Simcoe County councilors – except for Springwater’s mayor and deputy mayor – will hear five development applications for Midhurst at a special meeting Tuesday at 11 a.m.
Mayor Bill French and deputy-mayor Don Allen have excused themselves from the quasi-judicial hearing and discussion that is divvy up 20,000 in population from an allocation beyond 2031; the county is essentially borrowing from growth caps beyond 2031 to meet current needs and demands.
“To be fair, council developed a hearing process. We only have until January next year to do it,” said Simcoe County’s senior counsel Marshall Green.
“A number of developers all want part of the 20,000 because they’re already over the (population) cap for Midhurst.”
French said it’s important that county council remain open-minded and he and Allen already have supported Springwater’s view that it would not support any applications.
“Springwater has already taken a position through a council decision in January 2016,” said French, “ and Springwater will take part as a party. To ensure fairness and due process, we have determined it would not be appropriate for us to take part in the adjudication process by county council.”
Springwater argued adding more people will stress already-strained municipal resources, as well as exacerbate the imbalance between people and jobs in Midhurst. The township also noted between 600 and 700 housing units could be developed within the next five years.
The population allocation applications coming before county councilors total 6,120 people. The county could approve all or deny all or approve selected proposals.
Any decision made Tuesday could be reviewed during an Ontario Municipal Board hearing slated for Sept. 19 to Oct. 26, the county’s planning, development and tourism director David Parks noted in a report.
The proposals:
- Walton lands: There are two proposals: the smallest is for five lots, on which single, detached homes would accommodate 15 people. The lands would have private water and wastewater services. A low-density subdivision would accommodate 63 homes and approximately 180 people.
- Carson Trail estates: At Anne Street and Doran Road, the plan projects 504 people.
- Frankcom Estates: The proposal for 19 hectares at Gill and Doran roads would have a housing mix that includes live/work townhomes and commercial uses along Doran Road. It would accommodate 828 people.
- Doran Road Inc./Carson Road Development Inc.: The request is for 4,309 people on four locations in the area of Doran and Russell Road and Anne Street and at Walt Road and Old Second South.
- Midves: The request is to develop 8.3 hectares for residential for 504 people and designate 13 hectares as environmental protection (EP).
The hearings are public and supporting documents can be found on the county’s website at http://docs.simcoe.ca/ws_cos/groups/public/%40pub-cos-sta-com/documents/web_content/rsc502278.htm
And also at
http://www.simcoe.ca/Planning/Pages/20000-population-program.aspx
