Council defers decision on Laurier development
By Bill Rea

There are a lot of concerns regarding the Laurier Homes (27) development proposal for Schomberg, but there are also hopes many of them can be sorted out.

King councillors Monday night were presented with a staff recommendation calling for support in principle of the proposed Official Plan amendment and rezoning for the development, but there was general support around the council table to defer the matter to the next meeting, set for Feb. 12.

"I keep hearing the words 'be careful' in the back of my mind," Councillor Cleve Mortelliti remarked at one point during the lengthy discussions on the issue.

Township planners sent councillors a 120-page package on the matter, and a number of local residents also spoke of their concerns. Although there are worries in the community over what has been proposed, the discussions were calm and things never got heated.

Planners reported Laurier is proposing 230 units of varying types, including 29 townhouses, 56 semi-detached, 11 lots with about 55 feet of frontage, 68 with with roughly 50 feet of frontage and 66 lots about 42 feet wide. There are also provisions for commercial development, open space and a storm water management pond.

The development is proposed for about 56 acres on the southwest corner of Highways 9 and 27, and the property runs south to Dr. Kay Drive and the planned development will stretch west to the rear of lots fronting on the east side of Main Street.

That feature was a main point of concern for many at the meeting, who feared for their privacy, as well as the existing character of the village. Main Street resident Craig Camplong said he's lived there 18 years and has always tried to keep his backyard as private as possible. He thought that wouldn't be possible with homes going so close to his, and he wondered about alternatives to maintain separation, such as an easement, a public walkway or berms.

Anni Bretschneider, also of Main Street, was speaking on behalf of herself and some of her neighbours when she said this would be contrary to the rural and heritage characteristics of Schomberg.

Bretschneider also expressed understanding for the challenges facing council on this. "I think you've got a difficult job," she remarked, although she added that she thought the rural characteristics of King Township are under good stewardship.

But, having attended previous meetings and open houses on this issue, she expressed concerns that residents were not being listened to by the developer. "The open houses were really a show-and-tell," she said. "Residents were not being heard."

Bretschneider added for the process to be meaningful, the input from the public needs to be meaningful too.

She voiced concerns about the visual impacts of the development, including the view looking west from the intersection of the two highways.

She was also worried about the heritage features behind the Main Street homes, pointing out every subdivision has its homes backing onto some sort of open feature, be it the fairgrounds, Dufferin Marsh, Schomberg river, etc. She also observed that when looking between houses on Main Street, one sees open space. "That greenery serves as a back drop to the Main Street," she observed.

Bretschneider said there have been proposals for a six-foot board fence and setbacks of roughly 25 feet. They will be expected to block the impacts of houses that will likely be 35 to 40 feet in height. She suggested the lands behind those homes be preserved as public open space.

The plan proposes two access roads into the development; one off Main Street and the other off Dr. Kay, and that road is to be aligned with one of the northern access points to Brownsville Junction plaza. Bretschneider pointed out there are 10 lots envisioned for the west side of the road running north from Dr. Kay, which will back onto proposed public open space which is just north of the Dufferin Marsh, and she was disturbed by that. She added she's talked to residents on Main, as well as Cooper Drive, and the vast majority agree they should not be there.

She pointed out that land is already raised, and the houses on those lots are going to stick out. "It's going to create a psychological barrier when you're driving north along Highway 27," she remarked, adding Dr. Kay is a main gateway to the village. A towering wall of homes is not in keeping with the rest of Schomberg, she maintained.

"We think it's a mistake," she said.

B r e t s c h n e i d e r ' s suggestion was to get rid of those units, which would allow the road to be shifted to the west and make for more commercial land, which she argued would be beneficial.

She also said the expansion of the commercial area could be further accommodated by finding another location for the proposed medium density development. The latest plan has those types of units at the east end of the property, next to the commercial lands.

As well, Bretschneider called for a greater buffer between development and the open space on the north side of Dr. Kay. While it's not officially a wetland, she said it's critical for plants and animals who do live in the wetland, adding it's a locally significant area. She also pointed out a 15-metre buffer is the minimum required in the community plan, but suggested 18 metres might be more appropriate. "Can we go above minimum?" she asked.

"Nobody likes development in their back yard," observed Main Street resident Rick McNaughton. He stressed people support the idea of having new neighbours, but they want to minimize the impacts of the development on the community.

He was concerned about aesthetics too, pointing someone approaching from the north or east wouldn't see much of the village now until they get to Main Street. If the development goes ahead as planned, "Schomberg then takes the effect of a suburb," he stated.

He also opposed the row of houses on the road north of Dr. Kay, calling them a "huge change to the aesthetics of the town."

"It really changes the lay of the land and the impression you get coming into Schomberg," he added.

McNaughton was also concerned about traffic, observing the subdivision is likely to generate in excess of 300 cars trying to get in and out at rush hour.

Schomberg area resident Henry Verbruggen indicated he was pleased with progress that has been made on the application, but added there are still concerns that need to be addressed.

He pointed out residents have endorsed the idea of townhouses in the community. "That's a critical point," he remarked.

He also pointed out earlier plans called for lots on Dr. Kay, and they are now gone. As well, he defended the idea of having the access from Dr. Kay aligned with the entrance to the plaza parking lot.

Township Planning Director Stephen Kitchen said staff had looked into the possibility of expanding the commercial area and found no practical benefits. He said there is limited potential to develop the type of operations that would work along a road like Highway 27.

The issue has been referred to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), Kitchen reported an issues list has to be ready for the board by Feb. 15. He also told Councillor Bill Cober the Township has a list of its issues, and he didn't rule out the possibility that some of them could be addressed and settled by that date.

Cober had a number of requests of the planners, including a review of the tree plan and buffer behind the Main Street houses. He said that's been a constant concern throughout this issue. He also pointed out the open space on the north side of Dr. Kay has an important relationship to the Dufferin Marsh and he said it's important that the Township get ownership of it. As well, he said there could be discussions with Laurier about contributing funds to the Dufferin Marsh Management Plan, as well as other parks and recreation facilities in the village. Cober also pointed out some of the lots in the southwest portion of the property seem to present some elevation challenges, and he suggested bungalows be considered there.

Kitchen told him the staff report made no mention of a six-foot fence helping to buffer the houses on Main, but said something like that could be erected later. He said only a landowner can erect a fence on his or her property line.

He had also mentioned there will have to be improvements to the intersection of Dr. Kay and Highway 27, including signals and turn lanes. The cost will be up to the developers, but Kitchen pointed out Laurier might share the expense with an industrial developer on the east side of the road. Cober wanted to make sure the Township isn't trying to find money for that at budget time three years from now.

Township Solicitor Josie Matera told Mortelliti that while the issues list had to be ready for Feb. 15, there was no reason why a deferral for a couple of weeks could cause much harm.

Cober was concerned about Kitchen and his staff having time to address some of these issues with Laurier and the residents and still have a report ready for the next meeting.

"We'll make our best efforts," Kitchen replied, although he added there's already one major item for the Feb. 12 agenda. "It's a very condensed time frame, but we realize it's all the time we have to work with."