Seniors Housing in Breslau

Hello Breslau,

As many of you would have received a notice in the mail about Breslau Mennonite Church's plan to sever off a section of vacant land on the north and northwest side of the church for an apartment building. (Zone Change Application) What you may not know is that this apartment building is being designed for a seniors community. Now as we can't discriminate against age is it labelled as a 4 storey apartment.  That being said, the marketing and the reach for renters will be exclusively geared towards healthy, independent seniors aged 55 and up. I am a member of Breslau Mennonite Church and I have been a member of the church committee working on this project since 2012. However, this committee had been working on this project for much longer than that.  I wanted to take some time to explain the history of this project and how we have now come to the community once again to discuss the zoning of this land and the construction of this project.

History

1989
A committee was formed to address the churches mission to help and support the seniors in the local community of Breslau.  The final recommendations of this committee was that Breslau Mennonite Church (BMC) should approach Forwell for the opportunity to purchase additional land around the church.

1996
Forwell approached the church and stated they were willing to sell the land that the church was requesting.  At the time, this land was to be used for cemetery expansion and potential development of seniors housing in future when such a project would be economically realistic.

1997
A deal was completed with Forwell including access to BMC from the subdivision that was being planned in the area north of the church.

2002
The trustees of the church and the committee recommended purchasing the house next door for the immediate need of expanding the parking area for BMC and to increase the potential size of a seniors development in the future.

2006 
BMC met with representatives from Empire Communities the new owners and developers of the Riverland subdivision.  BMC requested the service opportunities as per the Forwell agreement which they honoured.

2010
Woolwich Township Needs and Capacity Survey identified an immediate need for housing geared toward seniors throughout the township, particularly in Breslau as the community was rapidly expanding.  When BMC approach the township at this time they were extremely supportive of the concept.

2011
Empire Communities serviced the streets around the church which included sewer, water and storm water outlets to the property line.  Church membership at this time reaffirmed the mission to build a property development geared towards seniors in Breslau.  The committee became more focused on developing more defined site plans.

2012
Church consulted with professional planners and engineers on what would be feasible on the site.  Through the discussions it was recommended that BMC purchase the last remaining property between the church and the Empire subdivision.  This was presented to the church membership and it was passed.  The church proceeded to purchase the property and the remove the buildings and decommission the lot.  This allowed for more options and access to the future seniors development.

The committee began to seriously solicit developers who would partner with BMC to make the 20+ year old vision become a reality.  A number of developers were contacted during this time.

May 18, 2012
The township held a public meeting about the Breslau Secondary Plan.  The plan presented at this meeting and as part of the over all plan it stated that the lands outlined by BMC for the seniors housing development were pre-zoned as medium density residential.

November 14, 2012
BMC held an open house meeting at the church providing an update to some of BMC new neighbours.  BMC was concerned that since many new residents of Riverland had moved in to the new subdivision they may not have been aware of this project.  Flyers were distributed throughout the subdivision specifically to the houses that were backing onto BMC property.  At this meeting BMC indicated that a small field of new trees that had been planted several years earlier would be available to the residents of Breslau if they were looking at creating a natural barrier between the seniors development and their home.

This meeting was attended mostly by hopeful seniors who were looking for a chance to stay in Breslau in their later years.  Many questions were asked about the size of the units, how many units would be available, parking, etc.  Several of BMC new neighbours were concerned about the loss of the natural space that they thought they were living beside.

2013
Various iterations of the Breslau Secondary plan are discussed some of the versions had a potential school located behind the church and others had possible commercial or medical facilities.  All plans during this time still stated the church lands as medium density residential.

2014
Formal applications were made to the township to continue the development.  BMC wanted to have township sign off before formalizing a relationship with a developer.  However, there where many applications relating to Breslau at that time (Thomasfield, Empire, Smart Centres, etc.) and the secondary plan was being contested.  The township also informed us of cross border servicing agreements with Kitchener needed to be worked out.  BMC cautiously continued talking to potential developers knowing that they would not be able to formalize a relationship until the secondary plan was fully in place.

2016
A developer was selected as a partner in good faith who had developed these types of buildings before and had experience with setting up and maintaining them.  The committee and the developers planners passed plans and priorities back and forth.  BMC was then faced with a decision to sever off the land and sell to a developer, or hold the land and become a full partner with the development.  Throughout many discussions it was decided that BMC would sell the land to the developer pending various conditions.

