South Frontenac Council - Apr 5/16

Wilma Kenny | Apr 20, 2016

Collins Lake subdivision proposal controversial

Standing room was scarce as Storrington residents crowded into Council chambers on April 5 for a public meeting to hear and comment upon a proposal for a 51-unit, 60-hectare subdivision above Collins Lake, south of Inverary. Nineteen individuals spoke of their concerns and since then at least 18 letters have come to Council, not all from the verbal presenters. None have been in support of the proposal.

Most of the speakers identified as residents of Lyons Landing, an older, 100-unit subdivision which abuts the area proposed for development, and which would share an access road out to Holmes Road, just east of Perth Road.

The public meeting was called by the township at the request of the County Council, which is the decision-making body for all subdivision proposals within the County. South Frontenac is one of the ‘commenting agencies’ in this process, and also would need to rezone the property before it could be developed.

Township Planner Lindsay Mills’ report to Council carried three recommendations: 1) receive the comments and attachments; 2) defer any decision about rezoning until comments from the public meeting are reviewed; 3) forward the planning report, including attachments and comments from the public meeting, to the County.

Mills’ summary of the proposal pointed out the areas which complied with the Township’s Official Plan and those which called for site plan requirements. It said Public Works will need to review the impact on the area roads of the additional traffic from 51 more residences. It also highlighted the peer review of the hydrogeological and terrain analysis and servicing reports done by Malroze Engineering.

The Malroz review, which Mills appended in full, concludes that: “There are a number of concerns with respect to the water quality and quantity that we recommend be addressed to the County’s satisfaction prior to approval of the proposed subdivision…Considering the variability of the groundwater quality and quantity data we are of the opinion that the current studies do not support servicing of the site through private individual services at this time.” The same review lists 24 items in the developer’s report that are contradictory or unclear. It also asks for a copy of a 1990 report prepared for the same site by Oliver, Mangione, McCalla and Associates, which the developers reference, but do not provide.

The public meeting lasted two hours and there were 19 speakers, many applauded by the onlookers. Chief concern was quality and quantity of water and fears that 51 new wells would lower the aquifer for both the new development and the existing Lyons Landing wells. “People will be drinking each others’ urine,” commented one speaker.

Other common concerns related to:

• traffic and safety at entrances to the main roads, as well as pedestrian safety along Lakefield Drive, the road adjoining the two subdivisions

• the large number of additional homes to be added to a relatively rural area,

• loss of green space

• environmental threats to wildlife: habitat loss

• lack of space in existing schools

• water run-off and potential pollution of Collins Lake

• loss of a popular area for hiking and picnicking

• lack of access to the above-mentioned 1990 report.

Worth noting was lack of mention of the several sites of archeological interest on the site, which are currently being examined in greater detail.

Due perhaps to the late hour, Council neglected to forward the current proposal and all comments from the public to the County.