New subdivisions planned for Brant County
Thirteen planned subdivisions in the County of Brant could eventually translate to more than 3,000 new residential units, largely in Paris and St. George.
Close to 1,000 units are proposed for St. George, and around 2,000 are planned in Paris, ranging from single-detached houses to multi-residential projects up to six storeys high, according to the county’s interactive mapping tool.
Council has been vocal about continued growth in the area, with the provincial government setting a minimum population target of 59,000 residents by 2051 — nearly 20,000 more than recorded from the last census in 2021.
In December, Coun. David Miller called it a “monster” issue when The Spectator asked about areas of importance for council in 2024.
“The pressures are unprecedented and we are struggling to meet the infrastructure needs without unduly financially burdening our existing residents and trying to minimize the many disruptions that this growth brings,” he wrote in an email.
He added that in addition to the continued growth of Paris, the population of St. George is anticipated to double in size, and Burford is projected to quintuple in size.
Currently, the 13 active residential plans sit in the “draft approved” stage of the county’s interactive mapping tool. This means the plans will be approved once they comply with conditions such as parkland requirements or rezoning, according to provincial land-use planning documents.
After those are met, “and their engineering has been completed, they can proceed to building permits,” Mat Vaughan, director of development planning for the county, told The Spectator.
Several of the active applications are for different stages of the same subdivision — approving one stage at a time often makes more financial sense for builders, and the county only allows for around 100 units at a time to help with “spreading out available servicing capacity,” Vaughan said.
As for how quickly the subdivisions will move from “draft approval” to shovels in the ground, it can be as soon as one year, or can last many, Vaughan said, citing developer timelines and servicing requirements.
Here are some of the active subdivision applications at a glance:
• 36 “executive-style” detached homes on “estate-style lots” are planned for west of Oakhill Drive, near the Brantford Municipal Airport, according to the Haggerty Homes website.
• An 867-unit subdivision made up of residential singles and townhomes is planned in the area of Beverly Street West and St. George Road.
• A plan from Losani Homes shows 100 residential units west of Main Street South, between German School Road and Hwy 5.
• 35 single-detached lots are planned for 72 Beverly St. W., with an additional five blocks available for future development, including potential multi-residential, and neighbourhood commercial uses.
• 63 single-detached units are planned for the third phase of the Stoney Ridge Subdivision, east of St. George Road, south of Howell Road.
• 293 units are proposed south of Watts Pond Road, east of Ayr Road, consisting of a mix of single-detached and street townhomes.
• Approximately 564 units are planned for Riverbank Estates, surrounded by the Nith River. Singles, semis, townhouses and multiple residential will be built across several phases, according to a social media post from the county.
• Around 75 potential units are proposed for Watts Pond Road, east of Ayr Road, in a combination of single-detached and townhouses.
• Paris Grand subdivision proposes 747 units, spread across three stages. A mix of single-detached homes, townhouses, medium-density residential and multiple residential up to six storeys high would go on either side of Paris Links Road, east of Grand River Street North.
Celeste Percy-Beauregard’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about Brant County. Reach her at cpercybeauregard@torstar.ca.
Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator
