Members of Chatham-Kent Council have rejected a zoning by-law amendment for a building in Chatham.
The application by the owners of the Semenyn Avenue property was to change the number of units from four to six and continue to allow the use of on-site tandem parking.
Eight deputations were received about the amendment, and with renovictions making headlines in the municipality, 12-year-old Zoe Labelle, expressed concern over the disruption of creating two additional units.
“I also have type one diabetes which means I need regular care and routine to stay healthy,” Labelle told council. “Having a home, where everything is familiar and my family can support me makes a big difference.”
“If the units in our building are divided or removed, it could mean losing a place that has been a part of our lives for a long time.”
According to the motion two units would be subdivided to create the additional apartments. Resident Laura Jasper addressed council that it wasn’t made clear to tenants which units would be divided.
“If it is to indicate my upper, my daughter’s lower unit, it then appears that two long term tenants, paying way below market rent, was a very contributing factor in their choice,” Jasper said.
“Leaving my daughter and her family of three unable to return because there are not enough bedrooms.”
Ward 6 representative Marjorie Crew cited the lack of transparency as her reason for voting no.
“When you can’t even answer their question as to which apartment is going to be removed or lose their tenancy it doesn’t really help with sustainable living in our community,” said Crew.
Councillor Ryan Doyle acknowledged the need for more housing in Chatham-Kent but couldn’t support the amendment.
“To potentially make two different families homeless because they can’t afford going somewhere else, isn’t the point of what we are trying to do either,” said Doyle.
“Morally I can’t support something like this.”
Councillor Brock McGregor urged council to reflect on provincial policy and the lack of protections for renters, and reflect on how the municipality approaches some other planning applications like onboarding new units.
“We know that people need housing at that below market level,” said McGregor.
“So we need to look at other ways to invest so that people searching for rentals can access that type of pricing as well. So I think it’s a really good example to us of the struggle for housing in the community. So I think we should keep it at top of mind not just with this application but with our investments going forward and with other applications coming to the planning table.”