follow the municipality’s land use bylaws.
“People don’t understand that council do not have the ability to simply shut down stuff just because people don’t like it. We have to live within the rules that we’ve established.”
Flint said he wrote a letter to MacLeod objecting to the proposal. He said that he and his neighbours believed they were getting their appeal on Tuesday, with the petition and speaking to council.
“But we presented the petition and what they do about it, yeah, I would consider that’s a written appeal,” Flint said Wednesday.
“We would like to proceed and continue further if necessary. Whether we’re beating our head against a brick wall, we don’t know. We all feel like we accomplished something by bringing it to the council’s attention. And there were several people that were completely unaware of it.”
Carolyn Campbell is another Bristol Avenue resident who also expressed her opposition Tuesday about the new building.
“I’m concerned that it could possibly be a death trap. As far as I know, there’s only one entrance off of Bristol and they all have to come out the same way. … If there’s a fire or if there’s an emergency vehicle needing to get in there, it could be bad.”
She and others worry about increased congestion caused by this development and a 45-unit building under construction behind Bristol Avenue on Mersey Avenue.
Janet Perry said residents agree with the need for more housing in Liverpool, just not in that location.
“We all live in close proximity to each other and we’re all going to be facing that building. The traffic is horrendous on that street, the noise is horrendous. There’ll be so many other things happening. … Garbage pickup in the mornings, can you imagine how long there are going to be trucks parked on the street? It’s just going to be a nightmare. I’m sure there’s another site (where) it can be built. We’re not opposed to housing, we’re just opposed to that location.”
Norman said that if the development goes ahead, a new council may decide to address any traffic issues that arise.
“It always has been and it always will be a busy street. If these apartments are built and it’s deemed that there’s a need to put a crosswalk, there’s a need to put streetlights to improve traffic flow … then I’m certain that council at the time will do those things. But at this point in time, we are going through the process as it is.”
Region of Queens Council packed a lot into their final meeting of the year.
Following a public meeting that took most of the morning, council voted against selling the South Shore Regional Airport. Instead, they will continue to operate the facility and will look to sign the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association and the South Shore Flying Club to new leases.
Rumclo Developments Ltd and Van Der Pas design made a presentation proposing to build 124 units on 23 acres of waterfrontage at 133 Shore Road if the Region agrees to pick up the $1.5 million tab to extend water service to the development.
Council will weigh the proposal and make the decision as part of the upcoming annual budget process.
Representatives of Hillsview Acres Long Term Care home provided a yearly update. While all regular positions are filled, the facility is searching for part-time staff.
Queens Manor has been providing some assistance to Hillsview Acres.
Both facilities will be merged and replaced when the new Long Term Care Home is built and ready in four years.
A couple of items that have been bouncing around the latest agendas have been resolved.
Council accepted terms of reference for the new pool committee, voted down spending up to $10,000 towards the cost of creating a Bioeconomic Development Zone and will prioritize clearing shrubs that obstructs traffic at Market and Henry Hensey Drive.
Councillors Maddie Charlton and David Brown will sit on a committee to update the Region’s communications strategy.
Council also considered a Development Agreement that would allow a 7-unit short term rental building in Hunts Point to be converted to multi-unit residential housing.
A public hearing on the matter will be held in council chambers January 10.
Council agreed to replace a 2010 work truck that is past its useable life with a new ¾ ton for $75,000 plus tax.
The Region will write off almost $10,000 in uncollectable debt owed to the municipality to get it off the books.
Council received a staff report detailing when council could request a traffic study.
They were informed they could make the request when making an amendment to the Land Use Bylaw or when adopting a Development Agreement but generally the decision to trigger a traffic study is left to the engineer or planner of the traffic authority.
And finally, Region Staff will now be calling for the tow truck if a vehicle is impeding snow clearing operations.
RCMP informed the municipality they don’t have the available personnel to police those parking violations, but it is within the regions authority to do so.
The next council meeting will be held in council chambers starting at 9:00 am on January 10.
Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson
Region of Queens council approved spending a million dollars on equipment and adopted the land use bylaw at their last meeting.
The big news out of the May 24 council meeting was the adoption of the Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Planning Strategy.
Several other items were adopted including setting a policy for council to hold meetings in communities throughout Queens instead of being tied to council chambers.
Council also waived a policy to permit the sale and consumption of alcohol on region property.
The waiver will be in place from June until the end of the year to allow Liverpool Farmers Market vendors in Centennial Park to sell alcohol and provide samples to customers.
Some equipment will be upgraded as the region will be spending $688,000 to rebuild a compactor at the regional waste facility.
Public Works will also be receiving a Komatsu excavator worth $356,500.
The purchase was already in the budget and will be paid out of the equipment reserve.
The tidy sum being spent on landfill is worth it says Mayor Darlene Norman.
“It’s what happens when you own a landfill. People have to understand that landfills make us revenue and if it were not for the landfill we would be looking at a higher tax rate.”
Council closed their meeting with a discussion generated from a staff report outlining ways to pay for approximately $2 million in needed heating and ventilation repairs at the Liverpool Business Development Centre.
“That went back to the drawing board to come back again at our next meeting,” said Norman. “The numbers are large and it was suggested that there could be other options available. So council was interested in hearing of these other options.”
Council regularly meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month and the next session is scheduled for June 14.
A controversial new land use bylaw will go ahead with some minor changes.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Region of Queens council voted to send the bylaw to the province for final approval, the last step before it is enacted into law.
The bylaw review has been a hot topic in Queens as it brought to light livestock restrictions that have been in place since 2009.
Homesteaders have been raising concerns on social media and during public meetings about the number of livestock permitted on a property, how those animals must be contained, and permitting required to build structures including greenhouses.
