CENTRE WELLINGTON – Despite requests from developers to put the brakes on the township’s urban boundary expansion pending an analysis of the new Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) as well as new population targets, council has endorsed the new urban boundary recommended by staff.
Centre Wellington council heard delegations on behalf of Breymark Homes, Polocorp, Cachet Homes, and Stovel and Associates at its Oct. 28 meeting.
Each noted how close their properties are to the new proposed urban boundary, how easily they could be connected to township servicing, and how their land is not currently being farmed and therefore no farmland would be lost by including them in the urban boundary.
David Galbraith of Up Consulting Ltd., speaking on behalf of Polocorp, noted the new PPS had only been made public for a week, “and it provides discretion,” he said.
The proposed urban boundary has a planning horizon of 20 years while the new PPS allows planning for up to 30 years, he said.
Marcus Gagliardi of Cachet Homes suggested the new population targets in the PPS will be larger than they are now, and council will be considering expanding the boundary again in just a few years.
“Defer your decision,” he urged. “Consider the new population numbers and look at the land needs with the new numbers.
“Don’t rush this through. Let’s have the dialogue.”
Brett Salmon, the township’s managing director of planning, shot down those arguments and recommended approving the expansions as previously presented on Oct. 15.
“This council sought to minimize urban expansion (into farmland),” Salmon said, adding that is the rationale behind the recommended boundary expansion.
Salmon noted the new PPS was issued on Oct. 20 and while it is less “rigorous” than the previous PPS, “it says we can use the old population numbers. This boundary will take us out to 2051.”
The new PPS also lumps Guelph and Wellington County together, so it is not clear how or where the new numbers will be allocated.
Salmon said if council endorses the plan, it will go to Wellington County for an official plan amendment.
There will be public meetings and opportunities to delegate to the county. Township endorsement does not mean it’s a done deal.
“It will come back here (to Centre Wellington council) and it might not be what we see today,” Salmon said.
He also pointed out the township has received urban boundary expansion requests from developers that total 973 hectares, or 2,400 acres.
The proposed expansion adds 326 hectares to the boundary.
Mayor Shawn Watters said, “2,400 acres of requests – that’s a lot of land.
“And that would add another 100,000 people,” whereas the current population projection is 56,000 – and that is already double the current population.
“We’re trying to make sense of it, but the numbers are real; 100,000 people is real.”
Council voted in favour of the new boundary.
It will go to Wellington County for discussion, public consultation, and eventually an official plan amendment.
