Who will control development in the Rama Road Corridor?
By Frank Matys Orillia Today
A group of Ramara township residents, living in an area targeted for development, is concerned the municipality is acting hastily to make it happen.
“We are not against development, we understand it is going to come — but protect the people that are here,” said Patrick Heslin, a resident of Fawn Bay Road.
At issue is the township’s request for a minister’s zoning order for three proposed developments within the Rama Road Corridor, an area extending from the village of Atherley to Rama First Nation.
Minister’s zoning orders (MZOs) are tools the minister of municipal affairs and housing can use to designate land uses and allow developers to bypass normal planning approval process at the municipal level.
The residents’ group worries that if an order is approved, the community will be left out of the planning process and the township will be powerless to control how those developments roll out.
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