Caledon Citizen
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Export date: Fri Nov 22 8:34:04 2024 / +0000 GMT

Kaneff property rezoned for planned golf course


By Bill Rea
There is still opposition, but Caledon council has given its approval to a new golf course near Inglewood.
Councillors recently went along with the staff recommendation to approve a rezoning sought by Kaneff Properties Limited for the lands at the northeast corner of Olde Base Line Road and Hurontario Street.
The plan, according to the staff report, calls for the development of an 18-hole championship golf course with associated amenities like a clubhouse, practice facilities, maintenance buildings and a hotel. The facility will be serviced by private wells and septic systems. Access to the site will be from Olde Base Line.
The necessary Official Plan amendment to permit the development was approved by the Town in September 2013. Staff said there had been appeals by surrounding land owners, but they were withdrawn.
The zoning bylaw, which was passed by council March 7, contained holding provisions, on the understanding there are matters still to be addressed before the site plan for the development is approve.
Councillors, sitting in committee, had approved the staff recommendations Feb. 21. Councillor Barb Shaughnessy was upset that the decision had been made when both of Ward 1's representatives were absent (Councillor Doug Beffort had been ill and Shaughnessy was called away at the last minute to deal with a family matter).
“My residents are not happy,” she declared.
Council heard from a couple of delegations on the matter, including one from Shaughnessy's husband Tim Forster.
One of his issues dealt was a large piece of land that was part of an environmental protection area within the Oak Ridges Moraine. He had understood that meant there was to be no golf course there, adding the staff report had seemed to make that disappear with no justification.
Forster said Senior Planner Brandon Ward had told him subsequent reports indicated there were physical features that were not on the site. He added Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) had peer reviewed the reports. He was concerned that CVC might have had too much bias to be doing a peer review, suggesting it should have been done by someone else.
Former councillor Ian Sinclair was concerned about a source of water for irrigation.
“You need a heck of a good well for that,” he said, adding a water budget has not been produced for the project.
Sinclair also pointed out the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan has major policies, but a lot of issues are being shuffled off to the site plan process. He also thought the staff report was “incredibly vague.”
He suggested sending the matter back to staff with specific direction for full policy development. He also suggested site plan approval be reserved for council, observing that was done with the Osprey Valley Golf Course.
Glen Broll of Glen Schnarr and Associates commented that a lot of work has been done on this proposal over some 17 years, adding they have tried to be good stewards of the land. He added Peel Region and CVC have made sure all the studies were conducted and all the work done to make sure the environment and neighbours are protected.
“It has been a complicated one,” he observed.
Shaughnessy still had problems with the proposal, and put forth a motion calling for the matter to be referred back to staff. She had a three-page list of items that she wanted addressed. They included matters involving environmental protection, provisions in the Greenbelt Plan and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (pertaining to golf courses), etc. She was also concerned about having a hotel without municipal water or sewers.
In addition, she was concerned there had not been enough notice that the staff report was going to be on the committee agenda. She said she learned of it a couple of days before, and the meeting took place the day after the Family Day holiday.
Shaughnessy said she had had a meeting with Peel Regional staff about water, and she learned the Region doesn't want the property rezoned until the water matters are addressed. A well near Inglewood has been decommissioned. She said the Region is looking for another well, and staff there want it up and running so all the local wells can be tested at the same time.
As well, Shaughnessy had problems with holding provisions being in place until the site plan process, pointing out there will be no public consultation.
Councillor Annette Groves supported the referral, pointing out the application has been in the works for 17 years, and the area residents stand to be impacted.
General Manager of Community Services Peggy Tollett told Councillor Johanna Downey she had not seen Shaughnessy's motion ahead of time. She added the policies in the Official Plan had been approved by council, and the aim of the rezoning was to match the Official Plan designations.
Ward also told Councillor Nick deBoer the Region is satisfied with the rezoning, as long as the holding provisions are in place.
Councillor Rob Mezzapelli also had problems with the work still to be done regarding water.
“It still doesn't sit well with me,” he said.
Ward told him staff still had enough information in hand to be reasonably sure there is enough water available to sustain the development.
Post date: 2017-03-23 16:25:19
Post date GMT: 2017-03-23 20:25:19

Post modified date: 2017-03-30 16:54:32
Post modified date GMT: 2017-03-30 20:54:32

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