The Grand River Conservation Authority believes that at least in some instances, Centre Wellington’s building restrictions on Belwood Lake cottage lots are redundant.
On Jan. 24, Centre Wellington councillors held a public meeting to look at amending its zoning bylaw to delete some of those regulations.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj explained the purpose of the proposed zoning by-law amendment is to delete Subsection 9.3.2.3 of the Township of Centre Wellington Zoning By-law. The section establishes building regulations for leasehold cottage sites on lands that are zoned Conservation Area (CA).
The amendment would delete the regulations regarding the maximum building height and maximum floor area of cottages on leasehold cottage sites owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) at Lake Belwood.
Ross-Zuj said the GRCA has adopted a Cottage Lot Site Development Policy which governs the development of cottage lots, including maximum height and floor area, and therefore the GRCA considers the township zoning regulations to be redundant.
Centre Wellington Director of Planning Brett Salmon explained that in Centre Wellington there are a few conservation areas and a lot of land owned by the GRCA.
Under the zoning bylaw, those lands are categorized as CA – Conservation Area.
In that, existing cottage leasehold sites are permitted, he said. The Belwood conservation area, he said, happens to be the only location in Centre Wellington where there are cottage sites.
“Even though the zone applies to all conservation areas, this is the only location with cottages.”
Therefore, he said, the zoning amendment only deals with the cottage lots around Lake Belwood. The lots are rented out by the GRCA.
Salmon also noted that as Centre Wellington was developing its zoning bylaw, there were discussions and deliberations going on between the Lake Belwood cottagers association and the GRCA.
“There was a time when the GRCA was making an effort to restrict the cottage lot program and a move to reduce the maximum cottage size.”
Salmon said, “What we didn’t know when we were doing our zoning bylaw, was that the dispute between the cottagers association and the GRCA was going through mediation and being resolved.
“Unfortunately, as it turns out, just around the time we passed our zoning bylaw in 2009, which implemented a restriction on cottage size, which was consistent with previous drafts of the GRCA cottage policies.”
He said that just after the bylaw passed, the township found out the cottager associations at both Lake Belwood and Conestogo Lake and the GRCA had developed a new cottage lot site development policy.
“As it turns out, the two documents conflict,” he added.
Salmon said the GRCA cottage site development policy goes through quite a bit of detail. That policy regulates the ‘footprint’ of the cottage at 1,500 square feet, whereas the township zoning bylaw had it pegged the total floor area at 1,500 square feet.
He said the GRCA document regulates the size of attached garages, accessory buildings as well as additions and/or replacement cottages or blocking views.
Salmon said the only township regulations which applied are the total floor area and the height restrictions.
He noted on Lake Conestogo in Mapleton Township, the zoning bylaw had no similar municipal regulations on cottages.
He also noted that prior to the new Centre Wellington zoning bylaw, the former township of West Garafraxa set a minimum square footage of 1,500 square feet.
“They didn’t restrict the size of cottages either.”
Salmon said “the proposal is to go back to the way things used to be – and allowing the GRCA policy to regulate the cottages.”
He said the process for someone building onto or replacing a cottage would include them first meeting the GRCA requirements and then coming to the township building department for a permit.
Salmon pointed out the Ministry of Environment, not the township, is the approval authority for septic systems.
Typically, the municipality would be responsible, but Salmon explained because the conservation area is considered as one property with sewage flows exceeding 10,000 litres a day it is the responsibility of the MOE to approve the septic systems.
“We trust the GRCA and the MOE to address these issues.”
GRCA viewpoint
Michael Bradley is the GRCA’s director of operations, and as such, operates the cottage lot program for the GRCA. He was joined by Keith McKee, president of the Belwood Lake Cottagers Association.
Bradley said Belwood Lake was completed in 1942 and continues to be a key element in the Grand River watershed.
The lake contains floodwaters from the northern part of the watershed during high periods of runoff and stores that, and augments flows of water when water is limited.
“While stored, thousands of individuals pursue recreational opportunities on that lake.”
And, the cottages at Belwood Lake definitely evolved to capitalize on that recreational opportunity, Bradley said.
Bradley noted that soon after the reservoir was completed, lots were lotteried to inidividuals who were allowed to build cottages – in return for a lease payment to the GCRA.
“The small weekend getaways became summer residences,” a process he described as similar to other cottage areas throughout Ontario.
Currently there are 334 cottage lots on Belwood Lake, he said.
In 2008, the GRCA entered into a new residential lease with its cottage tenants.
“Full time winter occupancy is not permitted although short periods of winter use are allowed.” He said the program lease allows improvements and renovations.
“We feel it is natural for cottage owners to expand their cottages to make them more comfortable, more efficient and safer.”
Bradley added that each year a handful of cottages demolish the small hand-built cottages built in the past, to replace them with new cottages that meet building code standards.
Council had no issue to amending its zoning bylaw to delete its requirements for floor area and height restrictions.
Salmon pointed out this is the only area in Centre Wellington where cottages are allowed.
