Wasaga Beach council approves controversial development proposal
By Ian Adams Wasaga Sun
A controversial proposal to develop a property on the eastern boundary of Wasaga Beach will move on to the next stage.
On Tuesday, town councillors approved an official plan amendment for five hectares of land on Eastdale Drive, over the protestations of residents who claim the proposed development will exacerbate flooding conditions in the area and negatively affect the surrounding wetland.
The owners of the property had submitted an official plan amendment that would have allowed up to 150 units to be built on the property. The submission needed to get past council, and then on to the County of Simcoe before Jan. 19 in order to get a piece of an additional 20,000 population allocation given the county under Places to Grow.
Council had deferred a decision on the official plan amendment in August until further review of flooding conditions could be undertaken. Prior to Tuesday’s decision, council received a presentation by engineer Dan Miller from Burnside and Associates that indicated stormwater management practices could mitigate any major storm peak flows from the property.
That wasn’t satisfactory to the residents, who crowded into council chambers for the decision.
Margaret Trafford told council she found the reports provided “conflicting data” on runoff, and no data had been collected during the high water period in the spring.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on flow rates, and not enough on the water table,” she said, telling council the water table is high — at times above the ground — for six months of the year.
Mario Nobrega urged council to consider the impact of the develop on the surrounding wetland, and Andrew Forsythe pointed out the studies had been conducted during two of the driest summers on record.
He also questioned the planning rationale given the provincial push to intensify development in the heart of communities.
“Putting high-density (development) on the fringe of town does not seem like good planning,” he said.
The concerns of residents had resonance with at least two councillors; Ron Ego and Bill Stockwell both voted against the three motions tied to the Eastdale project.
“This is a time when we have to use common sense,” Stockwell said.
Other council members noted they were not unsympathetic to the residents’ issues, but could also not vote against the position of experts — especially as those expert arguments would have weight at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing.
“I understand the concerns (of residents) but this is stage one of the development process, and the study requirements have been met and been exceeded,” said Deputy Mayor Nina Bifolchi. “If the governing body (such as the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority) says it has the approval to move forward, it’s difficult for me to go against experts.”
Coun. Bonnie Smith also pointed out the practicality of the situation.
“It comes down to who at an OMB hearing would win,” she said.
The same developer also received approval of an official plan amendment for land fronting on Deerbrook, and part of the same parcel of land that includes the proposal on Eastdale. The approval would pave the way for an additional 120 units.This appeared in the October 2016 issue.
The land in question is identified as Provincially Significant Wetland,Natural Heritage Systems Category 1. Development and site alterations are not permitted. Yet NVCA made site alterations which have created “10 developable hectares” 5 in the north and another 5 in the south of the parcel for planned construction of approximately 300 Townhouses.
Issues of Density,Infrastructure, Storm Management, ]Wetlands protection are some of the key issues we raised and have not been effectively addressed. As pointed out to Council on Tuesday how will the Wetlands be protected when 1,000 or more residents from the north and south will have unfettered access to the Wetlands. We believe in development but it must be balanced , environmentally friendly,and in the best interest of the entire community, both short and long term. We also believe we should never leave our common sense at the door steps of ” experts “.