Deputy Mayor Dan Armour responds to resident calling municipal survey “absurd” | Letters

Paul 

Thank you for your comments. 

On behalf of council please see the response to your concerns. I can assure you that this council is very adept of the direction of Huntsville.

In the midst of housing challenges, the Town is proactively taking steps to implement the Strategic Plan(External link) priority of “balanced growth” through a responsible and cautious approach. 

Under  Pillar #1 Objective #1 and 1.1 of the Strat Plan the following action was identified.     

Balanced Growth – 1.1: Review planning legislation and policies to support flexibility and optimize land use, including in rural areas, to address different community needs. 

In April 2024, planning staff completed a Height & Density Background Review and Directions Report(External link), that indicated the need for enhanced planning policy tools. As a next step, the Town is seeking public input on “Significant Views” to inform the Height and Density Evaluation Criteria. 

You can find helpful background about why the Town is doing this survey online at https://myhuntsville.ca/height-density.  Also online is an FAQ that provides additional background.     

The public survey you noted concerns with is just one (1) of seven (7) directions coming out of the Height & Density Background Review and Directions Report.  Please read the report for further information. 

In a nutshell, the survey being conducted is to help map out areas in Huntsville where increased height and density should OR should not be considered.  Where suitable areas exist, performance standards would be applied, as outlined in updated planning rules used to guide development in such areas, along with the Evaluation Criteria being developed.  The performance standards would trigger further visual impact assessment requirements, community benefit requirements, and include design and landscaping objectives to be met.  Other directions outlined in the Directions Report relate to the development of various tools to support the criteria, such Terms of Reference for Visual Impact Assessments, Landscaping Standards for Increase Height and Density and Revegetation Guides, and Community Benefit Contribution Guidelines. 

With the above context in mind, please see our responses to your comments below.    

1. Huntsville is a critical component of Muskoka and a doorway to the majestic destination of Algonquin Park.  Just because the Federal Liberals have created an immigration, housing, healthcare disaster, and they push to create high density housing, it does not mean we need to continue this reckless and dangerous management in isolation. Muskoka is a gem for all and MUST be preserved. We do not want to look like the squaller created in Barrie. 

We agree that Huntsville is a special place.  As noted above, the work being conducted by our planning department is in response to housing challenges being felt in our community.  It has been identified as an objective in the Town’s Strategic Plan that we will be reviewing planning legislation and policies to support flexibility and optimize land use, including in rural areas, to address different community needs.  The planning department is interested in learning more from residents about significant views so they can map these valued viewsheds, overlay them with constraint areas, and identify suitability areas where further growth can be contemplated; also where it should not.  As outlined in the above referenced Height & Density Background Review and Directions Report, this is just one of the Directions being undertaken.   

2. Where is the official plan in this process. I have argued that this Council has no idea what Huntsville should be recognized as of now and for the future. This has to be platform that residents must rally around not just these last-minute reckless endeavours or isolated requests. 

As discussed in the Height & Density Background Review and Directions Report, Council directed staff to review H&D and develop criteria to determine where and under what circumstances increases to height and density would be appropriate.  Section 2.3 of the Directions Report outlines all relevant policy considerations, including the Huntsville Official Plan (see Section 2.3.5 of the Report).  The Official Plan focuses balanced growth through intensification to the Huntsville Urban Settlement Area and includes criteria to be considered when considering development applications that propose higher density developments.  The Official Plan also contains policies respecting the criteria to be considered when applicants propose development in such areas that exceed current height and density standards.  

3. You address new development but have never once addressed the look for Huntsville. Towns like Oakville, Collingwood, Stratford and many others have done a magnificent job in creating a look and presence supporting the Towns visions. Huntsville has not! 

The work being conducted is the work needed to achieve the positive design outcomes you are referencing.  As part of the Height & Density Background Review and Directions Report, Section 2.6 in the Directions Report describes the extensive review of best practice examples conducted by Town planning staff, which included municipalities throughout Ontario, Canada and the world.  Previous planning and urban design related projects in Huntsville, including the 2010 Downtown Community Improvement Plan used to guide development in the central business area, are also documented, along with key takeaways in Section 2.4 of that Report.  In addition to mapping suitable areas for potential height and density increases, informed by the public survey currently being conducted, other Directions outlined in the Directions Report include developing Terms of Reference for Visual Impact Assessments, Landscaping Standards for Increase Height and Density and Revegetation Guides, and Community Benefit Contribution Guidelines.   

4. How can residents respond to an isolated survey without knowing what the “high density” plan is? I must assume this council has no plan. 

Please refer to the Height & Density Background Review and Directions Report. 

5. Many do not trust that this Council has any ability to lead and as an example you approved the condo on Brunel that is absolutely disastrous planning. There are many other issues tied to this development which have demonstrate the downward spiral for Huntsville. 

The building referenced on Brunel Road was a historic approval, with grandfathered development rights and setback provisions.  The final design was the subject of much discussion with Council, resulting in a building that uses natural materials to reflect Muskoka’s natural beauty and requirements for extensive shoreline revegetation plantings.  

