Puslinch council will be revising its parkland policy.
In December, council reviewed a report regarding current cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication practices that provided options for an update to the township’s parkland dedication bylaw, which dates back to 2008.
At that time, council passed a resolution specific to consent applications for payment of the value of the land to be conveyed in lieu of the conveyance. The resolution states:
– an owner of the land that is the subject of a consent, shall pay to the township for each new lot created $500 per lot (excludes lot line adjustments), and
– the township deposit all money received into the parkland reserve account to finance or assist in the financing of capital expenditures for park or other public recreational purposes.
Following a report from staff in late December, council directed staff to bring forward a parkland dedication and cash-in-lieu of parkland bylaw stipulating:
– for lands proposed for residential purposes the dedication is 5%;
– in the case of lands for commercial or industrial purposes the dedication is 2%;
– in lieu of requiring a dedication, the township may require the payment of cash for the value of the lands otherwise required to be conveyed;
– the land value for cash-in-lieu of parkland is to be determined by appraisal paid for by the owner; and
– in the case of lands created by consent for residential purposes council will use a fixed value of $13,500 with the option to obtain an appraised value and council will evaluate the fixed value for consents using a four-year review cycle.
Councillor Ken Roth said this was a good idea “when you think of the value of land in our township.”
Bulmer agreed, but said he is concerned with the fixed value attributed to consents. He appreciated seeing more flexibility.
Councillor Susan Fielding said it appeared Puslinch was not collecting fees comparable to its neighbours.
