Hello! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Let’s take a look back at what transpired during Middlesex Centre’s Council meeting for September 26, 2018. If you missed it, here is the preview I wrote.
- The closed session previously mentioned occurred, and lasted until just a little past 6pm.
- The purchase of eScribe meeting agenda software was approved.
- As mentioned, there is a live streaming option available. I did some research and found nice implementations of eScribe’s agenda management and live streaming platform across Ontario, including the City of Hamilton which appears to be using eScribe’s live streaming platform. We could not shoehorn it in to 2018’s budget, but staff are working on getting firm numbers and will work on including it in 2019’s budget.
- I’m sorry I couldn’t make it happen this year, but lots of people are exciting about live streaming coming! 2019 should see the introduction of it, finally. 🙂
- We skipped ahead to correspondence items, and voted to approve waiving the rental fee for the Delaware Lions to hold an all candidates meeting for this fall’s municipal election. I imagine Mayoral, Deputy Mayoral, School Trustee, and Councillor candidates will all be invited!
- The last County Council meeting was cancelled, so we did not receive that update this time.
- We then took a 30+ minute recess prior to Committee of Adjustment and Public Meetings.
Committee of Adjustment/Public Meetings
- I will start off with saying that all the motions were approved.
- Oriole Park Resort; 22790 Amiens Road
- We voted to receive this information. Oriole Park’s owners will continue to work with staff to identify all changes that need to be made in order to allow for year round occupancy. No one spoke up to say they were against year round occupancy, but there were concerns raised around the possibility the Municipality could be on the hook, financially, in case the park were to fail as a business. The Province has assured us that that wouldn’t be the case regardless of what happens.
- The owners of Fernwood Hills also stated publicly, and in a letter, that they would like to see a privacy fence erected along the easterly edge of the property, especially because several of the homes are only 1.5m (5′) away from the property line. I fully supported this during the meeting, and I hope staff will make it a condition of any further zoning by-law amendments.
- Lupine Properties Limited, 9930 & 9918 Glendon Drive
- This motion was also approved. In speaking with Mr. Lean during the meeting, without attempting to pry too much into his business, he did reveal that he hopes primarily to attract new doctors to Komoka, and hopefully a laboratory. He would like to demolish the home to the west later down the road, and possibly open a pharmacy. He mentioned that he is a customer of Komoka Pharmacy now, as am I, and we openly stated that Michael could move his business across the road if he so chose. I asked specifically about the pharmacy knowing that Michael already operates his beside Country Hearth Restaurant, and because there will likely be one inside the Foodland opening at Tunks/Glendon. While it’s not Council’s job to protect existing businesses, I was more curious about the demand for three pharmacies, and was not surprised to hear that a third pharmacy in the area was unlikely.
- D’Lux Auto Spa, 22663 Komoka Road
- This was a hairy one! Many questions were asked of the applicant about why they wanted/needed to move off of municipal water and to a private well. The answer came down to financials, and the business not being profitable while paying municipal water rates. The owner’s business acumen was questioned, but ultimately this is one use case where the province states that drinking water is not needed, and the car wash will pay for wastewater fees on that private well. I voted against it, but the motion to allow for private well use was approved.
- 10353 Gold Creek Drive
- This was very routine, as I stated previously, and was approved quickly.
- Orange Rock Development, Block 60 Plan 33M-656
- The clarification of how far back the wall would be from Dausett Drive, that being 11m (36′), quelled much of the controversy. The planner stated they were following the discussion on Facebook closely and were sympathetic to noise and light pollution complaints. The planner said, in public, something to the effect of “Whether the Municipality decides it wants, we will do.” So that gives me great confidence that a concrete, decorative wall can be erected to dampen noise, along with appropriate lighting that does not effect neighbours’ quality of life. We will see what happens next in the site plan control phase, where much of the nitty-gritty details like walls, lighting, landscaping, etc. are dealt with.
- 2270942 Ontario Ltd., 10125 Oxbow Drive
- The owner asked that this application be deferred, and it was.
And that’s it! If you have any questions about what happened at Council last week, please email silva@middlesexcentre.on.ca, call/text 226-448-6774, hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.
Thanks for reading!