February 15, 2021 - (Guelph, Ont.) Work is underway in Guelph, Ont. to turn an abandoned industrial site into an affordable and bicycle-friendly place to live.
In late January, advocates, developers and city council came together and passed a series of zoning amendments that will allow for 30 units of affordable housing to be added to the former Northern Rubber building, as well as barrier free access to secure on-site underground bicycle parking in the building’s basement.
The project is being celebrated as a welcome addition to the neighbourhood, as well as for setting a more sustainable precedent for future developments.
The affordable housing units were proposed as part of a fifth story addition to the building. City council member Bob Bell reports that council received over 60 letters in support of the project from the community before voting to grant the necessary zoning amendments.
Typically, a project with this many units would require more than 150 motor vehicle parking spaces, but council permitted the project to move forward with just over 100 spaces that are complemented by over 100 secure bicycle parking spaces.
With secure bicycle parking playing such an important role in the project, advocates at the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation (GCAT) wanted to ensure that it was easily accessible.
GCAT representatives Yvette Tendick and Mike Darmon spoke to council about adding a bicycle ramp to access the building’s basement for parking, as opposed to a stairway with a bicycle-trough.
Advocates raised concerns about how the initial stairway design would create a barrier to the basement parking area, especially for seniors, people with disabilities, people carrying groceries and cargo on their bikes, and people with heavier bikes, like electric bikes.
City council and the developers at Alice Block Inc. were supportive of this proposal, and plans for the bicycle ramp, are currently being drawn up. Kelly Postma, a representative for the group, indicated that they are even planning to heat the ramp so that snow and ice does not accumulate on it during the winter months.
Looking ahead, this project could have an impact on new zoning by-laws and the minimum parking requirements for new developments in Guelph. It also backs onto one of GCAT’s priority multi-use trails along an old rail line where the group would like to see an expansion of the Trans Canada Trail, now referred to as The Great Trail.
The use of ramps to access bicycle parking facilities are more common in Europe, and Guelph’s bicycle ramp initiative may be the first of its kind in Canada, or perhaps even in North America.
“Just imagine riding your bike downtown for groceries along the trail, and then returning home and biking down a ramp straight into your secure bicycle parking area,” says Mike Darmon of GCAT. “This building could set a precedent for all developments along the trail similar to the 15-minute city concept becoming popular in Europe.”
Alice Block is hoping to start work on the project in a couple of months, pending support from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
For more information on GCAT.
For more information on the City of Guelph.
