Neighbours appear to be on board with plans for new condominiums in what's currently a natural area in a northend Sarnia neighbourhood.
An Ontario numbered company, under the care of Alan Merrington, is seeking official plan and rezoning bylaw amendments for just over four acres of a mostly woodland area on the east end of Pamela Court.
"There are six homes planned for that area," Mayor Mike Bradley told Sarnia News Today. "There are some environmental issues, but both the city planners and the county planners believe they can be addressed and it's a good infill."
Bradley thinks the project would benefit the neighbourhood and the city.
"It appears to be a good proposal," he said. "There is a public hearing, but I've learned in the last year or so that often when we think an application -- and I'll point out Northgate and some other applications -- is straightforward... there's resistance that builds when we get to the public meeting process."
Bradley hopes to see the project -- near the Lake Huron shoreline off Lakeshore Road to the east of Murphy Road -- proceed in 2025.
"I think the developer has done a good job of talking to the neighbourhood and often when they do it mitigates, significantly, any opposition when people understand it and are not hearing through third parties or giving their own interpretation of what's happening," Bradley said.
The application was reduced from its original eight lots to lessen the impact on the woodlot.
According to an Environmental Impact Study, the woodlot would now retain its ecological functions, groundwater features, and protect the Virginia bluebells plant.
Numerous letters from neighbours, and a petition with over 30 names, are being presented in support of the project.
Dr. John Roman, a resident on Hillcrest Nisbet Drive for almost 24-years, supports the proposal.
"This development should reduce the dumping of trash in the area and decrease the illegal activities that go on in the woods," Roman wrote in an email. "I also appreciate the proposed right of way connecting Hillcrest Drive to Pamela Court. This will allow one to walk from this neighbourhood to the Sunripe Plaza area without walking on Lakeshore Road. A much safer route as there are no sidewalks on Lakeshore Road."
Another resident on Hillcrest Nisbet Drive, Karen Webster, said the development should "remove scrub and stop the dumping of yard waste around the perimeter."
"Which should help with the ticks which are getting worse," she said.
Council will consider the recommendations during the public meeting portion of Sarnia council's meeting on December 16. It's being held virtually starting at 1 p.m.