Wellington North council split on comprehensive bylaw changes

WELLINGTON NORTH – Changes are coming to Wellington North’s comprehensive bylaw and council is split on its support of the amendments. 

Landscaped areas must now account for a minimum of 40 per cent of frontage area for low-density residential lots instead of the previous minimum of 55% (this same change was made for medium residential lots earlier this year). Staff say the change is to allow for wider driveways. 

And restaurants, including dining, drive-thru and takeout, are now permitted in commercial shopping centres. That includes the plazas with No Frills and Foodland in Mount Forest and the plaza with Looney Toonie in north Arthur.  

The bylaw amendment also specifies that seven lots on the east side of the Sunvale/Welton subdivision in Mount Forest are not allowed sheds, pools, decks, hedges, trees, shrubs, pavement concrete or pavers in certain sections of the backyards due to a French drain. 

Township planning manager Curtis Marshall said “engineers wanted this identified so that people don’t inadvertently move [the drain] in the future.” 

Council concerns 

Councillor Sherry Burke said she’s supports everything in the amendments except  “changing the landscape percentage in single detached dwellings. 

“I think we give developers enough room, specifically when it is a diverse development, so I would really like to see that percentage stay ... at 55%. 

“I think folks that are purchasing single farm dwellings would like to have as much area as possible,” she said.

Councillor Steve McCabe noted that while 40% would be the minimum landscaped area, developers could chose to have a larger landscaped area. 

Burke responded: “if they can have 40% that’s what they are going to build – so they can squish in more homes in there ... they are going to come back and ask if they can have 35%.” 

Burke asked about the motivation for adding restaurants to the permitted businesses in commercial shopping centres – “is that something that we would see ... within other municipalities in Wellington County that have done that or is ... one of these buildings looking to pursue one of these types of developments?” 

Marshall said it’s typical in Wellington County to see restaurants in highway commercial areas. He said the bylaw was structured as a result of “concerns about big box stores coming to communities, probably 30 years ago ... so there’s very separate zoning on different properties. 

“Nowadays you may not see that separate of uses – in this case, it makes sense to allow a restaurant.”  

Councillor Penny Renken asked if trees could be planted over the French drain in the Sunvale/Welton subdivision. 

Marshall said he’d have to ask the engineers, but tree roots could grow into the pipe or gravel area and potentially interfere with the drain. 

Township staff call the changes housekeeping amendments, which means they are “intended to keep a zoning bylaw relevant with other policy or legislation, user friendly, accurate and manageable.”

Burke tabled a motion to approve a modified version of the amendments, without the reduction to landscaped area. 

Renken supported this motion but Mayor Andy Lennox, McCabe and councillor Lisa Hern opposed it and it was defeated. 

Council then voted on the recommended amendments, and that motion passed with Lennox, McCabe and Hern in support and Renken and Burke opposed. 

Hern said she’s “fully supportive of the staff recommendation” to amend the comprehensive bylaw.