Judgement has been reserved in Baldesarra OMB hearing
By Bill Rea

Interested parties are going to have to wait a couple of weeks before learning if the Ontario Municipal Board is going to go along with the latest development proposals for the Baldesarra lands in southwest Nobleton.

The proposal calls for approximately 245 lots on about 100 acres at Lot 4, Concession 9 belonging to Gaetano Baldesarra. Ron Webb, lawyer for Baldesarra, had asked for an oral ruling when the three-day hearing came to a close Thursday. But Hearing Officer Chris Conti politely declined, pointing out a lot of material had been submitted to him. "I think I need to give it due consideration," he remarked, adding he hoped to have a written ruling ready in the next three to four weeks.

A key point in the hearing was a second access to the property. The main one is slated to be off Highway 27, but there were numerous calls for a second one that would be maintained all the time.

King Fire Chief Brian Burbidge was adamant, considering the number of homes proposed for the development, along with plans for a school. He said he has called for two fully serviced access points all through the process, stressing that would be needed if they had to evacuate the area in a hurry. He stated that couldn't be accomplished in a timely and efficient fashion with just one access point. "Seconds do count," he told Conti.

Even an access in place just for emergencies would not suffice, Burbidge said, if Highway 27 was closed for some reason.

And access at the northwest corner of the property, connecting with Wilkie Avenue, has been under consideration. There had also been suggestions to have barriers placed to keep such an access closed except for emergencies. Burbidge said that would be hard to maintain in winter. As well, the barriers would likely slow things down.

Burbidge said he hadn't suggested the Wilkie idea, adding he didn't provide any input on where such an access would go. He said he relied on his colleagues to find an exact location.

Township Operations Director Jody LaPlante also called for two full accesses, agreeing an emergency one is hard to maintain in winter.

He also said the proposed configuration of the access, involving 90-degree curves to avoid a wood lot and wetland area in the area, could be accommodated safely. He added there was a peer review of the process, and it determined the anticipated traffic volumes would be well below the capacity of a local road.

Township Solicitor Jose Matera argued all the issues pertaining to the hearing had been addressed, with the only real one being the Wilkie connection. She stressed all other alternatives had been studies and examined. "Wilkie is the only viable option," she concluded.

Webb argued the extension of Wilkie is needed in the interests of safety, convenience and community connectivity. He added it's consistent with the policies of the local Official Plan. He also said the alternatives were considered and rejected "and for good reason."