You Spoke, We Listened

Over the course of the past years, Landlab has been actively seeking constructive feedback on our Lakeport Beach proposal. We’ve hosted three public townhall meetings, as well as two public information sessions as part of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process. We’ve conducted phone surveys of residents, met with local businesses, door-knocked across the Township to chat about the project, and responded to hundreds of emails and social media comments as we’ve received them. As a result of this engagement, we have been working on updating the draft site plan for Lakeport Beach to accommodate the constructive advice we’ve heard from the community, environmental organizations, governments, and others. We’re thrilled to present the results of this update below!

So what has changed?

MORE OPTIONS FOR SENIORS

During many of our talks with residents it was clear that affordable options for seniors is a clear need in the community. While the original plan included bungalows, 1-storey cottages, and ground floor seniors’ units, we’ve increased the variety of unit types we will be offering in order to provide more affordable options for ageing residents in the region.

The updated plan now includes:

• Bungalows

• 1-storey cottages

• Ground floor seniors’ units

• Accessory dwelling units (small secondary units on same property, such as garden suites and coach houses)

• Elevator-accessible flats

The addition of accessory dwelling unit options is an important one, as these units will be built at the same time as the primary home. This will allow seniors the potential to live on the same lot as a family member. It will also provide the option for some seniors to purchase a larger home with an ADU, and then rent out the larger home while living in the ADU - providing an income stream for the senior.

Also, elevator-accessible flats will provide more affordable, zero-maintenance living options for seniors, while ensuring they are part of a community, and surrounded by green spaces and access to outdoor amenities.

Being able to stay close to home as you age is a critical component of a well-rounded community, and without these options in Alnwick/Haldimand, residents are having to consider leaving the Township as they age. The updated Lakeport Beach plan adds new home types that are currently missing, and desperately needed, in the Township.

MORE OPTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

It’s been mentioned to us repeatedly that young people are leaving the Township because of a lack of housing options. Businesses are also suffering because they cannot find housing for their employees. While we’ve ensured the new plan continues to include townhomes and duplexes—which are great starter homes for young families—we’ve also increased the variety of options for young adults who may not need as much space, or who are interested in renting.

The updated plan now includes:

• Townhomes

• Duplexes

• Accessory dwelling units

• 1-bedroom flats

• 2-bedroom flats

• 3-bedroom flats

Accessory dwelling units provide a great additional housing option for young adults in the region. They allow families with adult children to provide an independent unit for their child should they so wish. They are also a great rental option for those purchasing the primary residence—either to rent to a family member or to members of the general public.

With the average sale price of a home in Alnwick/Haldimand still sitting at well over $1M in 2023, the addition of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom flats is a game-changer for renters and first-time homebuyers in the region. Young adults who are looking to purchase a place on their own, or who are simply trying to break into the market, will now have a housing option that is far more affordable than a detached single family home. These units are also an attractive investment option for those looking to purchase and then lease out the unit long term, which will help add to the rental options in the Township.

Smaller units are always going to be more affordable to build than larger units. By expanding the range of small units being offered, there will be a direct increase in the affordability of the units being offered at Lakeport Beach. Landlab’s philosophy is to build truly sustainable neighbourhoods for a wide variety of homeowners and income brackets, and these modifications to the plan are a great addition to this vision.

ENVIRONMENT & GREEN SPACE

After engaging with various parties, and hearing from residents that the preservation of green space at Lakeport Beach was a priority, Landlab decided to make two major changes to the planned green space:

1. Leave the existing man-made drainage ditch in its current trajectory

2. Increase buffers to the ditch and the onsite wetlands from 15m to 30m

Landlab’s original draft plan already had 40% of the land left as green space and parkland. The two changes mentioned above will see the green space in the Lakeport Beach plan increase even further, from 40% of the land to more than 50% of the land preserved as green space.

The original plan for Lakeport Beach had the drainage ditch returned to a more natural trajectory, with a 15m buffer on either side. After more in-depth consultation with relevant parties, Landlab decided to leave the ditch in its current position and provide an extra-generous 60m buffer corridor that will include renaturalization, as well as the introduction of pollinator habitats and low-impact pedestrian and bike paths.

As mentioned earlier, the updated draft plan has also provided an increase in the wetland buffer zone, from 15m to 30m. All of these changes demonstrate Landlab’s continued commitment to the preservation of green space and consideration for the environment.

VILLAGE AMENITIES

While the original plan included plenty of park space and green space, conversations with residents of Alnwick/Haldimand made it clear that they were looking for more specific amenities to be added to the plan. There has also been a lot of discussion among Alnwick/Haldimand residents lately about short term rentals and the importance of tourism in the Township. As a result of these conversations, we have added the following items to the updated draft plan:

• A bike trail from Lakeport Rd to the waterfront

• Additional amenities at the waterfront park, including:

  • Natural playground for children

  • Pickleball courts

  • Basketball half-court

  • Dog park

  • Public washrooms

  • Public parking

• A boat launch (pending regulatory approval)

• Village scale commercial spaces

• Potential for a small hotel

This is in addition to the various walking paths, parks, forested areas, and the 1.3km of untouched pebble beach that were already included in the plan.

YOU SPOKE, WE LISTENED

The land on which Lakeport Beach is located has been planned for the development of over 60 millionaire estate lots since 2006. So the question has never been if the land will be developed, but, rather, how it will be developed. If 60 millionaire estate homes were built on the site, it would take 13 additional similar sites to reach the number of new homes the Lakeport Beach plan would create. Estate home sprawl would gobble up thousands of acres of farmland, erode the rural character, cut off recreational resources, and result in zero new homes that are accessible to young people, families just starting out, or the elderly. They are also far more expensive for the Township over the long run. Lakeport Beach would accomplish precisely the opposite: an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable complete community.

Landlab has always felt that new neighbourhoods need to provide a broad mix of housing options to a broad range of people, and that any development should give back to the community in which they’re located by providing new amenities that can be enjoyed by all. Thanks to all of your feedback, the updated draft plan for Lakeport Beach is stronger and better. It offers more options for seniors and young people, increases affordability, provides more green space and more amenities for all residents of Alnwick/Haldimand to enjoy. Its design is based in traditional historic village planning and leads to healthier lifestyles and a greater sense of community. Your feedback has been invaluable and we look forward to continuing the discussion and ensuring Lakeport Beach is an asset and a beautiful place to spend time for all residents of Alnwick/Haldimand.

*Note: All the photos are of real residents and places in Landlab projects