Peterborough City Council has given preliminary approval for a new residential development in the city’s north end. The Lily Lake subdivision will start out with 600 homes and will grow to over 1500.
The land was annexed from Selwyn Township in 2008 and planning was started in 2014.
City Councillor Dan McWilliams says they are addressing concerns residents had over the development and its impact on the local ecosystem including Jackson Creek and a wetland. He adds the development represents economic development and growth for the city.
“We’ve got 600 homes already approved at this point, and at build out, you’re looking at 1700 to 2000 homes up in that area,” said McWilliams
It’s those 2000 new homes that have raised issues for residents along Lily Lake Road across from the development.
Dave Harte-Maxwell says his family has lived there for 60 years and is concerned about the increase in traffic on the road. He does not share the city’s belief that 600 new homes means 600 more vehicles. He wonders how many of the people moving into the new homes will belong to single-car families
“We’re going to go from 150 homes on the street, to over 600 to over a thousand, so the traffic is going to increase six-fold,” said Harte-Maxwell
The road itself belongs to Selwyn township and it remains to be seen how it will react to the impact of hundreds of non-residents using the road.
The decision by Committee of the Whole to approve the first part of the Lily Lake Subdivision must be ratified by full council Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Comments