To:              Planning Services of the City of Kingston

Attention:    Mike Szilagyi, Senior Planner City of Kingston                                    (mszilagy@cityofkingston.ca)

From:         **property owners affected by intensification plans for the Johnson St.                         Corridor at Portsmouth Ave.**       

File Number: D09-005-2021

Regarding:  Notice of a complete application and Public Meeting (with Purpose and Effect of the Application: to implement the policy and recommendations of the central Kingston Growth Strategy with respect to proposed intensification areas.)

Dear Planning Committee,

The area along the Johnson St. corridor ear-marked for intensification is a significant portion of land in the Portsmouth and Calvin Park Districts, which consists mainly of single-family dwellings, low-rise apartments, and semi-detached houses.  The surrounding neighbourhoods have both historic Canadian and mid-century homes, as well as Institutions like Kingston Penitentiary, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Beach Grove, Prison for Women, Queen’s West Campus, Churches, Ongwanada, the Health Unit, St. Lawrence College, schools, theatre, parks, and business.  This community village comprises families of all income levels and backgrounds, including students, young families, and retirees.  We are proud of the community we share with our neighbours.

The intent of this letter is not to ask that this area be protected from growth.  Change is inevitable, and we are building every day.  Housing is being infilled in a fashion that is appropriate to the characteristics of the area.  We have Providence Care, filming at KP, new buildings going up at Prison for Women (Union Park $143 million).  There is also a deep-water dock being planned for the old coal dock which will facilitate cruise ships entering the city.  We are excelling and changing which is why developers are chomping at the bit. 

There are macro and micro considerations which have shaped our opposition to the intensification of the Johnson St. corridor.  Despite the claims in the Central Kingston Strategy Recommendations final report that there has been significant public consultation, the property owners directly affected by the intensification plans have only had one notification of the development plans and that was the letter regarding the public meeting that we received on Nov. 16, 2021.  There has been a lack of discussion with the residents themselves in the process of amending the official city plan.  Many of my neighbours have been blindsided by the notice we received.  I have followed the developments and news in this area and note that the 20 days notice given is the bare minimum dictated.  

The Johnson St. corridor is lined by beautiful mature trees both in front yards and backyards.  These, along with the wildlife that inhabit them, would be lost.  The current houses are primarily well kept, single family homes built in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  We have invested in our homes only to now be instructed by the City that we will have 20 days to register our opposition or forever lose our chance of future appeal.  The grading of our street is below the grade of Johnson St.  We have frequent rain events that inundate our backyard with the runoff making it unusable and risking the flooding of our home.  The proposed intensification will see well-built homes torn down and replaced with four story buildings which will look down on our homes (privacy issues).  The requisite parking and laneways proposed at the rear of the development, will reduce the ability of these properties to absorb the water, and further impact the enjoyment of our backyards.  Should we be happy to see our homes flooded, privacy compromised and our traffic concerns increased so that redundant development can occur? 

It seems that the city plan mirrors those drafted by other cities, it is a regurgitated version of a planning document, check box for completion, but points lost for the lack of true vision and consultation.  One size does not fit all!  The current intensification amendment offers little consideration for the actual neighbourhoods and residents.  It is a pandemic, and the residents of Kingston are now fighting many battles.  City Planning needs to balance the needs of the City and developers, with those of its residents, not to short the very residents at its core.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Regards,

Colleen Murphy