Decision on Official Plan, bylaw amendments for place of worship deferred to April

Town staff recommended refusal of amendments in a staff report

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A decision on allowing a place of worship at King Street and Centreville Creek Road has been pushed to April.

At Caledon Council's February 13 Planning and Development Committee Meeting, Town of Caledon staff submitted a report recommending refusal of official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for a proposed new place of worship.

Swaminarayan Mandir Vasna Sanstha (SMVS) Canada, a Hindu faith organization, would like to build a place of worship and place of assembly at 6939 King Street. This would require re-designating lands at the property, hence the official plan and zoning bylaw amendment requests.

With staff's recommendation being to refuse the amendments, Regional Councillor Mario Russo said he'd like to spend some more time reviewing the file before voting. 

“This application needs a little bit more time for myself in particular, and perhaps some of my colleagues with the budget that we're going through and other items,” said Russo. “I'd like to… put forward a motion of deferral so we can actually do some of the homework on it on our own accord, and then come back at a later date and give this application the attention and time it deserves.”

Russo's motion of deferral was passed, and the amendment requests will come back to Council in April.

In their report, staff said planning staff reviewed the amendment applications and said they are not consistent with the Region of Peel and Town of Caledon's official plans.

“The proposal does not represent good planning nor is it in the public interest,” reads the report. “It is recommended that Council refuse the applications.”

The lands at 6939 King Street are 15 acres in size and are currently used for agricultural and residential purposes. Surrounding lands are rural residential and agricultural, with the Town of Caledon's Johnston Sports Park also nearby.

According to the staff report, at a June 2021 public meeting on the amendment proposals, residents expressed concerns “regarding the impact of the proposal on the environment, traffic volumes on adjacent roads, road safety, noise, site servicing and potential for land use conflicts with the surrounding agricultural land uses.”

At a second public meeting on the amendment proposals in November 2023, residents raised similar concerns.

At the recent planning meeting (February 13, 2024), several people delegated in support of the amendment requests.

Kevin Bechard, a senior associate with IPS Consulting, which is managing SMVS' applications, said IPS Consulting does not agree with the Town of Caledon staff report recommending refusal of the amendments.

Bechard said SMVS has worked hard to satisfy Provincial policy requirements and that the place of worship will be a landmark building that's open to anyone of any faith. He said it's not intended to hold large festivals, outdoor events, or anything with fireworks, which were concerns he'd heard raised.

Bechard said weekly services at the site would attract around 250 participants. He said SMVS' application recognizes the needs of a diverse community. He said there are already over 3,500 people who identify as Hindu in Caledon, and that this number will grow as Caledon grows.

“It's clear there is an advancing and developing need to accommodate this faith community,” said Bechard. “We believe that the subject applications… represent good planning. So, we are requesting approval of the application.”

Bhavesh Patel is a Caledon resident and said the creation of a new place of worship in Caledon represents balanced development. He said spirituality is a pillar of a strong community and that everyone deserves a place to go where they can experience inner peace.

Patel said as an example, SMVS recently hosted an event all about mental health, as many people are currently going through very tough times in the current economy.

“We need to think wisely about our growing community… work together, grow together,” said Patel. “I would prefer to try rather than regret.”

Rushi Patel also delegated in support of SMVS' applications. He said he's been volunteering with SMVS since he was a teenager, and said he's seen immense benefits in his personal life, as well as in the lives of the people he works with. Rushi leads youth events with SMVS.

“SMVS, we give a lot of importance on giving back to the community and providing needs to those that we support,” said Rushi. “We at SMVS are passionate about this endeavour to give back to the community. We have been working with you the past few years, and continue to work with you to iron out any concerns the city may have.”