Cathy Dobson
One Sarnia developer isn’t taking no for an answer.
Paul Wicks has returned with a proposal to build six luxury homes in a north Sarnia woodland, an idea city council turned down in 2018 after siding with the neighbours.
A new council has been elected since then and the developer is hoping “fresh eyes” will allow housing on the 3.3 acres (1.3 hectares) at 834 Lakeshore Rd., says Wicks’ realtor, Mario Fazio.
“The last council did nothing but grandstand and make a decision without all the information,” Fazio said. “This time our application is more complete. As before, we’re making it with the thinking that we can improve the area.”
Neighbours aggressively opposed the developer’s earlier application, arguing the lot’s mature oak and spruce woods should be saved on environmental grounds.
Tudor Close West resident Peter Lynch, who spearheaded the opposition, was surprised Wicks is back with a plan very similar to the first one.
“As far as we knew the proposal was dead,” said Lynch. “I’m disappointed to see it back. I see no effort to mitigate the impact that development will have on a natural area.”
When Sarnia approved a new Official Plan four years ago it designated the large lot stretching from Lakeshore Road to Lake Huron a protected natural area. However, the property is also zoned urban residential to accommodate single-family homes.
Approval would set a dangerous precedent, Lynch said.
“It doesn’t make sense to allow a developer to backslide on (council’s) own policy to protect natural areas.”
The woodland is home to rare Carolinian habitat and recognized as an important stopover on the Lake Huron flyway used by migrating birds in spring and fall.
Lynch and neighbour Fraser Godfrey collected 80 signatures on a petition to help stop the first development. Lynch said a new petition isn’t planned, but distributed flyers are alerting residents beyond those the city must notify legally.
When Wicks bought the property in 2016 for $1.6 million there was nothing on the deed to indicate it was designated a natural area, Fazio said.
"But the truth is our tree consultants say that if we just leave it alone, it will become nothing but scrub," he said. "Our studies show that what's there is dying. We want to preserve it by planting two trees for every one lost.”
If the development is approved Fazio said homebuyers would be required to sign a contract passed from owner to owner in perpetuity, with no fencing allowed.
“We are looking for buyers who are eco-friendly,” he said. “They will have to agree to maintain the trees and plant only native species.”
The land could accommodate 12 homes but Wicks is limiting it to six, each selling for more than $1 million, to maintain the wooded environment, Fazio added.
A public meeting that was scheduled for July 13 to hear the proposal has been pushed back to Sept. 14.
City planner Max Williams said the extra time is needed to post signage on the woodland alerting the public about the proposed development. It wasn’t done earlier because of manpower restrictions brought on by the pandemic, Williams said.
The delay also gives the public time to submit comments prior to the meeting, he said.
But Fazio said the wait is frustrating and costly for the developer.
“The city has delayed this because of their incompetence,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get a public meeting for months and just because someone didn’t post this little sign, it is stalled for another two months.”
Documents related to the proposed development are online at www.sarnia.ca/current-land-use-applications.
Comments can be emailed to [email protected], mailed to City Hall, or left in its drop off box. Calls should be directed to 519-332-0330, ext. 3344.