Mischaracterizations

I was extremely disappointed to read Rick Conroy’s recent editorial, Infill Freeze, November 9. While I welcome open and honest discussion about issues in our community, Mr. Conroy’s mischaracterizations and errors detract from this important conversation. I want to address several of those directly.

The County is not blocking infill development

Mr. Conroy’s assertion that the County is blocking infill home and commercial projects in Wellington, presented without detail or evidence, is simply not true. Development applications received by the municipality have been processed. The housing project at the former Wellington Arena site was approved and will include a total of 40 units. Several other projects are at different stages of the planning approval process, but they have not yet reached the point where they are ready to connect to services.

When developments are ready to connect, Development staff will evaluate capacity at the time, and any approved development that the system can handle will be connected. Staff want to avoid a situation where we are holding back valuable capacity to connect for projects that may be delayed and don’t move forward according to their original projected timeline.

The County did not sell out to a large developer.

The developer of land north of the Millennium Trail did not “[gobble] up the remaining waterworks capacity,” as Mr. Conroy characterizes. The upfront financing agreements, which Council approved in open session and are visible to all, gave the developer assurances that servicing capacity would be available when it is ready to connect; in turn, the developer agreed to pay its fair share up front to expand the system to the benefit of both new development and infill development. Without such an agreement, current ratepayers would bear all the risk of expanding the water and wastewater systems. Council believed that the upfront financing agreements were the best and most responsible approach for our constituents.

The County is respecting the Wellington Secondary Plan.

Council has not sold out the Wellington Secondary Plan, contrary to Mr. Conroy’s assertions. The Secondary Plan spells out two residential areas: the Village Residential Area, the predominant land use south of the Millennium Trail, and the Neighbourhood Development Area, the blocks of undeveloped land north of the Millennium Trail that are strategically located in the logical path of full municipal services extension.

The Secondary Plan, written in 2015, noted that the Neighbourhood Development Area will be needed for village development at some point in the future. We find ourselves at that point in time as the demand for housing in our community has grown exponentially over the past several years. The Secondary Plan also identified a need for additional commercial development beyond Main Street— and there is nothing in the plans before staff or Council that contemplate big-box-style development. The public will have the opportunity to review, discuss and help shape the commercial development in this neighbourhood as part of the planning process.

Finally, I want to reassure the public that as these projects move forward, Council and the municipality will strive to ensure these new neighbourhoods maintain and enhance the character of the surrounding neighbourhoods, as called for in the Secondary Plan.

STEVE FERGUSON
MAYOR, COUNTY OF PRINCE EDWARD