ELORA ‒ A local developer is asking council to consider providing comments to the county and province to classify the proposed location for a future development as "one of the best for settlement expansion."
Delegating during a council meeting Monday evening, Cachet Developments has requested council provide support classifying a 286-lot mixed-use development on a 30-acre property at the corner of Irvine Street and Woolwich Street near Salem Public School as a logical and optimal location to accommodate the township's new settlement boundary expansion.
The delegation was in response to the province's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra requesting local municipal input regarding the proposed reversal of the modifications to Wellington County's Official Plan Amendment 119 (OPA).
While the proposed development areas were originally included in the province's plans for the county's settlement expansion, they've since been removed by provincial "resettling."
"I think there's a great opportunity to do a lot more density on this property certainly fulfilling the need for land that Elora," said Matthew Cory, representing Cachet Developments during the meeting. "Having more and more housing...also forestalls the need to have additional land come on eventually."
But in council's letter to the province, Mayor Shawn Watters requested all expansions to the Fergus and Elora-Salem Urban Centre boundaries be reversed as no planning approvals have been granted, no construction has begun and reserving these changes would not contravene provincial legislation or regulation.
He also asked for changes to the existing policy areas text and mapping for the Fergus Golf Course Recreational/Residential area, as well as the Employment Conversion in the Elora-Salem Urban Centre affecting 22 Park Road be retained.
"I think we really need to wait to see what county is doing. We really can't do much until they decide on some things," said Coun. Lisa MacDonald, during the meeting. "And we've developed quite a bit since I came into council, I've released a lot of lots and a lot of buildings, so I'm okay with being patient on this."
No further action followed the delegation.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
