Midhurst residents looking for reading material this summer, should visit the Springwater Township website at springwater.ca.
More than 1,000 pages of background information relating to water and water systems supporting massive development in the Midhurst Secondary Plan area were added to the site this week, as a Public Information Centre approaches.
Documents, maps, charts and various studies will be available for public viewing at a Public Information Centre scheduled for Oct. 18 at Snow Valley Resort. Residents will then have 30 days to submit their questions, comments and concerns about the plan to council.
The massive development is planned for two areas in the municipality - Wilson Road in the west and Doran Road in the east part of Springwater.
Plans include widening Wilson Road to four lanes and "urbanizing" several other rural streets, to accommodate intensive growth.
While much of the plan remains tied up before the Ontario Municipal Board, the province added a special rule to the transition provisions in Places to Grow in 2012, and partially withdrew its appeal, allowing development on 300 hectares - enough property for about 5,000 new units.
About 20 residents attended the council meeting on Wednesday, eager for information about the project that opponents say threatens their rural lifestyle and is a "life wrecking" event.
Midhurst is currently home to 3,500 people. The multi-phased growth plan will add "a city the size of Orillia," residents say, on Class 1 farmland. The population will quadruple in the first phase.
Opponents argue that the Minesing Swamp and surrounding wetlands can't handle the volume of treated sewage expected from new water treatment plants that will be built to support the development.
They are also concerned about the impact of increased traffic and the "urbanization" of the rural municipality.
The Midhurst Ratepayers Association (MRA) has raised over $11,000 toward the $15,000 goal to help pay for legal representation at upcoming Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings that will determine if their hamlet turns into a city in the next 30 years.
President Sandy Buxton says the crowd-sourced funds will help pay for scientists, planners and lawyers to represent the group as it fights to stop the Midhurst Secondary Plan.
The MRA has retained Toronto top environmental lawyer Rod Northey of Gowlings LLP.
The Midhurst Secondary Plan (MSP) dates back to November 2008, when Springwater Township approved the plan for Midhurst. County council subsequently approved the MSP in 2011.
Earlier this year, Springwater approved a policy direction that opposes any further growth, pending a growth strategy review, citing concerns about additional residential units further skewing the imbalance of people and jobs.
Detailed information will be available at the information session from 4:30 to 9:00 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at Snow Valley Resort, 2632 Vespra Valley Road).
The open house will be an information drop-in format, during which time the applicable display board along with representative of the project team will be available to answer questions related to Phase 3 & 4 of the Class EA Process, in a one-on-one format. A formal presentation will be made from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by a brief question and answer period.
