The county planning committee has deferred any decision on the Murray Group’s application for a zone change for lands it owns near Moorefield.
County planning committee chairman Shawn Watters said prior to the county council meeting on Oct. 28 that the committee is going to be looking further into the issue before it makes any decision.
Mapleton council supported last month an official plan amendment that would designate a portion of the land as greenlands. The problem is the owner, The Murray Group, opposes that designation for part of the subdivision it wants to build at the northern part of Moorefield.
The property is 11.6 acres in size and has frontage on McGivern Street. It is Part of Park Lot 58, Moore’s Survey, East 1/2 Lot 9, Concession 9.
The land had been designated partly industrial, and the official plan amendment the company sought was to redesignate the lands for residential use. However, county planner Linda Redmond, working for Mapleton Township, and The Murray Group vice president Richard Seibel disagreed about the designation of the greenlands. There were two parcels Redmond originally wanted to be designated as greenlands.
When the original amendment was circulated, the Grand River Conservation Area had no objections to The Murray Group’s subdivision and official plan amendment proposal. After the greenlands designation was inserted with the request or approval of The Murray Group, the GRCA again stated it had no objections.
Seibel argued at Mapleton council, the official plan amendment is “not what The Murray Group proposed.” He pointed out that preserving such woodlots is not yet firm county policy and that policy has not even been circulated for public comment.
Keeping the two stands of trees would removed 4.8 acres from the potential of the development. Redmond’s final recommendation, with one stand of trees removed from consideration, reduced that to 4 acres.
He said the result is unilaterally changing the official plan “on land we have designated industrial.” He figured the move would cost the subdivision about 16 homes.
