Days after council passed a controversial bylaw requiring landlords renting homes near campus to obtain licences and limit the number of bedrooms per house, residents are fighting a large apartment development planned for Simcoe Street North and Niagara Drive.

The 183-unit building proposed by Dundurn Edge Developments Inc., would include 800 bedrooms in two-, four- and five-bedroom units, as well as 217 parking spaces and a possible restaurant/pub.

A flyer circulated to area homes this week by "concerned Niagara citizens" says it would cram too many students into one area and plague surrounding neighbourhoods with noise, traffic and parking problems.

"Do you want this in your neighbourhood?" the leaflet asks.

Many residents don't.

Julie Nichols, a mother of four young children, said she worries about their safety if overflow parking from the apartments creeps onto the quiet street where her family has lived for four years.

"Right now we already have some issues with parking and garbage on our street," she said. "I don't want it to get worse. I want my kids to be able to play out front. I just want to raise my kids in a healthy environment."

Also concerned is Erindale Crescent resident Bill Jenkins, who says the proposed building will be an eyesore and worries 800 students will stress his neighbourhood, especially because the most direct access to the campus is through his subdivision.

"I have nothing against the students, but I think this will have a negative impact on the neighbourhood," he said. "We moved here because it was advertised as a quiet family neighbourhood."

Carlo Di Gioacchino, vice-president of business development for Dundurn, is surprised by the reaction from residents.

"They want the students out of the subdivisions, but they don't want them in apartments either?" he asked.

Dundurn is a Hamilton-based company specializing in environmentally friendly, off-campus student accommodation. It recently completed a project similar to the one proposed in Oshawa, near McMaster University in Hamilton.

Mr. Di Gioacchino says the Oshawa development will be one of the most energy-efficient buildings in Canada, with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certification.

Unique features will include a white roof to deflect heat and reduce cooling costs and real-time utility meters to help students manage consumption.

He said concerns about noise, density and parking are similar to those expressed by residents in Hamilton and stresses those residents are now very happy with the building.

"We're not talking about 800 additional students," he said. "There are an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 students living in the subdivisions now; we would just be taking some of them out."

As for parking, Mr. Di Gioacchnio said 217 spots is enough because students will be within walking distance to campus and will have to pay for parking, both of which are deterrents to bringing a car.

The proposal is being reviewed by City staff, who will be making a recommendation to council's development services committee in the coming weeks.

Before it can get a green light, Dundurn requires a re-zoning, an official plan amendment and an exemption from the City bylaw requiring 318 spaces for a building that size.