A draft plan for a new subdivision in Merlin has the go-ahead to move forward.
The plan that went before councillors Monday evening is to have 29 residential lots on the 11 acre property on the south side of Middle Line, east of Erie Street South in Merlin. The size of the proposed lots range from 728 square metres to 1,052 square metres in area and all lot frontages meet the 17.98 metre minimum requirement for the zoning.
The draft plan also includes three blocks for municipal services, two local roads, and three blocks representing reserves to be held by the municipality.
Conditions of the draft plan stipulate that the owner must build the subdivision within three years of approval.
In February 2022, Council approved a change to the zoning bylaw to allow the development because it was part of a farm.
"The proposed development is within the Merlin Urban Boundary and represents an efficient use of vacant underutilized lands that are adjacent to existing residential lots," wrote Chatham-Kent's Manager of Development and Planning Services Anthony Jas in his report. "The lands have access to full municipal services and are in close proximity to public services. The proposed low density housing will provide a range of housing options for residents of Chatham-Kent."
The project includes a new stormwater facility to collect local runoff, but the design of the proposed pond still has to be approved by the Ministry of the Environment.
The plan doesn't include new parkland and the applicant will be required to pay cash-in-lieu of parkland as a condition of approval.
The applicant is also required to pay cash-in-lieu for planting boulevard trees. The municipality said it will plant boulevard trees at an appropriate time during the build-out of the subdivision.