Council approves minor variance for new garage with residential unit
KENILWORTH – A new garage with a residential unit above it will be permitted in Mount Forest, although the building will be taller than what’s usually allowed.
Wellington North council approved a minor variance for the new building during a public meeting on June 2.
The variance application was to provide relief from the maximum height for an accessory structure, as the proposed height is 6.9 metres (22.7 feet) whereas the zoning bylaw allows a maximum height of 4.57 metres (15 feet) for accessory structures.
The proposed building meets all other zoning requirements.
The owner of the 0.1 hectare (0.24 acre) property at 155 Elgin St. N. is planning to demolish an existing garage and build a new garage with an accessory dwelling unit on the second story.
There is also a house and a shed on the property, which is within the primary urban centre of Mount Forest, designated residential by the county and zoned residential site specific by the township.
“The site-specific zoning permits a range of residential uses,” including single detached dwellings and accessory dwelling units, states township planner Asavari Jadhav-Admane in a letter to chief building official Darren Jones.
Councillor Sherry Burke and Mayor Andy Lennox did not participate in the discussion about the application, or the vote, because Burke declared a pecuniary interest and Lennox was away.
Notices of the public meeting were posted on the property on May 13 and mailed to applicable agencies and property owners within 60 metres.
No members of the public spoke during the meeting.
Jadhav-Admane said staff “have no concerns with the application as it maintains the general intent and purpose of the official plan and zoning bylaw and is minor, desirable, and appropriate for the development of the subject lands.”
Property owner Ryan Eccles said they’re building the garage with an apartment above “for my father-in-law to live within our property, just so he has an easier way of life to finish it.”
