MAPLETON – A subdivision with 16 family homes is being planned in Alma.
Mapleton township held a public meeting regarding the subdivision’s draft plan and the zoning amendment needed to permit the new subdivision, and 11 Alma residents showed up to share their concerns.
“I’m counting on township and county councils to take a high level of care with deciding how many homes can be put on that property,” said Alma resident Heather Smith at the March 18 meeting.
“I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be any development at all in Alma, I’m just saying I expect the council and the officials to make a good decision that’s going to maintain the status quo of us not having to be hooked up to municipal water.”
The subdivision is proposed by owners Exact Construction on an eight-hectare (19-acre) lot at 31 Church St.
“This piece of property has gone through a lot of transitions over the years,” noted Mayor Gregg Davidson. “It was going to be a seniors’ residence at one time, it was looked at as housing, and now we’re at housing again.”
Van Harten Surveying Inc. applied for the zoning amendment on behalf of Exact Construction in order to rezone the lands from future development to unserviced residential, natural environment and open space, in order to accommodate a storm water management facility.
The zoning amendment would also allow for reduced lot area and frontage, and the plan includes a park area in the subdivision.
Without the amendment, the lots would need to be at least 0.4 hectares, whereas the proposed lots in the subdivision range from 0.2 to 0.5 hectares. The minimum frontage is 30.5 metres, whereas a few of the lots in the subdivision plan have a frontage of 30 metres.
According to a report from Mapleton planner Linda Redmond, the proposed lot sizes and dwelling types are comparable to the existing homes in Alma. Private septic is also common in the area.
The new houses are set to use private septic and wells.
Redmond said one main issue with the draft plan is nitrate load related to septic systems, which will need to be further addressed by the township’s and applicant’s engineers.
She noted the March 18 date was “just a public meeting.
“We are not looking for solutions at this point, we just want to hear what everybody’s comments, concerns (and) what they’re against … and then we will regroup and review all the reports and all the comments and make any changes that are required in order to move things forward.”
Davidson noted “this is the first time that this council has had this presented to us. We’ve read up on it and we’ve got all the information so we would love to hear from people here today.”
Alma residents, including Smith, expressed serious concerns about the impact the subdivision could have on the community’s well water as well as problems with stormwater runoff and potential flooding.
“I think water quantity is a big issue and I’d hate to see … up to 16 new houses being built and then in a short period of time after the houses being built then people start having problems” with their wells,” Smith said.
Chris Corosky, a land use planner with Van Harten Surveying Inc., said, “We have looked at [groundwater availability] and based on the preliminary work that we’ve prepared we believe that we’re in pretty good shape.”
As well as speaking during the meeting, Smith submitted 13 pages of written concerns outlining examples of potential threats to Alma’s water and asking Mapleton officials to “review carefully potential short-term as well as long-term threats” to the quantity and quality of the community’s water and how to mitigate those threats.
Alma resident Leanne Baarda said she is “majorly concerned” about how the development could impact the amount of water in her well.
Baarda is also concerned about well water contamination.
“A lot of run-off, a lot of snow will be pushed [toward] the riverbed and to the wells that are down there,” she said.
She asked if every lot would have a septic and weeping bed, and Davidson said “that’s what the plan is.”
“So then you’re going to run [the weeping beds] right down towards the river?” Baarda asked.
“I don’t believe so, but that will all come in the future plans when the engineers look at it,” Davidson said.
Wellington Source Water Protection expressed no concerns as long as information is submitted regarding the applicant’s salt management plan, liquid fuel handing, storage and spill procedure, transport pathways, provincial approvals and water balance assessment and decommissioning of unused wells.
GRCA recommendations
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) submitted five pages of comments and recommendations regarding the draft application, and noted the lands include a watercourse and its floodplain.
GRCA officials requested detailed comments regarding:
- the hydrologic model used including draignage patterns, infiltration values and stormwater management;
- the stormwater management facility’s size, location, seasonal high groundwater elevation, site water balance and infiltration rates and conditions;
- the north-easterly swale watercourse floodplain analysis, stream channel realignment design, watercourse realignment, stormwater management water quantity treatment and aquatic habitat;
- summer flow channels; and
- minimum distance of stockpiles to sediment basins and wetlands.
The GRCA asked the applicants to revise the draft plan to state that “sediment will be removed before it reaches approximately a third of the height of the fence, or sooner if not functioning as intended.”
GRCA officials also noted “it should be confirmed that the realigned (north-easterly) swale will be revegetated for erosion and sediment control means,” and that any soil that is bare for more than 30 days should be stabilized (i.e. with seeding and erosion control blankets).
The GRCA offered details about the frequency of monitoring needed at the site in different conditions and provided further recommendations regarding erosion and sediment control.
Corosky said they will meet with GRCA officials and the township engineer to “clarify and understand that they properly reviewed what we’ve already submitted, and if there are gaps, identify those gaps.
“Then we will be preparing a supplementary report that will point-by-point respond to each of the comments that have been raised.”
Roads, sidewalks, traffic
The Mapleton Fire Department noted the widths and turn radius for the subdivision’s new road must accommodate emergency vehicles and be shown on the plan.
Alma resident Liam Smith expressed concerns about sidewalks for children walking to school from the subdivision, and Redmond noted the township engineer is recommending that sidewalks be extended to the opening of the subdivision along Wellington Road 17.
Alma resident Amber Murray and Smith both expressed concerns about the increased traffic the subdivision would bring to Alma.
Next steps involve township staff finalizing the technical review of the draft plan and bylaw amendment application, and then reporting back to council for consideration and endorsement of the draft plan.
If Wellington County provides draft approval of the subdivision, an amending zoning bylaw will be provided for Mapleton’s consideration.
Redmond noted when staff returns to council they will explain how concerns were addressed.
