HomeMy WebLinkAboutPD-98-91 THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE
DN: TWP-HOPE.GPA
REPORT
Meeting: General Purpose and Administration Committee File #
Date: Monday, April 22, 1991 Res. #
By-Law#
Report#: PD-98-91 File #: Pln 2 .4
Subject: TOWN OF NEWCASTLE COMMENTS
TOWNSHIP OF HOPE OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE
Recommendations:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and
Administration Committee recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report PD-98-91 be received;
2 . THAT Report PD-98-91 be adopted as the comments of the Town of
Newcastle on the Township of Hope Official Plan Review and
Update; and
3 . THAT a copy of this report and Council's decision be forwarded to
the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the Region of Durham Planning
Department and the Township of Hope.
1. INTRODUCTION
1. 1 On January 21, 1991 the Town of Newcastle received from the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs, a copy of the Background
Document and the Official Plan Review and Update for the
Township of Hope. As part of the Ministerial approval
process, comments from other government agencies,
neighbouring municipalities and Regions are required.
1 .2 The Official Plan of the Township of Hope Planning Area was
approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in January
1985 . The Township Council retained the consulting firm of
Totten Sims Hubicki to review and update the Official Plan.
1. 3 This Report provides an overview of the existing situation
in the Township as well as a summary of the proposed
Official Plan and how it differs from the existing Plan.
REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE 2
Staff 's comments on the Plan focus on those issues which may
concern the Town of Newcastle.
2. THE TOWNSHIP OF HOPE
2 . 1 The Township of Hope, with a population of approximately
3,600, is directly east of the Town of Newcastle, and forms
part of the westerly boundary of Northumberland County. The
majority of residential development has occurred in the
hamlets of Welcome, Garden Hill, Elizabethville, and
Campbellcroft. There are also a number of smaller
settlement areas . The hamlets and settlement areas are not
serviced with municipal sewer or water.
2 . 2 Agriculture and related industries account for seventy
percent of land use. There is little industry. The
assessment base is heavily weighted towards residential and
farm properties . The Oak Ridges Moraine traverses the
northern portion of the Township, and is identified as an
area with an abundance of mineral aggregates .
3. SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED OFFICIAL PLAN
3 . 1 The proposed Official Plan for the Township of Hope is
intended to guide development within the Township until the
year 2010 and, as provided by the Planning Act, is to be
reviewed every five years .
3 .2 The Plan identifies five major goals as follows:
To enhance and preserve the natural environment
To optimize and develop the natural resource base
To develop the Township to its fullest economic
potential by utilizing the resource base of the
Township
To provide residents with a range of opportunities in
terms of work place and living, recreational and
cultural pursuits
REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE 3
To develop a safe and efficient road network and
provide an effective level of public services
consistent with the needs of the residents .
3 . 3 The Plan outlines a number of specific objectives which are
intended to implement the goals of the Plan. In particular,
the Plan seeks
to preserve lands for open space recreational purposes
adjacent to Lake Ontario and the Ganaraska River and
its smaller tributaries
to protect provincially significant Areas of Natural
and Scientific Interest (ANSIs)
to protect the agricultural areas from development and
fragmentation of land
to protect areas exhibiting a high potential for
aggregate resources while ensuring that aggregate
extraction is done in a manner so as to minimize
negative impacts on the environment
to create a land use planning framework which
establishes a hierarchy of settlement areas, and
the orderly development of commercial and industrial
activities, particularly in the lands adjacent to
Ontario Hydro's Wesleyville site.
3 .4 The Plan's policies with respect to the Waterfront Area and
the Oak Ridges Moraine are of particular interest to the
Town of Newcastle, and are discussed in more detail.
3 .5 Waterfront Areas
3 .5 . 1 The Waterfront Area is dominated by two land use
designations: 'Agricultural Priority Areas ' and 'Industrial
Areas ' . The shoreline area and watercourses flowing into
Lake Ontario are designated 'Environmental Constraint' .
Approximately one third of the Waterfront is designated in
the Official Plan as 'Industrial ' , maintaining the existing
designation in the current Official Plan. Most of the lands
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REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE 4
designated 'Industrial ' are owned by Ontario Hydro as part
of the Wesleyville Generating Station Project. The project
was halted in 1979, and Ontario Hydro has no current plans
to complete the project. Ontario Hydro has indicated that
the lands can be leased out for alternative industrial uses
not necessarily related to power generation.
The text describes the Wesleyville Generating Station as a
Special Policy Area, although this is not indicated on
Schedule 'A' (attached hereto) .
3 .5 . 2 The Plan states that the planning and development of the
Waterfront Area shall be coordinated by Township Council in
conjunction with the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
and the Ministry of Natural Resources, through the future
implementation of a Shoreline Management Plan. The
Management Plan will identify the Waterfront as a
significant resource and landscape element that should be
protected in the long term. Council is to encourage public
access to the shoreline whenever possible.
