Concerns about traffic, safety and the environment were raised Thursday during virtual open house sessions regarding a proposed condo development on the shore of Lake Simcoe.
Coland Developments Corporation has applied to the city for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow for its eight-storey, 44-unit Club 888 development at 625 and 643 Atherley Rd. and 642 Driftwood Rd., just west of the Atherley Narrows bridge.
During Thursday’s meetings, the main issue raised by residents was access to Atherley Road/Highway 12 from Orchard Point Road.
Residents and the city have called for traffic lights at the intersection for a number of years, but those requests have been denied by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), which has stated it does not intend to install lights at the intersection until at least 2029.
With Club 888, as well as other developments in the works on Orchard Point, residents are worried about the effect on drivers trying to turn left onto Atherley Road — the only way they can access it.
“I think, living on the point, one of the most major concerns of this entire scenario is getting on and off the point. It’s dangerous — I mean extremely dangerous — as it is right now,” said Ray Ash.
Some drivers are “petrified to make a left-hand turn to go into town,” he said, noting many will instead turn right, go over the bridge, cut through the Tim Hortons parking lot and catch the lights at Highway 12 and Courtland Street.
Ash was also concerned about large vehicles entering and exiting Orchard Point during construction, which would “bring this street to a gridlock.”
Leslie Dobson shared that concern, saying in a written comment, “I had to take my mother to the hospital from the point and it took me 10 minutes to make a left turn at 3 p.m.”
There used to be driveway access to Atherley Road from the property now owned by Coland. Officials with WSP, the planners working on behalf of Coland, were asked why they couldn’t use that as an access point to Club 888.
It was in the initial plans, said Mikaela Sword, planner with WSP. However, during an earlier meeting between WSP, the MTO and city staff, the ministry advised against it, saying any existing access from the property to Atherley Road should be removed, so it was taken out of the plan.
One of reasons the MTO opposed the idea is because it was felt creating access from the subject property would cause the same issues faced at the existing intersection.
“They’re not going to create a dangerous situation, another driveway there, for one development …” said Irfan Akram, senior transportation planner with WSP.
“Based on this explanation, it sounds like a development such as this simply will not work in this location, no matter how you try to direct and manage traffic,” resident Kathy Hunt responded in writing.
One resident said she didn’t want to see any of the mature trees near the waterfront removed.
She was told there is a 30-metre buffer zone to protect all vegetation and that trees would be removed only if they’re deemed a hazard to people.
Hunt lives next door to the proposed development and questioned its effect on the shoreline. She noted a tree that had fallen into the water was removed about a month ago by those working on the development.
“They were living trees and they were the home to numerous water and land wildlife, and the shoreline now is a complete mess with broken branches and destroyed vegetation,” she said.
“I’m really worried about how you’re going to protect that 30-metre shoreline when it’s already been destroyed partially.”
The area of Orchard Point is zoned for intensification in the city’s Official Plan. The province’s growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe has forced Orillia to plan to accommodate a population of 49,000 by 2051, and WSP project manager Natalie Boodram said Club 888 will help the city meet that target.
Because a zoning bylaw amendment application has been submitted, the city will eventually hold a statutory public meeting before a decision is made.
