Grassroots group plans to fight Geranium Homes' proposal for 446 homes near Belwood

FERGUS – Gord Brown Hall in the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex was packed the evening of Aug. 26, with people wanting to learn more about Geranium Homes’ plan for a development between Fergus and Belwood, how a grassroots group is planning to fight it, and how they can get involved.

The group, Fight 446 Homes, formed just two weeks ago, and speakers Bob McGinn and Michael Sims encouraged the audience to become informed about the proposal and to put pressure on municipal and provincial politicians to deny it before it goes to the Ontario Land Tribunal, where the decision is out of local hands.

“We want the community to know we’ve got their back,” McGinn said as the meeting began. “We do not want this project in Belwood – period.”

The history of the project goes back to 2022, when Geranium Homes submitted its original application to build 118 estate homes on the south side of Wellington Road 19 across the road from the old Fergus Golf Course.

While still under review by the township in 2023, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs changed processes in the planning world and invited public comment.

Geranium Homes commented and the ministry increased the amount of core greenlands on the site and reduced the minimum separation distance, allowing for 118 homes.

Centre Wellington council approved the proposal in June of 2023. 

Still, the site was to be a condominium corporation with its own water and wastewater disposal systems and its own interior roads.

In 2024, Geranium Homes launched its sales campaign, “but no one wanted to buy $2 million homes, and pay condo fees,” said Ward 5 councillor Bronwynne Wilton, who was invited by the group to be the keynote speaker at the Wednesday meeting.

And with a market downturn, Geranium Homes put a pause on the project.

In 2026 it returned with a revised application – 446 homes to bring the cost down – and critically, it wanted the township to assume responsibility for water and wastewater services.

It would no longer be a condominium corporation, Wilton said, meaning the township would also have to assume responsibility for the interior roads and streets lights.

A new addendum to the environmental assessment is underway to assess the viability of this new plan. And the township has 120 days to make its decision.

Wilton said given the October election, she doesn’t think Geranium Homes will take the township to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) for a non-decision within 120 days, but it could.

The developer could also wait until a new council is sworn in and the legislated public meeting is held, which Wilton said would likely be in January or February.

But if council votes against the proposal at that time, Geranium Homes could still take the township to the OLT. Its argument would likely be that the province has mandated that homes be built and the company is prepared to build.

Wilton told the crowd she’s opposed to the new plan for a few reasons.

There are enough land development applications within the urban boundary of Centre Wellington to meet the provincial mandate, she said.

The proposal is not in keeping with the scale and character of the surrounding neighbourhood, which is rural, she added. And it would be expensive for the township and taxpayers to add water and wastewater infrastructure so far outside the urban boundary.

“We have developers waiting patiently for Fergus and Elora infrastructure,” she said. “Why take on a third treatment plant?”

Organizers asked each of the three candidates running in Ward 5 in the municipal election to present their opinions of the proposed development.

“This proposal is textbook urban sprawl,” said Julie Charbonneau. “This is egregious.”

“I’m dead set against it,” agreed Matt LeBeau, adding that as municipalities are creatures of the province, the fight really has to be taken to Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky and minister of housing Rob Flack.

“I think we are in for a dog fight," he added.

Elnor Walsh wondered what the cost to the township would be to provide water and wastewater services so far from existing infrastructure. And she recommended an independent third-party review of all documents related to the proposal.

“There should be full cost recovery,” she said. “None of this should be passed on to taxpayers.”

Walsh also advised people in the audience to participate in the environmental assessment and let their views be known.

Organizer Michael Sims said Fight 446 Homes has met with three Geranium Homes executives, and while the meeting was “cordial,” there was no meeting of minds.

He said the group has asked for a meeting with Centre Wellington's CAO, mayor and managing directors of planning and infrastructure, “and I think we’ll get that."

The groups has also asked to meet with top Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) staff as well, to get all the facts.

He urged people to read all the reports, studies and documents, and to let organizers know if anything curious is found.

The group has an email address (fight446@gmail.com) and invites people to ask questions, volunteer their time and/or relay any helpful information.

Janet Harrop, past president of the Wellington Federation of Agriculture, said her team has spent an inordinate amount of time over the past four or five years discussing planning proposals, zoning change applications and severance applications in its effort to preserve farmland from development.

“We see a risk to agriculture with this proposal,” she said, adding that farm fragmentation is almost as big of a problem and farm loss.

During questions from the audience, Mark Snider stood up to say he and some business partners owned the Fergus Golf Course in 1990 and hoped to build some homes to reduce their debt load.

After working with West Garafraxa council (prior to amalgamation) and the GRCA, he said they got permission to build 18 homes on the site, each with their own well and septic systems.

“The GRCA told us we could use 24 acres for homes; the rest was environmentally sensitive,” he said.

“I don’t know what has happened that now they can build 446 homes. That land is basically a swamp.”

Snider and his partners eventually sold to a new owner, Snider told the Advertiser outside the meeting, who built the 18-hole golf course across the road.

That owner pushed and got permission to build 41 homes on the site, but it never happened. He sold to Golf North, which wants to turn it into an executive course.

Some residents in the area expressed concern that they might be forced to use township water and wastewater services if they are eventually constructed on the site and worried they’d be obliged to pay a high price to do so.

Others said the Elora grassroots organization Save Our Water likely has lessons it learned fighting a Nestle-owned well outside Elora that could be applied in this situation.

Others still pointed to the water shortage in Waterloo Region, expressing concern that without strong oversight, it could happen here.

“This company leapfrogged a process because they made a mistake when they bought a golf course they could not develop,” said one man, who predicted the matter would go to the OLT.

Sims said grassroots organizations from other communities have come forward to lend their support and knowledge.

The time to act is now, he said, while the EA is still open.

In a newsletter distributed on Aug. 27 updating subscribers on the project, Geranium Homes officials state, “The proposed treatment plant facilitates will be paid for without reliance on existing municipal taxpayers, and the ongoing operating and maintenance costs are expected to be recovered from future users of the system.”

The company plans on holding an information meeting in the fall, once all the studies are complete, it stated.

“Geranium remains committed to a transparent, fact-based planning process and ongoing dialogue with residents and stakeholders."

The company also provided an update on work on the north parcel of land, where construction of a sales office is underway.

It is expected to be completed next year, “and will be converted to the golf course clubhouse prior to the reopening of the refurbished golf course.”