3 . 6 Oak Ridges Moraine
3 . 6 . 1 The Oak Ridges Moraine is dominated by four land use
designations: 'Marginal Lands ' , 'Agricultural Priority
Lands ' , 'Recreation and Conservation' and 'Environmental
Constraint Areas ' . The policies related to these
designations limit the degree of development permitted in
the Oak Ridges Moraine. Actual reference to the Oak Ridges
Moraine is only contained in the "Marginal Lands"
designation. The new policies in the 'Marginal Lands '
section recognize the Oak Ridges Moraine as a predominant
landscape element and encourage the preservation of its
rural character and natural environmental features . The
Plan also requires studies to be carried out in the area of
the Ganaraska headwaters .
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REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE it
3 . 6 . 2 Schedule 'A' also indicates areas of high potential for
mineral aggregates referred to as 'Aggregate Resource
Reserves (AR) ' being an overlay to the other land use
designations . The policies related to the 'AR' area specify
that new development in this area shall not preclude the
future extraction of the mineral aggregate resource. New
aggregate resource extraction operations may only proceed by
specific amendment to the Official Plan.
The proposed Official Plan outlines criteria to be
considered in the evaluation of applications to establish an
aggregate extraction operation. The criteria includes an
assessment of potential negative impacts such as noise, dust
damage to the natural environment and haulage routes .
3 .6 . 3 Estate residential subdivisions are permitted by amendment
to the Plan but are not permitted in areas which demonstrate
a high resource capability in terms of either agriculture,
aggregate resource extraction, forestry or in areas which
are environmentally sensitive. These provisions would
therefore appear to prohibit estate residential development
throughout most of the Oak Ridges Moraine.
4. COMMENTS
Upon reviewing the Township of Hope Official Plan Review
documents, staff wish to raise the following concerns:
i) There has been a heightened awareness of the importance
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of waterfront areas and the environment. The
Township's Official Plan could be strengthened by
providing more comprehensive policies for the
waterfront area. The Shoreline Management Plan could,
for example, make reference to the eco-system
principles for planning identified by the Crombie
Commission. It also may wish to re-evaluate the
policies in the ' Industrial' and 'Environmental
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REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE 6
Constraint Areas ' . Given the uncertain nature of
Ontario Hydro's plans for the Wesleyville site, the
Plan should establish policies that would re-examine
the amount and type of industrial development, and
maximize the preservation of the environmentally
significant areas . The focus of the Shoreline
Management or Waterfront Plan should be one that is
preservation-oriented. A Waterfront Plan of such a
nature would also be consistent with the efforts being
made by the Town of Newcastle and the Royal Commission.
ii) Given the significance of the Oak Ridges Moraine, it is
suggested that there be a specific set of policies and
a land use designation which applies to this landform,
rather than the four general designations which apply
throughout the municipality (ie. Marginal Lands) .
iii) It appears that aggregate extraction activities are the
favoured use in the Oak Ridges Moraine. There is a
greater need to emphasize the achievement of a balance
between aggregate extraction, other land use activities
and the protection of the natural environment. The
study of Oak Ridges Moraine should be encouraged to
examine the ecological significance of the Moraine,
compatible land uses and various measures to protect
the Moraine. This ultimately would help achieve the
goals and objectives set out in the Introduction to
the proposed Official Plan.
iv) The westerly orientation of haulage routes for
aggregate extraction activities could impact on the
road network in the Town of Newcastle. The traffic
generation and financial impact of road maintenance and
upgrading should be examined by the Town of Newcastle
and the Region of Durham prior to the approval of new
or expanded pits in Hope Township. It is requested
REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE 7
that a policy be incorporated to enable the Town of
Newcastle to review aggregate application which may
impact the Town.
v) An interchange at the Highway 401 and industrial
collector has been proposed at the Town of
Newcastle/Hope Township Boundary Road south of the
Highway, to facilitate traffic to the industrial areas .
The actual alignment has not yet been determined. If
the Boundary Road alignment is chosen, the Town of
Newcastle may need to weight the benefits of a road of
this standard to the Town. At the present time, the
Town of Newcastle does not foresee extensive
development on the east side of the municipality.
6. CONCLUSIONS
6 . 1 The proposed Official Plan is an extensive document,
providing a framework for guiding future uses in the
Township of Hope. In reviewing the Hope Township Official
Plan staff only presents comments on those issues that may
have implications to the Town. Upon Council 's endorsement
of the content of this report, it will be forwarded to the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs .
Respectfully submitted, Recommended for presentation
to the Committee
Franklin Wu, M.C. I .P. AChiefA&ninistrative
. Kotseff
Director of Planning
and Development Officer
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*Attach
12 April 1991
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REPORT NO. : PD-98-91 PAGE 8
Interested parties to be advised of Council 's and Committee's
decision:
Mr. Scott MacLeod
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
777 Bay Street
14th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2E5
Ms . Frances Aird
Clerk - Administrator
The Township of Hope
P.O. Box 85
Port Hope, Ontario
LlA 3V9
Mr. Andrew McNeely
Totten Sims Hubicki Associates
114 King Street East
P.O. Box 398
Cobourg, Ontario
K9H 4L1
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