The Mayor was not present in the Council Chambers and did not participate in discussions or the vote for this item.
Deputy Mayor Hanna assumed the Chair for considering this application.
The purpose of the application is to is for a Zoning By-law Amendment. It is proposed that an agricultural lot be permitted a minimum lot area of +/10 -hectares, and a Holding Provision (-H1) be applied in areas of high archaeological potential. If approved, the application would facilitate the creation of a new specialized farm lot. The Planner, Benito Russo explained the report and recommendation.
The planner acknowledged receipt of a letter received prior to the meeting and read the letter in full.
The letter generally cited the following concerns:
- location of proposed lot within the property,
- potential to set a precedent,
- access would be better off Statters Lake Road instead of County Road One,
- concerns that this would impact a development being proposed on a neighboring lot.
The County Planner, Benito Russo addressed these concerns. The location of the proposed lot occurred due to discussions between the applicant and neighboring lot owners. Additionally Russo noted that the north end of the property has environmental features which would limit full range of agricultural uses if the lot was severed in this area.
Russo acknowledged that approving this application does not setup an obligation with Council. Any future proposed severances must meet the County of Bruce requirements and have sufficient justification for the planners to recommend approval.
Respecting access to the property, the Planner indicated that the MDS requirements and Archealogical study were based off an access on Bruce County Road One. These would likely need to be re-completed if a new area were to be used for access.
Russo commented that there does not appear to be any Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) issues, noting that as it is existing today, the proposal discussed in the submitted letter would still comply if the severance were approved.
Presentations from the Applicant
The applicant indicated that the choice to sever the property at one end versus the other was influenced by discussions with the owners of adjoining property, who requested that it be done as proposed.
Presentations from the Public
None.
Questions and Clarifications from Council
Members of Council confirmed that this decision is not precedent setting. Council inquired about how the application may impact other farms per the submitted comments. The Planner indicated that the use suggested in the received comments does not require MDS setbacks, but would rather be subject to industrial setbacks which on preliminary review would be sufficient within the property on which it's proposed.