Mayor Darlene Norman says council heard the concerns and made some changes to allow raising livestock in Milton and granting some discretion to permit building within 50 feet of the water on a coastline.
While the changes may not satisfy everyone, Norman says it’s important for people to realize the bylaw has been adapted several times since it was adopted and can be changed again if necessary.
“Council were aware and I believe almost every councillor spoke about the fact that these were living documents. Changes can be made however it was recognized that regardless of what one does, everyone is not going to be pleased,” said Norman. “However, council did feel that these documents were the best way to move forward the Region of Queens.”
The bylaw will go into effect once the province signs off on the changes.
Public hearing on Queens proposed land use bylaw. Photo Ed Halverson
At a third and final public hearing in Liverpool Queens residents were vocal that a proposed new land use bylaw shouldn’t change the face of rural Queens.
Ria Neish is raising 40 chickens and three pigs on 300 acres of land in South Brookfield.
Neish doesn’t feel it’s reasonable to ask someone like herself who is not running a commercial farming operation to apply for permits to be allowed to supply food for themselves.
“Food is deplete in the grocery stores. The animals are treated deplorably in the grocery stores. That is why we live where we live. To raise animals well. To let them live full, happy, fulfilled life, living all their instincts out,” said Neish. “That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing and the fact that I would have to ask permission for that I do object to that.”
Frank Babin of Moose Harbour is concerned enforcing regulations on rural communities will change the culture in Queens.
He wants the region to allow people to continue to live as they have for hundreds of years.
“Especially the kids, ‘cause that’s who I’m thinking of. They used to go by and say hey look at that horse, look at that cow,” said Babin. “I don’t want to see that taken away ‘cause we are a rural community.”
Mayor Darlene Norman says some of the permitting requirements are there to ensure the region is aware of what kinds of activities are taking place on a piece of land.
“A development agreement is just in place to note that in addition to residential, there’s also household livestock as part of that main use, is how it was explained to me,” said Norman.
After reflecting on the discussion, the mayor is concerned that people feel the region is trying to force urban values on rural areas when in fact they’re designed to keep urban uses out of those rural areas.
“These documents actually protect rural interests like livestock farming, like household livestock, like forestry uses. It zones these wharves and says these are fishing marine areas,” said Norman. “So, I sometimes wonder if people have misinterpreted the value of them. Because the majority of our lands are rural, and they allow rural uses.”
Now that the second public hearing sessions are complete, the proposed bylaw will go back to council for consideration at their next meeting May 24.
Council will review the public input and determine whether to make any adjustments before voting on the bylaw.
The Region of Queens proposed new Land Use Bylaw has ruffled feathers amongst area homesteaders.
The new bylaw, which passed through first reading at the February 22 council meeting sets out rules for what, where and how anything can be built in Queens as well as what activities can take place on those properties.
Debbie J Wamboldt is a member of the Facebook group Homesteading and Growing in Queens.
She says members of the group feel some parts of the new bylaw will severely restrict their ability to raise livestock and grow food on their properties for their personal consumption.
“A lot of people joining our group who have moved here from really urban places, city places, where they felt like they could move to Milton and they would be able to have animals and they would be able to have livestock,” said Wamboldt. “They felt like they could move to Port Medway and Port Mouton and have livestock and their plans are up in the air now because of all of this.”
The proposed bylaw sets out how many animals a person can raise based on the type of animal and how much space is available on the property.
Wamboldt says even when owners have the space, the cost of building the fences and structures required to meet the proposed bylaw can be prohibitive.
“Generally, it’s not going to impact like, our ability to have livestock or anything like that because we do own 27 acres. But as far as building restrictions go, it kind of puts a chokehold on our creativity as to how we were gonna be able to even afford to do it. You know I don’t see building material prices coming down anytime soon,” said Wamboldt.
Under the Municipal Government Act, municipalities like the Region of Queens are required to review their land-use bylaws every 10 years.
The process began with the previous council in 2018 and was well underway when the new council was elected in the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
Wamboldt says she was unaware of any opportunities to provide feedback on the proposed changes during that time.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says she had staff dig out old copies of the Municipal Matters flyers.
She says the information bulletin from the Region, distributed to residents across the municipality, announced several public engagement sessions but those were poorly attended.
Since passing first reading, the Region has hosted two public sessions to hear residents’ concerns.
Norman says some of what she heard during those sessions was eye-opening.
“So, what I learned from those two public sessions and the fallout afterward, was there was a surprisingly large amount of people in Queens County who had no idea that land use zoning and planning was adopted in 2009. Suddenly there’s people who are [saying] you know you have no right to tell me what I can do in my land, I own my own land. You know, how do you make people realize that we live in a society, and this is societal rules and when people move into a community they expect to know what can and cannot happen in that community,” said Norman.
Because the proposed bylaw has passed first reading, any new applications for permits must meet all existing rules as well as those contained in the proposed bylaw for 150 days.
Aside from some rezoning and now allowing residents to raise up to five chickens in most parts of the region, Norman says most of the rules haven’t changed since 2009.
“And it is unfortunate that people have started up small farms since 2009 on not the amount of land they need for the animals they have because they threw everything out that they get from the region of Queens in the garbage because they only thing they get from the region of Queens are bills. Well, that’s unfortunate,” said Norman. “People need to be responsible for themselves. I don’t care if they live in downtown Liverpool or on the border of Queens and Shelburne. People need to take their own responsibility and keep themselves informed.”
Norman says staff will be presenting a report to council at their April 12 meeting to provide options for revising the bylaw or passing it, as is.
If the bylaw goes ahead, it could go into effect sometime in the fall.
