<\/p>\n
This month, residents had what is likely their final public opportunity to provide input to Huntsville’s draft Official Plan. Town Council held a special meeting to hear presentations from citizens who want to see changes to the plan. While written comments can still be submitted up until the time that the Official Plan is adopted at the District level, the January 16 meeting was the last in a series of planned public consultations since 2015 that included visioning sessions, open houses, and public meetings.<\/p>\n
The council chambers gallery was filled to capacity for the meeting. Most were there to hear what was being said by those who came to present on topics ranging from water quality and the significance of Skeleton Lake, to commercial properties and affordable or ‘smart value’ housing.<\/p>\n
“This draft plan is completely different than the 2006 approved version,” noted the Town’s Manager of Planning, Kirstin Maxwell. Among the changes are four<\/span> areas<\/span> of<\/span> resiliency\u2014<\/span>environmental<\/span>, <\/span>economic<\/span>, <\/span>social<\/span>, <\/span>and<\/span> infrastructure\u2014as well as new policies regarding climate change and active transportation. The plan also proposes recognizing Hidden Valley as a recreational resort node rather than a community.<\/span><\/p>\n Lake associations, water quality and quarries<\/strong><\/p>\n Residents from the Skeleton Lake area as well as a representative from the Skeleton Lake Cottagers Organization appeared before council to stress the importance of protecting the lake’s unique qualities for the future.<\/p>\n Skeleton Lake is thought to have been formed by a meteorite impact thousands of years ago and, as a result, has geological features not found elsewhere in Muskoka. Those are worth preserving, said those who spoke to council. They’d like to see the lake recognized as a natural heritage feature.<\/p>\n Speakers also noted the lake’s clarity, which makes it a popular spot for divers, its low phosphorus content, and lack of mercury, and that it is the source water for about 300 residents.<\/p>\n They would like to see a requirement for new<\/span> water-access-only lots<\/span> on<\/span> Skeleton Lake to <\/span>have<\/span> 90<\/span> metres<\/span> of frontage rather than 60 to match the policy in the Township of Muskoka Lakes (Skeleton Lake is half in the Town of Huntsville and half in Muskoka Lakes), non-industrial zoning for a two-kilometre buffer surrounding Skeleton Lake in particular and waterfront designations in general to prevent uses like quarries and rock crushing facilities, and policies for source water protection.<\/span><\/p>\n Councillors heard similar requests from other lake associations.<\/p>\n A representative from the Lake Waseosa Ratepayers’ Association proposed lake-specific requirements for Waseosa as well as nearby Ripple, Palette and Jessop (Jingo) lakes, including development of lakefront properties for residential use only except for the Camp Huronda property, a minimum lake frontage of 120m for new lots, a suspension of new lot creation if phosphorus levels increase by more than 50 per cent of background levels, a minimum setback of 30m from the high water mark for new development, and minimum setbacks for redevelopment of properties.<\/p>\n The Lake Vernon Association took a broader approach, requesting across-the-board zero tolerance for encroachment on critical fish habitat, greater protection of all wetlands along with a database identifying where they are and any development or site alteration that occurs, and greater attention to the vocabulary used throughout the Official Plan. “T<\/span>he<\/span> intent<\/span> of many<\/span> positive<\/span> changes<\/span> in <\/span>the<\/span> new<\/span> Official<\/span> Plan<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> ensured<\/span> by<\/span> simply<\/span> strengthening<\/span> the<\/span> wording<\/span>. W<\/span>ords<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> ‘should’<\/span> need<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> replaced<\/span> with<\/span> ‘will’<\/span> in<\/span> certain<\/span> instances,” said representative, Tracey Rast. “<\/span>Similarly<\/span>, <\/span>terms<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> substantial<\/span> and<\/span> protected<\/span> should<\/span> be<\/span> defined<\/span>.”<\/span><\/p>\n Commercial properties<\/strong><\/p>\n Local planner Wayne Simpson spoke on behalf of three of his clients\u2014North Granite Ridge, Clublink’s Mark O’Meara golf course, and the former Grandview Resort\u2014requesting changes specific to their properties.<\/p>\n At North Granite Ridge, the owners have requested a change to the land use designation for part of the property. Currently the entire property is designated open space, and although they have no current development plans they’d like a portion to be changed to community residential to allow for the possibility of an estate-style residential development adjacent to the golf course.<\/p>\n At Mark O’Meara, the owners would like a redesignation of parts of the property in the Official Plan to permit recreational resort residential development, but at a lower density than what is currently required in the plan.