2017
The offer of purchase was accepted both by BMC and the developer after the developer conducted various tests on the property.  The developer came back to BMC with what they decided was a viable project plan.  

2018
The develop came back to BMC with a site plan for a 4 story apartment at the back of the property with a parking lot between the building and the edge of the property line to try and minimize the impact on the new houses that were built by Empire Communities.  In order for the developer to officially break ground and begin construction a finalized zoning change was required.

February 6, 2018 - Public Meeting Zone Change Application
For everyone who has concerns or would like to learn more about this process there will be a public planning meeting occurring at the Township Council in Elmira the meeting begins at 7:00pm.

Ok So What Now

That was a long piece of history to help you understand that this isn't some developer who is just trying to cram more people in Breslau.  This is not the township trying to make Breslau into some type of urban jungle. This has been a meticulously thought out and scrutinized plan that has been a mission of Breslau Mennonite Church for 30 years.  This project is specifically and directly geared towards seniors who have spent their lives building and defending Breslau.  Those healthy seniors who no longer want the responsibilities of the large properties they live on but want to stay connected to their community.  This project is a thank you to them and a sign of deep respect that they are valued members of our community.

Now just like all projects I know there is a voice out there of people who do not want this project to go forward.  I respect their voice and I respect their opinion.  I also understand that a petition that has been started on Change.org to protest this project.  If I have not convinced you otherwise and you don't want this to happen then you should visit their petition and voice your opinion.  I have read through some of their statements and frankly, I disagree.

This project is directly in the character of Breslau supporting those who have build our town.  Were you not moved by the support of Herb and his team when they were generously granted a free lunch by members of our community.  Many more members of the Breslau community are just like Herb as they have poured their heart and soul in the place that we now get to enjoy just for moving in a few years ago.  This project isn't for you, it is for them!

This project will not be an eye sore, the church has painstakingly vetted developers who will realize our vision.  We as a church will be living beside this building just as close as you and we can't move out.  It is in our best interest to make sure it is a beautiful building.  Considering that BMC bought and took down two older properties on Woolwich street that were not in the best repair, the comparison to what will be built is a bit of a silly one.  In addition, this building is intentionally being set back away from Woolwich street for a safe place for seniors to get themselves in and out of their homes. 

I am sorry that you moved into your property without realizing that the land behind you was not designated green space or a park.  I am sorry that the developer didn't mention that as far back as 2012 it was deemed to be future medium density.  I am sorry that your view will be altered, but I must say your house has altered the view that we have had in the church but we knew you were coming and we welcome you to our community.  The church still has strong young trees that we have offered to residents in the past and if you are interested in getting a tree please let me know and I can get you in touch with people who can make that happen.

I am not a realtor so I can't say anything about property values and how a seniors building would affect them.  What I can tell you that if the church did not purchase these three different properties back in 1989, 2002, and 2012 then you would be backing on to houses anyway.

I obviously strongly support this project and I am will to talk with anyone about their concerns.  I personally don't know whether a 4-story or 3-story building or something else is the correct type / size of building to put in this space but to care for our earth is to intensify our residential spaces where appropriate. We are in a growing community and as we grow our residents age, if not here in this building in the heart of our community then where do you recommend they go?  If they can't take care of a property on their own what do you recommend they do?  This project keeps families together and keeps friends and neighbours together.  I believe in the churches vision and I again believe in something that benefits us now and in the future.

I look forward to the debate.

Breslau in Dialog

Breslau Community Centre, April 24, 2016 - Photo Credit: Sonya Willsher

Township of Woolwich Open House

This past Sunday (April 24) the Township of Woolwich held an open house at the Breslau Community Centre Gym. There were many representatives from the township present including most of Council, the Mayor and senior members of township staff.  I know that I had very good conversations about the parks, Menno Street, soccer, traffic and the potential of a Breslau library branch.  Most importantly, I was interested in how we as a community can work together with the township to improve where we all live.

If you did not have a chance to participate in these discussions the township has posted an online survey that you can use to respond: http://woolwich.survey.esolutionsgroup.ca/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=l8LInp3. I would encourage you to take a few moments to share your thoughts with the township so they can be considered as we all move forward together.

