Dear Lake Simcoe Watershed Residents:
On April 24, 2015, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) Board of Directors approved new Watershed Development Guidelines that apply to all regulated areas within the Lake Simcoe Watershed.
The new Guidelines will come into effect on June 1, 2015, and will apply to all applications for development within regulated areas of the Lake Simcoe Watershed that are within LSRCA’s jurisdiction.
The effective date of June 1, 2015 allows LSRCA to provide sufficient notice to all property owners whose property may be subject to these changes.
LSRCA has the responsibility, under Ontario Regulation 179/06 of the Conservation Authorities Act, to regulate areas which include Lake Simcoe shoreline, floodplains, wetlands, and other hazard areas. The guidelines establish rules and criteria under which every development proposal will be reviewed. This ensures that consistent rules are applied across the Lake Simcoe watershed.
In the same meeting, the Board of Directors passed three other resolutions of note:
The Board of Directors resolved to not consider the permit application submitted on April 16 by Metrus Development, now known as DG Group, and return the permit application and associated fee.
This decision was made based on the legal, written promise (an undertaking) Metrus had made, stating they would not submit an application before April 30, 2015. DG Group (formerly Metrus) submitted the application prior to April 30, 2015. LSRCA has now returned the application and fee to DG Group.
The Board of Directors resolved to support a transfer of development rights from the original Maple Lake Estates site to the adjacent property owned by the ownership group to protect the natural heritage features on what is known as Maple Lake Estate group and located directly to the south of the current plan approved site, in order to protect the natural heritage features on what is known as Maple Lake Estate.
A key focus of the transfer of development rights is to see this land transferred to public ownership to ensure protection of the wetland and forest features.
The transfer of development rights will grow the Greenbelt by approximately 500-plus acres of land that includes forest and wetland features. The approximate 175 acres of land transferred for development will be subject to all current environmental and planning requirements in place. If approved, this would represent a significant expansion of the Greenbelt in public ownership which helps achieve both LSRCA and provincial goals.
The Board of Directors support negotiating a transfer of development rights as the best way to protect the wetland and forest features. By passing this resolution, they have reaffirmed LSRCA staff’s participation in the land transfer discussions along with the property owner, DG Group, the Town of Georgina, York Region and the Province.
The Board of Directors resolved to direct staff to continue to work with all parties and notify the Province, Regional Municipality of York and the Town of Georgina of the Board’s decisions.
LSRCA staff have begun the notification process to inform our municipal partners and other stakeholders of these decisions, and to publicize approval of the new Watershed Development Guidelines effective June 1, 2015.
The approved Watershed Development Guidelines will be available at www.LSRCA.on.ca on Thursday, April 30, 2015. To find out if your property is in a regulated area and you require a permit before doing any work, please visit www.lsrca.on.ca/permits.
Yours truly,
Aurora Mayor Geoffrey Dawe,
Chair, LSRCA
Michael Walters,
CAO, LSRCA
Leave a Reply