<\/p>\n And at the former Grandview Resort, where a new residential development, The Waterfront at Grandview, is already underway, Simpson said that the property’s resort designation unfairly limits residential units to 50 per cent of the existing or proposed units, a designation that doesn’t fit the intended use of the property. That policy<\/span> would<\/span> also “be<\/span> contrary<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> demands<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> marketplace<\/span> which<\/span> dictate<\/span> that<\/span> purchasers be given <\/span>the<\/span> freedom<\/span> to<\/span> choose<\/span> how<\/span> they<\/span> use<\/span> their<\/span> units<\/span>, <\/span>whether<\/span> for residential<\/span> purposes, <\/span>commercial<\/span> purposes<\/span> or<\/span> a combination<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> two,” said Simpson.<\/span><\/p>\n Affordable or smart value housing<\/strong><\/p>\n Former mayor Claude Doughty, who is an owner of the Grandview property, also spoke to the Official Plan’s affordable or “smart value housing” target of 10 per cent of every new development larger than 10 units.<\/p>\n He said that placing the onus solely on developers was unfair and noted that the District of Muskoka already has affordable housing programs. “Our suggestion<\/span> is<\/span> that<\/span> that’s<\/span> where<\/span> that<\/span> issue<\/span> should<\/span> stay<\/span>….T<\/span>here<\/span> are<\/span> some<\/span> projects<\/span> that<\/span> may<\/span> well<\/span> be<\/span> suited<\/span> to<\/span> that<\/span> and<\/span> and<\/span> maybe<\/span> more.<\/span> In<\/span> fact<\/span>, <\/span>there’s<\/span> some<\/span> strategic<\/span> properties<\/span> in<\/span> downtown<\/span> Huntsville<\/span> that<\/span> if an RFP came out<\/span> maybe<\/span> they<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> 50<\/span> or<\/span> 60<\/span> per cent affordable<\/span> housing<\/span>. <\/span>And<\/span> that’s<\/span> something<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> municipality<\/span> could<\/span> handle<\/span> case <\/span>by case<\/span> doing<\/span> an<\/span> RFP<\/span> as<\/span> opposed<\/span> to<\/span> mandating<\/span> that<\/span> every<\/span> project<\/span> that’s<\/span> got<\/span> 10<\/span> or<\/span> more<\/span> units<\/span> has<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> 10 per cent<\/span> affordable (housing),” he said, adding, “<\/span>I<\/span> think<\/span> it’s<\/span> a<\/span> burden<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> all<\/span> share<\/span>…<\/span>we<\/span> all<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> involved<\/span> in<\/span> doing<\/span> a<\/span> lot<\/span> of<\/span> work<\/span> on<\/span> this<\/span> issue<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> last<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> years<\/span> and<\/span> we’ve<\/span> got<\/span> more<\/span> work<\/span> to<\/span> do,<\/span> there’s<\/span> no<\/span> question<\/span> about<\/span> that.” Doughty said that while the Grandview property wouldn’t be an appropriate location for affordable housing, his company would be “interested in doing something downtown that could be really quite significant.”<\/span><\/p>\n He said that partnerships will be critical to a solution for affordable housing and that “we all as a community need to share in the solution.”<\/p>\n Developer Larry Ross added that one of the issues with developing new affordable housing is that the cost of servicing land with sewer and water in the core of town is costly. “If there are other areas we can develop where the cost of servicing is not as high, that allows us to be a little bit creative with what we are doing.”<\/p>\n Ross said that adjustments to the estate residential guidelines in the draft Official Plan, in particular the requirement for lots to be at least two hectares in size, would provide options for compact design on large rural lots while minimizing servicing costs, which would in turn allow for more affordable housing. He also said that there could be opportunities for affordable housing in the settlement communities of Novar, Utterson and Port Sydney if some of the restrictive language in the Official Plan is adjusted.<\/p>\n Careful consideration for mixed land use<\/strong><\/p>\n A representative from Budget Propane asked that council be cognizant of future land use and keep safety in mind. He used the company’s plant off Highway 11 south of town as an example, and said that while that plant in particular is safe and abides by regulations and industry best practices, as Huntsville grows council may want to consider limiting or prohibiting high-density residential or commercial properties, like hotels, nearby the plant on both sides of the highway.<\/p>\n Residents still have opportunity to make written comments<\/strong><\/p>\n At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Scott Aitchison noted that “where<\/span> a<\/span> proposed<\/span> Official<\/span> Plan<\/span> is<\/span> being <\/span>considered<\/span> an<\/span> opponent<\/span> must<\/span> provide <\/span>an<\/span> oral<\/span> submissions<\/span> at a <\/span>