Refugee Sponsorship Fundraising Concert

Deacons of Jazz Concert this Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 at Breslau Mennonite Church. A 6-member band, playing a mix of jazz and pop pieces with their own Deacons’ sound. This is a fundraiser for our Refugee Sponsorship. Freewill offering; receipts given for all donations over $20. Coffee, refreshments and great music!

Youth Fundraising Garage Sale

Breslau Mennonite Church youth fundraiser garage sale will be held on Saturday May 7, 8:00 am-1:00 pm. They will be hosting this sale at the church rain or shine on Saturday, May 7, 2016.  Last year there was lots of big items donated for this sale.  So kick off the garage sale season with this event.  You can help by donating gently used items, dropped off Thursday May 5, 7:00 - 9:00 pm or Friday, May 6 during office hours.  Items at the sale will include: new handcrafted items, baking, perennials as well as various household items. The biggest help you can provide is to come down to the sale and hunt for some bargains, dont forget to bring your neightbours with you.

Community Gardens, Community Open House, and Community Building

Community Garden

This past weekend you may have had a chance to run into a member of Breslau Mennonite Church handing out post cards like the image above.  In the fall of 2014, a group emerged from Breslau Mennonite Church expressing interest in exploring the possibility of a community garden. After doing some research, they decided to commence with a ‘test’ garden to see how the growing conditions were and to see if a community garden could in fact be something to strive for in the future.  The summer of 2015 proved to be a very bountiful one for the test garden and planning has persisted throughout the winter to prepare for an open community garden for the residents of Breslau to enjoy.

This group is now pursuing interest into the community for people to sign up for a plot.  I know that the number of prepared garden plots are limited but if there is interest there could always be an expansion.  I would encourage you to check out https://breslaugardens.wordpress.com/ if you are interested in more details on this project. We can literally grow as a community with this project.

Breslau Community Open House

The Township of Woolwich wants to hear from you! They are hosting an open house to continue the dialog with the people of Breslau on how we want to grow and develop our community.  This is not a Riverland / Old Breslau / Hopewell event, this is a Breslau event.  I would encourage everyone to make your community a priority and reinforce our resolve to grow and develop into a vibrant neighbourhood.  

The contacts for this event are Mayor Shantz (mayor@woolwich.ca), Councillor Martin (mmartin@woolwich.ca), Councillor Shantz (lshantz@woolwich.ca), and CAO Brenneman (dbrenneman@woolwich.ca).

The township wants to support us as we grow and we need to partner with them for our own success.  Breslau's future can only be realized with an open and honest partnership with the township.  Please make an effort to drop by the community centre from 1:00-4:00 pm on Sunday, April 24th.

Community Splash Pad

We are entering into another spring (when nature realizes it is spring), and the Breslau Lions club are preparing to reinvigorate the splash pad project. This project has received many ups and downs but it has also received a lot of support from the community in the past.  Keep this project in mind as we plan for Breslau's future together. You can check out their facebook page or their website http://www.breslaugrandsplash.ca/ to keep updated on the project.  Jeff and Michelle Barnard along with Joanna Brunnenmeir would be your best bet to contact if you want to get involved.

I "borrowed" this from the Lions facebook page.

Breslau / Bloomindale Refugee Sponsorship Project

Just like any large project worth undertaking things always seem to move slower than you would emotionally like them to.  There are a variety of initiatives progressing with this project as we work to build a support network for the eventual family.  At this time we have raised the required $30 000 and members of both churches have been formed into several working groups focusing on education, employment support, family finances, healthcare, housing, life support, fundraising, community integration, etc.  The majority of the initial paperwork that is required by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), our sponsorship agreement holder, has been completed; after which we will be placed on a matching list for a family. MCC has indicated that the matching process has slowed down recently but they are receiving profiles on a bi-weekly basis, and currently have 34 groups waiting to be matched. They match based on profile availability and our group’s criteria. Our criteria is a family of 4-6 (ideally 5), and may include young children and/or teenagers. We are open to receiving a refugee family from other countries besides Syria.  Even though we have raised the minimum amount of money, we do not yet know the needs that our family will have or what other expenses we may incur.  In that light, a fundraising event is planned for April 30, 2015 with the Deacons of Jazz at Breslau Mennonite Church. Stay tuned for more updates.

Is there anything you want to add?

If you would like to share anything with the Breslau community and you would like to use my blog to help make that happen please get in touch with me at matthewlvandermeer2@gmail.com.  We are a diverse community and we can continue to find success together if we reach out to each other and grow together.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers.