The Township of North Dumfries has received a Zoning By law Amendment application for the property municipally addressed as 92 Northumberland Street in the community of Ayr. The subject lands are approximately 0.88 hectares in area and are currently occupied by Knox United Church, with an associated gravel parking area located at the rear of the site. The property fronts onto Northumberland Street, opposite Hall Street, and abuts the Nith River valley system to the west.
The surrounding area is characterized by a mix of low-density residential uses, community facilities, and mixed-use development along Northumberland Street. A three-storey residential apartment building exists immediately to the north, with access provided from Bute Street.
The applicant is proposing to redevelop a portion of the property occupied by Knox United Church to accommodate a four-storey, 33-unit residential apartment building intended to be offered as rental units, while retaining the existing church on the property. The lands are currently zoned Z.13 - Institutional under the Township’s Zoning By-law No. 689-83, which permits the church but does not permit a residential apartment use. A site-specific Zoning By-law Amendment is therefore required to introduce the apartment use and to establish new development performance standards tailored to the proposed development.
The proposed rental apartment building is planned to be located behind the existing church, within the area currently used as a gravel parking lot. The new building would be accessed using the existing driveway from Northumberland Street, with no new access points proposed for the site. The apartment includes a mix of nine (9) one-bedroom units and twenty-four (24) two-bedroom units for a total of 33 units.
The development as proposed includes:
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- A four-storey apartment building positioned to the rear of the church;
- A shared parking area serving both the church and the residential use, with a total of 86 parking spaces;
- A revised parking standard for the church based on actual seating capacity and observed parking demand;
- A reduced parking standard for the apartment building (1 space per unit plus 0.5 spaces per unit for visitor parking), facilitated by the proposed shared parking arrangement;
- A landscape buffer along the north property line abutting the three-storey Bute Street residential apartment building;
- A 10-metre setback from the surveyed top-of-slope associated with the Nith River valley, as recommended in the Slope Stability Assessment;
- The retention of significant vegetation along the top-of-slope and within the valley feature; and,
- Paved drive aisles and parking areas, replacing the existing gravel surface currently used for church parking.
The proposed built form is comparable to the height and scale of the existing adjacent apartment building located to the immediate north. Due to its placement behind the church, the building will have limited visibility from Northumberland Street, maintaining the traditional Northumberland Street character, with the focus of this property remaining the Knox United Church.
The proposed development will rely on existing municipal services along Northumberland Street.
The church plans to continue to operate as an active community and institutional facility. A shared parking strategy is proposed to reduce parking oversupply and reflect the different peak usage patterns between the church and the residential building.
A hybrid Public Meeting will be held on Monday, January 26th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Interested members of the Public have the option of either attending the Meeting in-person or alternatively to connect to the meeting through a virtual electronic platform. Please contact the Township Municipal Office for information on how to register and participate in the meeting. Any person may provide written comments on the proposal, attend the meeting, and/or may make verbal representation at the time of the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting is to present background information and to receive feedback on the proposal, which will inform Council’s Decision on the application. Any person may provide written comments on the proposal, attend the meeting, and/or may make verbal representation at the time of the meeting.
For more information about this matter, including information about your appeal rights, please contact Michael Campos at (519) 632-8800 ext. 132 or by email at mcampos@northdumfries.ca.
A planning report completed by Township Staff will be available on the Township website prior to the Public Meeting.