CBS developer eager to get moving

By Craig Westcott

The developer hoping to get approval for a seniors apartment building behind the new CBS Library in Long Pond says there are more people on the waiting list for the proposed 64 units than there are units available, and the list is growing.
Jeremy Caines said he has been working on the project for four years and has persisted with the venture despite being met with a series of early obstacles.
Caines said when he broached the project with the Town in April 2021, he got an e-mail back suggesting that so many infrastructure upgrades might be required that the project wouldn’t be economically feasible.
The Town gave Caines a list of requirements to meet as part of a land use impact assessment report. That included everything from an analysis of the storm sewer system in the area, a traffic study, topographical survey, even a shadow analysis predicting how light in the area would be affected by the building’s presence during the different solstices and seasons of the year.
“That’s another significant expense that I had to have done to satisfy the land use assessment report,” said Caines. “And it said there will be minimal effect on any neighbouring properties.”
All told, Caines reckoned he has spent about $100,000 on reports and studies so far.
“I pursued the completion of all the engineering work for the land use impact assessment report and it came down to it that the majority of the initial requirements for sanitary (sewer) upgrades and lift station upgrades none of that was even required because their system is quite capable of handling it,” said Caines. “And the community is in dire need of this type of development. I actually have over 70 names on a wait list now for this type of unit.”
Caines said people came from as far away as New Harbour to a public hearing on his application earlier this fall in the hope of getting a unit.
The building that Caines wants to build will be four stories high and mostly composed of two-bedroom units, some apartments a bit larger than others with accompanying dens, and, subject to cost, underground parking. Most of the units planned for the main floor will be accessible, allowing for occupancy by people with mobility issues. The building would be located in a meadow on Rideouts Road near the Town Hall with its roof line behind and roughly equal in height to that of the new library, which sits on a rise above the site.
“Right now, it’s at the point that council can vote on it,” Caines said. “And numerous councillors have encouraged me to stay persistent with it because the hurdles I’m after having to go through to do something like this has caused me to second guess even doing it a few times. It’s frustrating, really.”
Caines noted the flood analysis the Town required stipulated that he assume 100 per cent development in the area.
“We had to factor in if every piece of land in that general area was built to the maximum that current zoning would allow,” he explained. “If there is an existing house there and they had land next to it, we had to assume that there was a house going to be built there to do the flood analysis.”
The study indicated there would be no flooding problems caused by the apartment building.
“Our design is going to have a water detention pond on site that is actually going to increase the efficiency of storm water management upstream and downstream,” said Caines. “This was modelled using a one in 100-year storm event. So, we’re actually going to mitigate stormwater issues downstream of our proposed development.”
The sanitary sewer study, which council also required, said Caines, found there was enough capacity to accommodate the apartment building, but the Town wouldn’t believe it. So, it ordered a study of its own to see what the infrastructure could handle.
“It took seven months for the flow monitoring to take place,” said Caines, “because the issue with the Town is, nobody knows whose sump pump ties into the sanitary system, whose weeping tile, whose downspouts for eavestrough (tie in). Years ago, a lot of people did what they wanted and nobody caught on. That’s why they’re doing all this gas detection here in the town. They’re trying to find where there’s leakage into the sanitary system that shouldn’t be there.”
Caines said he didn’t know what to expect from that report.
“Anyway, they came back and there’s ample capacity to handle the increased flow that this building would present, as well as all other future land development in the area,” he said.
By the time the Town got to analyze the results of the study, it was well into summer and then council had to deal with the wildfires on both borders, so that delayed dealing with his application a little longer, Caines said.
“It was one thing after another, and now it’s (a matter of) going for the final vote,” said Caines. “So, it could essentially be a whole pile of money thrown into the wind, or they may approve the rezoning and allow me to fulfill a need that this community desperately has. Not a day goes by I don’t get a call about one of these units.”
Caines acknowledged there are three parties opposed to the development. One lives right next door to where the building would be located. “He’s concerned with his privacy, where there would be one side of the building more or less looking down on his property,” said the developer. “But when you look at the current zoning, I could put 20 houses there that would all have large decks, possibly two-story houses and everyone would be looking right at his property. Whereas with this building, only one side of one wing would be looking at it.”
Another person, who lives well in Rideouts Road, said Caines, was worried about traffic from the apartments potentially going in that way. “But our building would be right at the beginning of Rideouts Road,” he said.
The third party who spoke against it at the hearing didn’t have concerns about the building as such, said Caines, but rather the potential impact on traffic on nearby Braeside Lane. “But council told me they have no plans to connect Braeside Lane to Marions Garden until if and when a roundabout is installed on Kitty Ade’s Turn, and that is years down the road, according to what the councillors said at that meeting.”
Caines said the traffic study showed a minimal effect on vehicles using the lights at Kitty Ade’s Turn.
“There’s a lot of work after going into this,” said Caines. “It’s not just at the preliminary, early stages, this is well under way. We’re actually at the costing of the building right now, trying to get a head start in the event that the council approves it. This has got to be costed out, rent has got to be established, and the financing secured, which is already very well underway and waiting on the rezoning… I feel like some people might think that maybe we were (just) kicking tires, or not actually going to do it, but this is something that we’ve been pursuing for years, and we aren’t going to be turning around now, we’re too far invested, it would be an awful shame.”
Caines said his main goal is to ensure the units are affordable for the 55 plus age group he is hoping to serve.
“Affordability is a big thing,” said Caines. “A majority of these people are on fixed incomes, pensions. I’m trying to keep it reasonable for everybody. We’re not out to gouge anybody, we’ve never done it and don’t ever plan to.
“I monitor demographic reports,” Caines added, “and it’s going to get worse here before it gets better. There is an aging population and people want to sell their houses. There’s going to be a lot of realtors get a lot of listings if this building goes ahead, because there are so many seniors in this town who want to sell their homes but have nowhere to go. They want to stay in CBS, and they want to free up cash and retire and move into something like this. We look after snow clearing, lawn care, we even hang pictures on the walls. We have a move-in service so when people first move in, we’ll hang their TVs, we’ll hang their pictures, we’ll put in their toilet paper holders, their mirrors, curtains, all of that is included. It’s independent seniors living, but we’re on call 24 hours a day. If anything has to be done, we’re available to do it. That’s the way I operate all my other seniors units and so far, it is working perfect.”
Caines said he is hoping to get approval for his rezoning application as soon as council’s next public meeting on November 4.
“Really in that area, you’ve got Heritage Square on one side, you’ve got the library and the pool right in front of it, it’s not out of place,” said Caines.