Wellington County council has approved an official plan amendment to adopt updated growth forecasts and second residential unit policies, despite the last-minute objection of a GTA-based developer of a planned 1,240-unit subdivision in Erin.
The province has extended the Places to Grow Act population forecasts to the years 2036 and 2041 and requires the county to allocate the growth to local municipalities. Another recent growth-related change is that the Planning Act requires official plans to provide a broader policy basis to authorize second units. A bylaw adopting official plan amendment number 99 (OPA 99) to bring the Wellington County Official Plan into conformity with these requirements was on the agenda at county council’s May 26 meeting.
However, a delegation consisting of Keith MacKinnon of KLM Planning Partners and Maurizio Rogato of Solmar Development Corp appeared at the meeting to ask council to defer the amendment until the Town of Erin’s Environmental Assessment process has been completed.
“Doing so will allow for a more complete and informed determination of where growth can and should occur in the county,” MacKinnon stated.
While conceding they did not attend a public meeting on OPA 99 hosted by the county in April, the delegates told council they have concerns with the content of the amendment, as well as the timing of the adoption.
“The allocation of population and employment growth in OPA 99 assumes growth will be directed to future settlement area boundary expansions instead of optimizing the use of land in existing settlement areas in the county,” MacKinnon states in a letter to council.
“This assumption is in direct conflict with the policies of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
“Therefore, OPA 99 does not conform with the growth plan.
“Further, we feel that the proposed amendment is premature at this time given the current Environmental Assessment process that is underway respecting municipal servicing in the Town of Erin.
“This EA process is being undertaken as a result of the work completed by the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) analysis and it will provide technical information related to the assimilative capacity of the Credit River and the feasibility of providing municipal services within the Town of Erin.”
County planning committee chair councillor Andy Lennox said he has in the past expressed frustration it is often difficult to “get discussion going around what is happening in the big picture.”
However, he added, “our official plans is one area where we do that.”
Lennox said the official plan “is about what we want our communities to look like going forward … it’s a living document.”
He noted there has been considerable discussion about OPA 99, including the hosting of a public meeting.
Councillor Allan Alls, the mayor of Erin, agreed, “we’ve had good discussions” and noted “it is a little disappointing” that public meetings tend not to be well attended.
“I do sympathize with the Solmar group – nobody wants to see growth in Erin more than me,” said Alls.
“However we have launched a wastewater study that I’m pushing big time. I have told the engineering group that I want it done before the term of my council is over and they have assured me it would be done.”
Councillor Shawn Watters also expressed frustration that people don’t take advantage of the public meeting process.
“It’s so essential that our community members go to these meetings and express their opinion on these issues, whether they like a development or they don’t … if you really care about how your community is growing forward and moving out you’ve got to be at those meetings,” said Watters.
Councillor Doug Breen suggested low attendance at public meetings could indicate satisfaction, rather than indifference.
“I’m going to take the converse position that maybe people think were doing a good job,” said Breen.
“How much time do you spend at Queens Park? How many times do you go to Ottawa? How much time do you spend watching C-Span? You can’t go to people’s houses to pull them out to watch you do your job.”
Warden George Bridge pointed out a considerable amount of research and input goes into any change to the official plan.
“I agree that we have to be proactive, but we are … the planning department doesn’t do these things in isolation,” Bridge stated.
Later in the meeting council gave final reading and approved a bylaw adopting OPA 99.