6. It is “RUMOURED” that you have approved the development of a condo beside Boston Pizza taking this water access away from residents to give to developers. This makes me conclude that your “significant views” survey is nothing more than a shame to appease residents. 

No applications for development of this location have been considered by Council.   

7. How can you look at high density from a “significant views” prospective in isolation of ensuring we have infrastructure, healthcare, education, recreation and support programs in place, which we do not now. Look at the mess with our hospital strategy. 

The province recently provided $54 million in funding to help ensure that appropriate water and sewer infrastructure will be available to support our projected growth.  The Town has also taken steps (see recent media release regarding the successes of the Physician Recruitment Program) to encourage more family doctors to relocate to Huntsville, and address our citizens’ needs, and has committed to funding $10 million of the local share for the development of a new hospital site in Huntsville.  Healthcare is a provincial responsibility; the Town is going over and above our legislative mandate in order to provide for our residents.   

8. While we need to have logical and planned development it does not mean that we have to destroy all green spaces such as you previously approved for  developments such like the Summit. This council does appear to have the leadership nor the ability to provide an integrated plan detailing the future for Huntsville. You jump from one pet issue to another like the “Pride Crosswalk” or the “washrooms for waterfront”  yet you cannot develop a vision for Huntsville.  Council needs to have a residents group that provides real time guidance and helps protect the integrity of the Town. We thought that is what we voted for but it is now apparent we do not have that. 

The Official Plan was updated in 2019 and contains the community’s vision for the future growth of Huntsville.  The work being conducted relates to the intensification targets outlined in this Plan.  All natural constraint and growth management related policies contained in the Official Plan will apply to new development applications.  The Summit development was again an approval from the early 1990s.  The Town has adopted a Community Planning Permit (CPP) By-law, which allows the municipality to better regulate new development in the Town in keeping with the 2019 Official Plan.  As a result of the CPP By-law, site alteration and vegetation removal activities are now regulated in Huntsville and additional development constraints are applied in all mapped natural heritage features and areas and flood hazard lands.   

For the future of Muskoka and Huntsville you really need to readdress your planning and priorities. We are running out of time before we become known as the “armpit of Muskoka”. 

The Mayor and Council, on behalf of the Town, share your concerns and aspirations to see the Town of Huntsville grow and thrive, as evidenced in the Town’s Strategic Plan, which is our “North Star” upon which we endeavor to base all initiatives and directives at the Town, in our key strategic Pillars of:  

• Balanced Growth 
• Protected Natural Environment 
• Lively, Health & Safe Communities 

Huntsville Deputy Mayor Dan Armour

Below is the open letter to Huntsville Council that Deputy Mayor Dan Armour was responding to:

Recently I read in the Doppler Online that this council has approved a survey titled “significant views” which is somehow tied to high density growth for Huntsville. This survey is absurd for many reasons as follows:

1. Huntsville is a critical component of Muskoka and a doorway to the majestic destination of Algonquin Park.  Just because the Federal Liberals have created an immigration, housing, healthcare disaster, and they push to create high density housing, it does not mean we need to continue this reckless and dangerous management in isolation. Muskoka is a gem for all and MUST be preserved. We do not want to look like the squaller created in Barrie.
2. Where is the official plan in this process. I have argued that this Council has no idea what Huntsville should be recognized as of now and for the future. This has to be platform that residents must rally around not just these last-minute reckless endeavours or isolated requests.
3. You address new development but have never once addressed the look for Huntsville. Towns like Oakville, Collingwood, Stratford and many others have done a magnificent job in creating a look and presence supporting the Towns visions. Huntsville has not!
4. How can residents respond to an isolated survey without knowing what the “high density” plan is? I must assume this council has no plan.
5. Many do not trust that this Council has any ability to lead and as an example you approved the condo on Brunel that is absolutely disastrous planning. There are many other issues tied to this development which have demonstrate the downward spiral for Huntsville.
6. It is “RUMOURED” that you have approved the development of a condo beside Boston Pizza taking this water access away from residents to give to developers. This makes me conclude that your “significant views” survey is nothing more than a shame to appease residents.
7. How can you look at high density from a “significant views” prospective in isolation of ensuring we have infrastructure, healthcare, education, recreation and support programs in place, which we do not now. Look at the mess with our hospital strategy.
8. While we need to have logical and planned development it does not mean that we have to destroy all green spaces such as you previously approved for  developments such like the Summit.

This council does appear to have the leadership nor the ability to provide an integrated plan detailing the future for Huntsville. You jump from one pet issue to another like the “Pride Crosswalk” or the “washrooms for waterfront”  yet you cannot develop a vision for Huntsville.  Council needs to have a residents group that provides real time guidance and helps protect the integrity of the Town. We thought that is what we voted for but it is now apparent we do not have that.

For the future of Muskoka and Huntsville you really need to readdress your planning and priorities. We are running out of time before we become known as the “armpit of Muskoka”.

We love the area but not the direction you currently have demonstrated.

Regards,

Paul Johnston

Huntsville

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