Green light

Port Picton development receives draft approval amid questions and concerns

Council voted Monday night at a special planning public council meeting to approve an amended motion regarding a zoning by-law and draft plan of subdivision for redevelopment of the site owned by Port Picton Homes. The project is situated on nearly 20 acres of land overlooking Picton Bay. The property has 400 metres of frontage on Bridge Street, 45 metres of frontage on Head Street, substantial harbour frontage, and includes the site currently operating as the Claramount Inn.

Jennifer Wood of Fotenn Planning + Design was back in front of council and provided an update on the changes made to the proposal based on public input received at an August 29 special planning meeting, peer review processes and consultations with County planning staff. The subdivision would be rolled out in six phases. The first phase encompasses the former Claramount Inn property, which will be restored to host dining, amenities and accommodations, including 18 guest units. The proposed subdivision consists of a total of 258 residential units, including the building of 17 single detached lots, 16 townhomes and a 22-unit midrise building. Phase two is set to see five more midrise condominiums featuring 195 units and one midrise mixed-use building on the waterfront.

Wood told council that a number of changes had been made, resulting in a new concept plan. “One of the main concerns we heard was whether or not it is appropriate to maintain the parkland blocks in private ownership,” she said. “In response to this, we are now proposing to convey these blocks as traditional land dedication to be conveyed to the municipality for ownership and maintenance.” This would see just over an acre and a half of parkland dedicated to the County and the installation of a boardwalk that would offer easier pedestrian access to walkways and trail systems from the waterfront. Councillor Jamie Forrester was worried about adding another asset to the municipality’s long list. “They are saying this is a benefit to the community, but I see it as a benefit to the developer,” said Forrester, stating that the development needs the boardwalk to offer docking and to ease travel between different blocks.

Councillor Phil St. Jean agreed, explaining that the burden to maintain the land ultimately falls to the taxpayers. “I’m certainly not a fan of just dedicating parkland because we have to. I would much rather see this development use a privately owned public space model as opposed to developing another parkland that our taxpayers are going to have to cover the cost of maintaining,” said St. Jean. Manager of Planning Paul Walsh explained that the County already has a lot of assets to maintain, and it wouldn’t be a problem to maintain one more. “We felt that is was important for the parks to be dedicated to the public, and that it be maintained as such. It was meant to be a security measure that the public interest in embedded in the plan,” said Walsh.

There were environmental concerns raised by residents and stakeholders after the last meeting, and Wood explained that consultants decided to increase a floodplain setback to alleviate flood risks.

This would see an ecological buffer introduced as an environment protection zone. Wood told council that 1,818 square metres of land is being dedicated beyond the requirements of the County’s Official Plan.The plan increases the total area of land to 5,308 square metres and reduces the number of units from 300 to 258.

Councillor John Hirsch commended the developer on engaging the public and the progess that has been made since it was last before council near the end of August. “I find that the willingness of the developer to act in a positive fashion to the issues that were brought forward by the public and by council is pretty impressive,” said Hirsch. “I think we will accomplish what we need to accomplish.”

Councillor Janice Maynard worried that the list of conditions and work that still needed to be done was still too long to approve the plan. “In this case, it seems like we have a fairly large number of conditions that need more than just a little bit of work,” said Maynard. “It must be a little bit disconcerting to have a list that large to have to work through.” In a last ditch effort, Maynard put forward a deferral motion, stating there were far more questions that need to be answered with regards to the boardwalk and density bonussing. The motion lost in a recorded vote, garnering support only from Councillor Kate MacNaughton.

Mayor Steve Ferguson was vocal regarding not holding the project back. “Staff and the proponent have done an exemplary job in clarifying all kinds of concerns brought forward by members of the public,” said Ferguson. “I support staff’s opinion. I’d like to get the project underway.”

pleased with the outcome on Monday night. “Our family has been on the Picton Main Street scene for 35 years. Over these years we have been builders of our community and always looking to raise the bar. The Picton harbour has been on our wish list as developers for many years—tonight it is a reality,” said Cleave. He also pointed to the professionalism and dedication of the County’s planning department. “I would like to acknowledge our team and their incredible dedication to this project over the past 18 months. I would also like to recognize the County planning department Paul Walsh and Matt Coffey. They have been outstanding partners in crafting this wonderful waterfront project.”

Port Picton marketing and sales will open mid-November and can be found at portpicton.ca. Construction will begin in the spring of 2020.