Planning, new committee, strat plan, littering and clear cuts: full agenda in South Frontenac

Wilma Kenny | Mar 11, 2020

Joe Gallivan (Director of Planning and Economic Development) and Megan Rueckwald (Manager of Community Planning) came to Council as a delegation from Frontenac County. They brought an update on population projections for South Frontenac and outlined some of the planning advantages of introducing privately owned communal water and sewage treatment services in South Frontenac.

“The timing couldn’t be better”, said Gallivan, referring to the Township’s current updating of the Official Plan, and the projection that 80% of the County’s population growth over the next few decades is projected to occur in Southern Frontenac. He described how communal services would make it possible to develop smaller lots, to create infill and more ‘walkable’ communities. One issue is the requirement that the municipality support communal systems by assuming some responsibility for the greater degree of financial risk.

Mayor Vandewal said the first five years would be critical: if the municipality could hold some of the responsibility for that period, it would allow time to build up a reserve and become self-supporting for maintenance issues, much as the Sydenham water treatment plant has done. 

Councillor Morey referred to last week’s delegations of residents upset about a subdivision setback being changed to permit a smaller front yard setback. “Might this tightening of space and greater density discourage people?”

“This will be the Township’s decision,” said Gallivan; “There are people coming from the city who don’t know anything about septic systems, and might prefer not to have to learn how to live with one.”

Vandewal added that there would probably be a market for people who couldn’t afford large lots and houses.

Claire Dodds (Township Director of Development Services), said “This would give us a viable alternative to the current lot size, which right now we do not have. We can set the limits, the parameters. It might be a good way to provide more units for seniors.

Councillor Ruttan agreed; “Smaller lots could provide a wider range of living choices for our residents.

Deputy Mayor Sutherland asked if there was any room for consideration of the effects of climate change; Rueckwald replied that the development consultation process could take these concerns into consideration. Mayor Vandewal summed the discussion up; “What’s most important is that our Township plans and controls how future growth takes place.”

Lake Ecosystem Advisory Committee

Following a request from Council, CAO Carbone brought a draft of terms of reference for a proposed Lake Ecosystem Advisory Committee for discussion. This committee could meet quarterly and would provide a new conduit through which council and senior staff could receive feedback from Lake Associations annually in advance of the budget process, and would also provide feedback to the township as it develops a lake study grant program.

Its priority would be to “promote and support growth that meets the community’s needs while maintaining the integrity of our natural environment.”

Deputy Mayor Sutherland asked why there was no provision for a secretary for the committee: Carbone said that staff would provide clerical support.

Mayor Vandewal said it was important to be clear that this is an advisory committee, to make recommendations to Council for consideration, but it would be subject to the Official Plan, the Planning Act, and other applicable township policies.

Strategic Plan Action Items

In discussing the final draft of Council’s Strategic Plan’s action items, Mayor Vandewal said that he had heard comments that positioning South Frontenac as a community leader was all the staff’s idea, so that it was important to emphasize that the Strat Plan is the result of staff-Council collaboration.

CAO Carbone agreed: “even when staff initiates an idea, they look to council for support and direction; we do not act unilaterally.”

Vandewal said that the staff/Council interrelationship was essential:

“If it was all left up to Council, probably nothing much would happen.”

Ad Bags Litter Roadsides

The problem of plastic-bagged Frontenac This Week advertising bundles littering roadsides led to a lively discussion: while some residents may look forward to these, many of the bags just pile up along streets and roadways.

Previous discussions between the Township and the distribution company have led to many promises but no resolution. (Other than the papers along the Mayor’s road have recently been stuffed into mailboxes.) Staff agreed to try to find a resolution: they will also check with other municipalities to see how they have dealt with the problem.

Lakeshore Clearcutting

Deputy Mayor Sutherland and Mayor Vandewal distributed photos of a swath of clearcutting on the Sydenham Lake shoreline just outside the village. In spite of clear evidence that all trees and undergrowth have been removed, and much of the brush has been burned on the ice, so far there seems to be nothing in the Township’s regulations that can prevent this. Only when a building or development permit is issued can a site plan with shoreline protection be instituted.