Few comments at SDG OPA meeting

CORNWALL – A pair of amendments to SDG Counties’ official plan saw few comments made at a public meeting held August 15.nnThe meeting, a procedural requirement for amending the Counties’ official planning documents, was for OPA 24 and 25.nnOPA 24 allows under certain conditions for one additional lot to be severed from rural land, instead of the current limit of two in the Township of North Glengarry only. The additional rural severance provision does not affect the other five lower-tier municipalities within SDG.nnAdditionally, OPA 24 changes provisions in all six lower-tier municipalities for urban settlement areas where a plan of subdivision may be required, a concept plan for services, storm-water, and connections to adjacent land may be also required. In rural settlement areas, a concept plan for services, storm-water and adjacent land connections will be required.nnOne South Glengarry resident, Joyce Gravelle, commented at the public meeting about the loss of rural life with the additional severances allowed.nn“When we first moved here 33 years ago, we were the first house on the left from Chapel Hill Road – one kilometre away. Today, we are the seventh house in that same one kilometre, soon to be the ninth or tenth if this amendment takes place,” she explained. While not opposed to growth, she said she wanted the Counties to consider the decision and the long term impact on existing property owners who bought their homes expecting a certain rural life.nn“[They] don’t want the lands along the rural roads to be chopped up and become suburbs. We can all move to Kanata for that.”nnOPA 25 covers the expansion or realignment of the settlement areas of several villages, towns, and hamlets within SDG Counties including Hallville, Iroquois, Morrisburg, Maxville, and Bainsville. In all, 23 areas had adjustments to the settlement area boundaries, mostly to add or re-designate land for residential development.nnCalvin Pol, director of planning services with the Township of North Dundas, said that he was pleased that some of the lands discussed for his township were added.nn“It will allow Phases Four and Five of the Wellings project to proceed. This is a significant senior-oriented development – 438 units,” he said.nnHowever he was disappointed that other land that North Dundas proposed to be re-designated was removed from this amendment as developers are eager to proceed with development.nn“I have development proposals; people trying to develop on these lands and bring new housing in. They are attached to existing settlement areas. We want these to proceed, so I urge council to, in the future, when this comes forward to seriously consider these amendments.”nnCounties’ Planner Peter Young said that the settlement areas under OPA 25 were ones that the provincial government was comfortable with. “There were some that we pulled out with discussions with the Ministry,” Young said. “Some of these [amendments] were more the immediate needs that had that justification so we will work with North Dundas and the Ministry to get those other projects coming forward at a future public meeting for sure.”