Guelph-Eramosa council supported three consent applications at its May 2 meeting.
5044 Whitelaw Road
Council supported the consent application for a lot line adjustment to sever 0.06 hectares (0.15 acres) from the northern boundary of 5044 Whitelaw Rd.
The severed portion will merge with the adjacent property to the north at 7147 Wellington Road 124. The adjustment meets requirements for the zoning bylaw and the Official Plan. Both lots of land are zoned agricultural.
Both lots will meet the minimum lot size requirements. However, township planning associate Kelsey Lang said there was a frame garage on the adjacent parcel that does not appear to meet interior side yard setbacks or a non-conforming status. A minor variance is needed to acknowledge the reduced setback or proof needs to be given that the garage met regulations when it was built. The final decision lies with Wellington County.
5520 Highway 6
Council supported a consent application for a lot line adjustment to sever 0.09 hectare (0.22 acres) from the interior boundary on the south side of 5520 Highway 6. The severed portion is to be merged with 7450 Conservation Rd., an adjacent property to the east.
Lang said the retained lot will be 38.5 hectares in size and meets the minimum required lot area; however the abutting property will fall just short of the 0.4 hectare minimum lot size at 0.37 hectares. She said a minor variance will be needed to show the lot area deficiency.
Councillor Mark Bouwmeester asked why the severed portion wasn’t sized to meet minimum lot size requirements.
“So that is an option that the applicants may choose to pursue,” Lang said. “At this point they’re requesting that amount of land to bring them just under the requirement. So it is in the realm that if a minor variance was submitted it would likely be supported because it’s quite close but the applicants may choose to adjust their application to request that 0.4.”
The adjustment meets the requirements of the Official Plan and the zoning bylaw. Though the lot is zoned prime agricultural and core green lands, the severed portion will only impact the prime agricultural section. The final decision lies with Wellington County.
5155 Fourth Line
The lot at 5155 Fourth Line near Rockwood is zoned agricultural/village residential low density. The application asks that the portion within the urban centre of Rockwood be severed to support a new subdivision. The retained portion will remain farmland.
However, Lang pointed out that the proposed subdivision and consent application do not match the urban boundary on the northeast corner of the proposed severed portion.
“In addition to the comments and conditions that we brought forward at the last council meeting, which are that the owner satisfy the requirements of the township and that an easement be designed to the satisfaction of the township.”
