Over 50 households wrote letters and a petition was also sent to the Town of Riverview opposing two new apartment buildings on Hillsborough Road in Bridgedale.
After hearing from residents during a public hearing on Monday, Riverview Town Council eventually decided to reject the proposal.
Developer Simon Ikuseru of PineCrest Development Inc. sought a rezoning from R1 (single unit dwelling) to R3 (multi-unit dwelling) to build two apartment buildings (three storeys each) with 56 units in total and surface parking for 70 vehicles.
During the hearing, Chris Holland who lives with his family on nearby Goldleaf Court felt the town was spot zoning for temporary gains and urged council to stick to their municipal plan.
“The town is open for business, but we can’t be loose with this. I ask you to stick to your plan. If you don’t, then why do you make a plan?” asked Holland.
Andrew Curwin was another resident on Goldleaf Court who spoke at the hearing.
Curwin said he and his family felt stress and anxiety given they were only 12 metres away from the proposed project.
“We will be visually violated, in particular from the second and third floor tenants, as the sightlines directly peer into our backyard or patio, and our windows,” he noted.
The Riverview Planning Advisory Committee had recommended that council approve the proposal at its meeting last month.
But during the regular council meeting which followed the public hearing, Riverview Town Council voted overwhelmingly against first reading of the rezoning and the motion was defeated.
Most councillors seemed to agree that while it was the right project, it was not the right place.
