{"id":34149,"date":"2024-02-01T17:20:07","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T22:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=34149"},"modified":"2024-02-08T16:42:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T21:42:42","slug":"neighbours-advocates-celebrate-win-as-council-rejects-mckenzie-marsh-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/neighbours-advocates-celebrate-win-as-council-rejects-mckenzie-marsh-application\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighbours, advocates celebrate win as Council rejects McKenzie Marsh application"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Residents in the southeast quadrant of Yonge and St. John\u2019s Sideroad, and environmental advocates from across Aurora, celebrated a win at Council last week as local lawmakers rejected a proposal to build 45 townhomes on the edge of McKenzie Marsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council, on a vote of 5 \u2013 1, rejected the staff recommendations to bring the proposal back to a General Committee meeting for further review, instead opting to halt the process then and there citing a wide-range of concerns expressed by residents \u2013 including both environmental and traffic issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ward 5 Councillor John Gallo, however, was the lone voice in favour of taking the proposal to the next level; while not in favour of the plan as it stood, he said the intervening weeks would allow lawmakers to get further questions answered and put the Town in a stronger position should they ultimately reject the proposal and the developer, in turn, appeals the matter to Ontario\u2019s Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know it is not going to be popular in this room, but [it is] somewhat irresponsible of me to just say I want to deny this application and I\u2019ll explain why,\u201d said Councillor Gallo before a packed house in Council Chambers where the vast majority of the delegates expressed their opposition to the plan wholesale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that we\u2019re making an error if we don\u2019t move this to at least another Public Planning hearing to allow the developers to finish their reports in a fulsome way\u2026 You can \u2018boo\u2019 and that\u2019s okay\u2026 I am looking [out for] your best interests whether it appears to be or not. Not doing that gives, in my view, an open door to the developer\u2026to go to LPAT and submit an application and, in my view, there is a strong possibility they will view it as, \u2018You didn\u2019t even read all of the reports. You didn\u2019t give the public and Council [the chance] to have a fulsome application before you and denied it outright,\u2019 quite frankly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the majority of Council agreed that further information like this wasn\u2019t going to change their view because, as presented, it is \u201cinappropriate\u201d for the area proposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlanning decisions have far-reaching implications not just for existing residents but for future residents as well. Thus, it is imperative that the decisions we make at this table be based on good planning principles so as to ensure any development we approve serves to enhance our community through appropriate growth,\u201d said Mayor Tom Mrakas, citing the Town\u2019s Official Plan (OP). \u201cEvery community in this country is facing the same crisis: a need for more housing, but the impacts and solutions of the housing crisis affect each community differently. It cannot be solved with a one-size fits all approach. Our Official Plan is our Made in Aurora solution to building more housing for current and future residents and we need to make sure that any proposed development aligns\u2026with the vision we have for our community as outlined in that Plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal, he continued, does \u201cnone of that\u201d and fell short \u201con multiple fronts\u201d including density, traffic, grading and cut-and-fill that will need to take place on site before construction can begin, snow and salt mitigation issues, and emergency access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not forget that access to the site is entirely predicted on purposely constructing an extensive road in a floodplain. In my opinion, in no way can that be seen as good planning,\u201d he continued. \u201cDo we need more housing? Yes, but it needs to be done in a responsible, appropriate way \u2013 one we carefully consider and plan for, one that utilizes the infrastructure already in place. Jamming as many [units] as possible onto any space doesn\u2019t achieve the sustainable growth our community needs and expects and it is clearly not the way to solve the housing problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, Mayor Mrakas said the most basic question is whether or not the plan benefits the community. He didn\u2019t see any benefits, he noted, and also cited the \u201creal world applications\u201d of the traffic plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Region of York, for instance, would only allow the development to access St. John\u2019s Sideroad in a right-in right-out situation. Should residents in this area want to shop at the Superstore at St. John\u2019s and Bayview, the Mayor argued they would need to take an extensive loop around Aurora to get back to their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs much as I like to see residents travelling throughout our Town, I don\u2019t think it is appropriate to have to travel that far to just get home because you cannot make a left into your home. To suggest that they make a u-turn into what is already a hectic area for traffic is unreasonable and obviously unsafe. This is another example of what cannot be considered good planning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These views were shared by Ward 3 Councillor Wendy Gaertner, who said she was \u201cso grateful\u201d so many members of the public came out to voice their views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among her concerns was the removal of nearly 100 trees from the site as they control flood waters, allow for carbon sequestration, and offer many benefits to the wildlife in the McKenzie Marsh Neighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the land in question falls in Ward 1, its Councillor, Ron Weese, said his job was to support the ward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs far as I am concerned, this is an open application but I am telling you that in the face of environmental issues, the traffic, the congestion, the risk, the respect to the OP, and I do think we should be working towards that, I am not in favour of this application as it sits right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Ward 6 Councillor Harold Kim agreed with Councillor Gallo that \u201ccritical information\u201d was missing from last week\u2019s meeting, including input from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, it was \u201cinappropriate\u201d to intensify on the land in question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Marsh is part of our identity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Ward 4 Councillor Michael Thompson: \u201cThe Marsh is a valued community asset and any risk to that is not acceptable, so I am opposed to the development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting the application forward to another Public Planning or General Committee meeting, he added, would only be intended to address issues and find a \u201ccommon path,\u201d but he didn\u2019t foresee that happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there is a common ground between being able to address the concerns and the risks associated with that and this development proposal,\u201d he said, adding the Council of 2004 \u2013 2006 got it right with rejecting a similar proposal. \u201cI think the zoning is satisfactory as it currently\u2026to allow for a single home and that\u2019s what I think is defensible and that\u2019s what I think is the right decision. I don\u2019t see a solution that is a win-win for everybody. The only solution here is to uphold the current zoning and preserve the asset we believe so much in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ward 2 Councillor Rachel Gilliland was not present at the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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