General News

Shelburne Council approves new development on Greenwood Street

October 31, 2019   ·   0 Comments

Written By PETER RICHARDSON

Council opened Monday night with a Committee of Adjustment meeting to discuss the development at 218 Greenwood Street. 

Town Planner Steve Wever presented the traffic study that had been discussed and it showed that there would be no detrimental impact to existing traffic patterns. He also explained that should the new single family dwelling proposed be a two-storey home, that this also was in accordance with current Town and Provincial guidelines and that an existing mix of dwelling styles already existed in the neighbourhood. 

The applicant also added that they would be replacing the trees that are to be removed, despite the fact that there was no necessity for this to be done, as the trees were on the existing property and not Town property, therefore were free to be dealt with by the landowner, without further permissions or discussion. 

In response to questioning from Coun. Lindsay Wegener, Mr. Wever explained that under the new provincial legislative changes to the planning act, municipalities were instructed to allow and encourage this type of intensification development and that shortly, the issue would not be administered by Council, but would simply be a building permit application. 

He went on to point out that the application met all of the requirements of the Town, County and Province and that the requested traffic study only served to reinforce this fact. 

The accompanying motion was subsequently received and carried as was the application for a zoning change to allow the development to commence. Several members of the public, in attendance, disagreed with the findings, but were resigned to the realities of the existing regulations.

Poppy Campaign recognized

Following the CoA meeting and prior to the regular agenda, Council welcomed Legion President Dave McIntyre and Poppy Program Chairman Garry Netzke to Town Hall and proclaimed the duration of the Poppy Campaign as being officially recognized and supported, by the Town of Shelburne. Mayor Wade Mills thanked the Legion members for attending and for their efforts in commemorating our veterans.

Bruce Trail

After convening the Council Meeting, the assembly heard from Carl Tafel, from the Dufferin Hi-Land Club, the Dufferin affiliate of the Bruce Trail Conservancy. Carl made a presentation outlining the Bruce Trail and the local club’s part in maintaining and promoting it, mentioning that it was a  jewel in the local outdoor scene.

He was at council to ask that they help promote the trail, to Shelburne residents and to consider hosting a Shelburne Bruce Trail day. The object would be to promote awareness of the trail by gathering residents at a central location and then busing them to a section of the trail where club members would talk about the trail and take the residents on a short guided hike to present the beauty and diversity of the trail to Shelburnites. The notion was well received by Council with several Councillors voicing support and encouragement for the idea. With all of Shelburne’s new residents, many coming from Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton, the opportunity to spend time in the outdoors and associate themselves with things such as the Bruce Trail, was not commonly available in the cities. An opportunity to access the wilds surrounding Shelburne would be a totally new experience for many. Carl pointed out that over 90 kilometres of trails are within a twelve to thirty minute drive or the town. These included Mono Cliffs and Boyne River Provincial Parks. Mayor Mills told Carl he would be willing to act as the contact person for further discussions on establishing a Bruce Trail day in 2020 in town.

A second public meeting was held to discuss the Community Improvement Plan, with planner Steve Wever and EDC Marketing co-ordinator Carol Maitland. The CIP, which has been formulating for several months, was now ready for consideration and possible adoption. The brief presented, was a working document and not necessarily what Council would adopt for the town in the final configuration. many staff and Councillors had some issues with the scope and magnitude of the plan, which was multifaceted and could become extremely cost heavy to implement in it’s entirety. It addresses everything from traffic issues to downtown beautification and creating a community hub at Fiddle Park. There could be numerous multi jurisdictional efforts involved and Council accepted the resolution as presented, for further study and an enacting By-law, drawn up by staff at a later date.

The Treasurer, Carey Holmes, presented her quarterly accounting update, which showed the Town in good financial condition and on target for its budget projections. She noted that some projects would not be completed in 2019 and as a result, any funds set aside for these, would need to be transferred to  reserves to be spent on the project completions in 2020. Her report was received by Council unanimously.

The evening ended, with a lengthy discussion of the allocation of Grant funds to those applicants who had presented their proposals at the previous Council meeting. Several of the applications were heavily discussed, with some being refused and others offered some funds with stipulations and /or recommendations to seek additional funding through fundraising initiatives or other sources. In the end, Council allocated $18,600 in grants to thirteen organizations. It was suggested by Council that some of the applications be amalgamated with other applicants and a bulk sum be given for the use of both presentations. The reasoning behind this being that the two presentations were in fact inter-related or could become so and would therefore be beneficial to each other, rather than competing for the same audience and funding. Some of the applications were requesting solely “ in kind” assistance as opposed to financial help and these were all granted fully.



         

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