The Chair requested staff to advise on the manner of giving notice for the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment. He also asked staff to briefly describe the proposal and summarize the correspondence, if any, received to date.
Mr. Holy confirmed that the required notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act and circulated to each owner of land within 120 metres, and that a sign was posted on the subject property. He summarized the application, explaining that it proposes to change the R1-S14, R1-S15, R1-S16 and R1-S17 zones to accommodate an encroachment of 1.5m for any porch and an additional 1.5m for any stairs beyond a porch in the front yard; and an encroachment of 1.8 m for any deck or stairs in the rear yard. The zoning change will permit encroachments into the front and rear yards for front porches, stairs and decks that are currently not permitted by the Zoning By-law and this will not change the lot pattern or the proposed uses within the draft plan of subdivision. The application is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, conforms to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe and the Victoria County Official Plan. Mr. Holy summarized the comments received to date, as detailed in his report, noting that subsequent to the writing of the report additional comments were received from Brian Levacic, Kristen Maguire, Greg Mathieu, and Robert Shedlowich in opposition to the application with drainage, privacy, and construction related concerns. Comments were also received from Curve Lake First Nation requesting more comments on the application. Staff altered their recommendation in light of the comments received and recommended that this matter be referred to the August 4th Planning Advisory Committee meeting. He responded to questions from Committee members.
The Chair inquired if the applicant wished to speak to the application.
Eldon Theodore of MHBC Limited spoke on behalf of the developer and responded to the questions raised noting that the setbacks proposed are typical of current developments in Ontario, and that it would enhance usability in both yards. He also advised that they have already responded to Curve Lake First Nation, however their response has yet to be received. He further noted that they are exploring opportunities for additional screening such as trees or chain link fencing to address privacy concerns, and emphasized that this application is to address technical adjustments for the approvals already in place. He stated that they are supportive to take this application back to the next Planning Advisory Committee meeting to mitigate the concerns addressed.
The Chair inquired if anyone wished to speak to the application.
Robert Shedlowich spoke as a nearby resident and presented concerns about drainage, and tree damage to his property due to ongoing development construction and questioned if a privacy fence would be installed instead of the proposed chain link fence. He also noted the potential for seasonal melting and runoff with the elevation differences between the new lots and the lots along Front Street.
Greg Mathieu spoke as a nearby resident and presented concerns about runoff and drainage, including ditch drainage into Sturgeon Lake during the walleye spawn. He also noted that due to the elevation difference between the lots, that there would still be privacy concerns even if a privacy fence is installed. He requested that the developer consider the interest of the area residents, as they should not take the brunt of the development.
Brian Levacic spoke as a nearby resident and requested a graphic of the changes between the by-laws, and noted that a tree came down after the blasting in the development.
Saad Tabani spoke on behalf of Three Lakes Developments and stated that the comments expressed today would be taken into consideration. He noted that they are considering tree planting and a privacy fence for the rear yards to address the privacy concerns. He also noted that he would work with their engineers to address the drainage concerns.
No other persons spoke to the application.
The Public Meeting concluded at 2:22pm.