A planning recommendation to adopt an official plan amendment to conform to provincial and county documents turned into something substantially different here on Jan. 24.
Planner Sally Stull came with a recommendation that council adopt an official plan amendment to conform with Ontario’s Places To Grow documents and a declaration to Wellington County the town’s official plan meets the requirements of the Planning Act.
Stull said in keeping with the Ontario Planning Act, Erin held a public meeting and a special meeting of council.
The amendment was subsequently considered and deferred by council Dec. 12, then council passed a resolution the amendment be reconsidered following the Settlement and Servicing Master Plan [SSMP] held Jan. 17.
Stull said alternative targets for growth in the county official plan were granted by the province for urban areas of the outer tier municipalities of the GTA.
She said staff commented that the official plan five year review will start soon, where other provincial policies will be incorporated. Staff supported the proposed amendment. There is no change to the policy for extension of services.
Originally, staff proposed to require a connection to municipal services where available. Council subsequently decided mandatory connections would not be imposed.
The amendment also does not include changes to policies regarding sanitary sewage treatment.
Staff originally recommended a clause clarify to developers that proof would be required for the long term sustainability of any new technology proposed for communal servicing proposals. The report at council was the same one presented on Dec. 6.
“The background remains the same. The issue is policy conformity issues handed down from the province through the County of Wellington.”
Stull said the 17 amendments are not related to the extension of services or sanitary sewage treatment services.
She said council was not interested in including those updates regarding servicing.
There would be monitoring to determine if greenfields policies are being met.
Mayor Lou Maieron’s comments took another tangent. He referred to the amended housing policies and the supply of residential land.
The policy states the town shall maintain the ability to accommodate residential growth for a minimum of 10 years through residential intensification and redevelopment.
Stull said the policy is town-wide, not just limited to the urban areas.
Maieron said, “I really do not want to spend a whole lot of time on this, but I do have some concerns. If one thing came out of the SSMP presentation, it is that there is a significant amount of land particularly in Hillsburgh which is designated as residential and very little commercial-industrial growth.”
He cited the revised growth targets for the area.
Maieron looked at projections for Erin village and Hillsburgh using requirements for the land needed to accommodate new residences. He said the town is doing the SSMP study, “and I’m pretty sure when we come to the next phase, the consultant is going to recommend some sort of sewage treatment plant. I don’t think anyone, be it the town, or the private sector, can look at investing a significant amount of dollars to build a combined 115 acres over a 20 year period.”
He said the town can build a treatment plant or require a developer to build one. He did not foresee a developer wanting to install a multi-million dollar sewage treatment system for just one development.
“And this doesn’t include the urban intensification within the urban boundaries,” he said.
Stull said there are different rules in place in areas where services do not exist.
She pointed out the 115 acres in Hillsburgh is considered net developable – there is a considerable amount that is considered hazard land, and for storm water management. She said there is no way to achieve the goal of six units per acre without services.
Maieron said, the reality is historically Erin has gone in with the larger mini-mansions of one home on an acre property.
He would not believe the province will continue to approve one or two homes per acre as realistic.
“It would mean the county would have to approve higher residential densities somewhere else – to reach the overall 6.5 residences per acre target.”
He could not see Erin being allowed to remain as it is with a substantial amount of designated land in the urban boundaries – but without water or sewage.
Stull said the old targets were higher. Over the course of the past three official plan amendments, the population forecasts for Erin had to be reduced based on past practices.
Stull said the idea is for the growth projections be as realistic as possible. She said the growth projections cannot be based on the outcome of the SSMP and can be considered only as a best guess.
Maieron again referred to the SSMP because although there is a significant amount of land in the urban boundary “I cannot really see the county or the province to allow only one or two houses per acre to continue.”
Councillor Barb Tocher interjected, asking the mayor if there was anything in the official plan amendment he wanted to change.
“I’m not following this discussion here because we’re talking about passage of a bylaw – so unless there is something in the official plan amendment which needs to be changed, maybe we can move on.”
Maieron said what he was trying to do was provide context.
“When we pass this, it will fundamentally change the growth patterns and densities in the town to match the county policy … and it will be subject to water and sewer servicing to achieve that.”
He said, “This is the reality we’re going to start looking at.”
He remembered being told several years ago the process would trigger substantial growth in the community.
Stull stressed the forecasts are estimates and subject to five year reviews.
Whether or not Erin meets those targets would be reported, and that information would become part of the growth pattern for the community. She anticipated projected growth numbers would overwhelm the community in other services.
Maieron asked if the town controls the allocation of units if it does in fact move ahead with providing sewage treatment.
“Our concern is whether we can or cannot afford to have the service … whatever it may be.”
The mayor contended the plan is a paradigm shift from whether residents are on septic systems or on sewers.
Tocher again asked Maieron to deal with the official plan amendment. “This discussion is not on OPA number six.”
Maieron argued it will have an impact. “I just want everyone to be aware,” he said.
“Could you just please call the vote?” Tocher asked.
He countered he had not interrupted Tocher in her debate. “Procedurally I am allowed to ask two questions for 10 minutes and I was trying to make a point. The point is quite significant in where the town could be heading regarding whether there is a sewage treatment plant or not.”
“Does OPA number six change any of that?” Tocher asked.
Maieron said the new projections will have an impact on the growth factors.
“People should be aware of what is coming down the pipe.”
Council later approved its official plan amendment bylaw – unchanged.
