Citizens for a Better Queen E formed when the County purchased the school property last fall, intending to sell it to a developer committed to building affordable housing and a social services hub. 

But the Picton neighbourhood’s residents, who live in century homes on some of the most beautiful and historic streets in town — Barker, Paul, and Centre, among others — are worried.

“A group of us started talking amongst ourselves,” says spokesperson Lars Hansen, who has lived in the neighbourhood for about five years. “We went door to door.” Their efforts got 40 to 50 people out to the first public information meeting on the redevelopment proposal, held in October. 

“The first meeting had a ‘pat yourself on the back’ quality to it,” Mr. Hansen said. “There were no questions from the floor. It was geared towards avoiding any accountability.”

Mr. Hansen argued that the County’s call for proposals wasn’t prescriptive enough, and ignored community input. “Unless you have a roadmap, where do you go?” he said.

The municipality received five developer submissions, and in November Council voted to endorse the staff-recommended proposal from New View Holdings. 

The company is led by Tim Neeb, a major force behind several affordable housing developments in Toronto. In partnership with Alan Hirschfield, he’s also part of the Homes First Nicholas Street development above Picton’s Delhi Park. 

The New View proposal for Queen Elizabeth features four low-rise apartment buildings, ranging from three to 4.5 stories. The units will be a half-and-half split of market value and affordable units. The developer is also in talks with Quinte’s Isle, a non-profit housing agency, to include deeply affordable and supportive units. 

In response to public feedback, New View lowered the proposed density from 246 units to 198 units, and added green space in the form of a small playground and community garden on the edge of the large central parking lot.

Citizens for a Better Queen E say the changes don’t go far enough. They circulated a petition calling for contiguous green space, a maximum height of three-storeys, and more moderate density, with a 70/30 split of market and affordable housing. 

“We think density is the biggest single issue,” Mr. Hansen said, adding that the intention to build affordable housing is “good at an appropriate scale.” The recommended 70/30 ratio, he notes, offers a more realistic profit margin if the developer  should build at a lower density.

Even more traffic in the already very busy designated school zone is a key concern for residents. They are also worried about the demand for increased water service infrastructure driving up rates. 

“The rates for water are already high, among the highest in the province,” Mr Hanson notes.

The leaders of Citizens for a Better Queen E surveyed residents on key issues, including density, green space, and traffic. 

The responses were mixed. While some note the County’s Official Plan emphasizes preserving heritage character, others support the development, arguing that affordable housing is one of the County’s most pressing needs. Some wondered whether the school should have been deemed surplus in the first place, given the high enrolment at PECI. 

The group plans to present the survey findings when the sale of the property to the developer comes before Council in March. 

“We’re not abandoning the conversation,” said Mr. Hansen. “It’s our community.”