Wellington North council has supported a unique sewage system solution as part of a developer’s plan to build 10 townhouses on Mount Forest’s eastern edge.
At the March 13 meeting, council discussed at length how to move forward with servicing in the area.
At first, all councillors said they did not support the developer’s plan, but in the end, they gave the proposal the green light.
Developer Brad Wilson, who attended the meeting, wants to develop a parcel located at the corner of London Road and Durham Street East, where currently there are no municipal services.
The property cannot be serviced by the usual hook up to a Durham Street East extension because there would not be sufficient ground cover for the gravity-fed system.
Wilson’s proposal, first presented to council on Feb. 27, includes a service extension from Durham Street East that would connect to each property with privately-owned sewage grinder pumps with battery backup pumps.
The system conflicts with the township servicing master plan.
Township consultant Frank Vanderloo of B.M. Ross and Associates prepared a report, also presented at the Feb. 27 meeting, with a number of servicing alternatives.
Four alternatives considered by township staff were:
– Durham Street sewer extension with a new sewage pumping station at a cost of $510,000;
– Durham Street sewer extension with a low pressure sewer (Wilson’s proposal) costing $160,000;
– Birmingham Street sewer extension costing $775,000; and
– Sligo Road sewer extension costing $1,550,000.
All of the proposed costs would be for sanitary sewer work alone and would require further funds for water, storm sewer and road reconstruction.
Vanderloo said Wilson’s proposal would be “undesirable from the township’s perspective since it would not follow the master plan concept of having gravity sanitary servicing for this general area.”
Staff also recommended properties be serviced by gravity. However, Mayor Andy Lennox said council should consider this as a pilot project for the new type of service.
Lennox argued the Sligo road expansion, which was the preferred option, could cost up to $4.4 million for complete reconstruction. With other land plots not scheduled for development, this option would become costly.
“Not having those other landowners in a position where they are ready to develop, is going to mean we’re going to pass costs back to the existing ratepayers and taxpayers,” said Lennox.
Councillor Lisa Hern asked Wilson what would happen if the proposal was not approved by council.
“I can’t afford to stay,” said Wilson.
Council voted unanimously to support the proposal with conditions, allowing Wilson to move forward in the development process.
The conditions are:
– sanitary servicing of the developer’s second parcel of lands, located south of the current property, will be completed by gravity sanitary servicing via extension of the Birmingham Street sewer or Sligo Road sewer;
– the developer is responsible for the design and design costs of work within the township and in conformance with the building code, as well as responsible for obtaining all necessary approvals/permits;
– ensuring there is adequate cover depth for the proposed private services to eliminate freezing concerns;
– confirming with the township that the downstream existing sanitary sewer (Durham to Church to Birmingham) has the required capacity to service peak flows of the proposed development; and
– providing a conceptual layout and servicing scheme for the retained lands.
The issue brought up a council discussion about the extension of services to land slated for development.
Hern asked if the township can start extending Sligo Road sewers in order to prepare for development.
CAO Mike Givens said it is possible but the township has not been focusing on service expansion.
“Our budget is strictly based on our rehabilitation program,” said Givens. “We didn’t give any real thought to development-related projects as part of our budget.”
The discussion underlines key factors in the growth planning process, said Lennox, adding the township has not extended any services in Mount Forest since he joined council six years ago.
“Timely servicing can make or break good development proposals,” said Lennox. “If we can’t deliver services in a timely way, developers are not going to develop here.”
