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Council sends Loyalist Heights plans back to the drawing board

During last Wednesday’s planning and development committee meeting, councillors reviewed a zoningc hange for the property that sits along Sandy Hook Road.

The Loyalist Heights lands run along the Millennium Trail and are proposed to house 396 units, including 100 single-detached residential lots, 26 semi-detached dwellings, 47 townhouse units, 193 apartments, and a seniors village consisting of 30 bungalows. Through the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment, the proponents were seeking to rezone the lands from the current rural zones and incorporate a series of special urban residential  zones.

The property is 25.8 hectares in size with frontage along Sandy Hook Road and Loyalist Parkway. Sandy Hook Road currently serves as the urban boundary for the Village  of Picton with lands beyond Sandy Hook consisting of rural and agricultural uses.

In the report before council, staff were recommending a denial based on issues with the current proposal including poor ac-cess to Millennium Trail, lack of public park space, and oversized lots that lack density.“

“Staff have provided comments through several rounds of circulation and have clearly articulated to the developer concerns and required revisions,” said County Planner Matt Coffey in his report.

Ray Essiambre, a planner representing the applicant, said he was frustrated with the process and lack of discussion taking place with staff, and mentioned the applicant did not accept the staff recommendations.

“We started this process three years ago and we are finding that things are changing as we go so we are not always in sync, and we are not always understanding what staff are trying to achieve, and that’s part of the issue we are trying to achieve,” said Essiambre.

There were multiple comments from the audience on the file.

Cheryl O’Brien represents the Waring’s Creek Improvement Association. She gave council a history of the creek and what the Association has done to preserve and rehabilitate the waters.

“The Waring’s Creek is an identified cold water stream in the County. It was historically a source of fresh potable water, and it had a population of brook trout,” she said. O’Brien explained that with the help of the association, brook trout were once again spotted in the creek last year.

“The level of current development applications and cumulative impacts of these developments will tax the functions of this environmentally sensitive area. Our association is requesting a review to improve the protections currently in place,” she said. “This is not just about fish in the creek. There are a good number of wells in the area, both residential and agricultural that rely on the health of this water system.

Amy Bodman spoke on behalf of the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists, who were in support of the WCIAs recommendations and deputation. Bodman noted the creek is a identified as a significant ground water recharge area in the County’s Official Plan.

“The woods and wetlands on the development site are part of a recharge system that releases water through upwellings into Waring’s Creek, which in turn eventually reaches as far as the Beaver Meadow wildlife area,” she said. “Any degradation to the headwaters of Waring’s Creek will reach far beyond the development site.”

Mackenize Best told Council she is the mother of a sixth generation farmer, and believes crops should be planted on the lands, not homes.

“You ask any farmer in this community and they will say that land is prime ag, not a person sitting at a desk,” said Best. “This land is the best land in Prince Edward County. It is land you can dig 50 feet down and not touch a rock, it has incredible drainage, rich topsoil and a high water table.”

Hillier Councillor Chris Braney said he would support the denial.

“It is very important for residents in Hillier that we move forward with keeping the trail naturalized. I certainly agree with that. There has been too much effort and it is a real gem and I want to see it stay that way,” he said.

Councillor John Hirsch noted the essential need to have water infiltration move through the ground into Waring’s Creek.

“Such features as low impact design should be undertaken so the water is able to move. This is a cold water creek. Creating a cookiecutter storm water pond is not the acceptable way to recharge a cold water creek.” he said.

Hirsch then asked staff if low impact design had been explored.

Planner Matt Coffey said staff could take a closer look and draft conditions of approval that would speak more clearly to an appropriate design.

“The low impact design criteria has to be balanced to a certain degree. A lot of this infrastructure the municipality will be acquiring through this development. A lot of times those measures are costly and difficult to maintain,” he said.

Mayor Steve Ferguson said the file wasn’t an easy one to deal with, and was hopeful staff and the applicant could work to a solution.

“Maybe there is some room for negotiation and some room to consider some changes based on the comments tonight. We are a very passionate community and we are trying to develop this community for the enjoyment of those that follow us. And that certainly involves dealing with the natural environment we have surrounding us,” he said.

The plan was referred back to staff to work with the developer to address the concerns with the existing plan. The application will return to planning committee at a future meeting.