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CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT T.T.EDWARDS,M.C.I.P.,Director
HAMPTON,ONTARIO LOB 1JO TEL.(416)263.2231
REPORT TO THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 20, 1984
REPORT NO. : PO-44-84
SUBJECT: APPLICATION TO AMEND DURHAM REGIONAL OFFICIAL
PLAN - PARKING CONTROL (MARKHAM) LTD.
PART LOT 26 & 27, CONCESSION 5, DARLINGTON
FILE: 82-32/D
RECOMMENDATION:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and
Administration Committee recommend to Council the
following :
1 . That Report PD-44-84 be received ; and
2. That the Region of Durham be advised that the
Town of Newcastle recommends that Official Plan
Amendment application 82-32/D, submitted by
Parking Control (Markham) Ltd. , be denied.
. . .2
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REPORT NO. : PD-44-84 Page 2
BACKGROUND:
On July 27, 1982, the Region of Durham notified the Town of
Newcastle that it had received an application to amend the
Durham Regional Official Plan. The application, submitted
by Parking Control (Markham) Ltd. , proposed the
redesignation of a 46.6 hectare (115.1 acre) parcel of land
in Part of Lot 2.6 & 27, Concession 5, former Township of
Darlington from "Permanent Agricultural Reserve" with
indication of "Hazard Lands" to "Major Open Space", for the
purpose of developing a golf course and sod farm. In
accordance with departmental procedures, the application was
circulated to various departments and agencies for comment.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food indicated an objection
to proposed amendment, based on the fact that the area in
question is an agricultural area, the property is prime
agricultural land, and is currently being used for crop
production.
Based on the comments provided by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Food, staff prepared a report to the
February 7, 1983 meeting of the General Purpose and
Administration Committee, which recommended to the Region
that the Official Plan Amendment application be denied. A
copy of the report was provided to the applicant and, on
January 31 , 1983, the Planning Department received a letter
from the solicitors for the applicant requesting that the
Town' s consideration of the application be deferred
indefinitely. The purpose of the deferral request was to
allow the applicant to retain an agronomist to review the
objection of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and to
advise as to whether the parcel constituted good quality
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REPORT NO. : PD-44-84 Page 3
farmland, was of a nature and size to constitute a viable
farming unit, and further, whether the proposed development
would detrimentally impact surrounding agricultural uses.
The solicitors indicated that, once this report was
prepared, they anticipated making representation to Town
Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in hopes of
having their objection either modified, clarified, or
withdrawn. Town staff subsequently agreed to delay bringing
a report forward on the matter.
On January 24, 1984, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food
forwarded a copy of the Agronomist' s Report on the subject
property and a copy of their comments on the report. The
report contended that only 68 acres have a high capability
per agriculture, while -the Ministry of Agriculture and Food
contended that 80% of the property was prime agricultural
land. As well , the report also stated that the adjoining
properties were no longer in the hands of a stable resident
agriculture community, and that the subject property is too
small to be a viable farm unit. In its comments on the
report, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food indicated that
it disagreed with the report ' s assessment and that they
would be maintaining their original objection to the
proposal .
As well , Planning Department staff have reviewed a report
prepared by the Regional Niagara Planning and Development
Department on the impact of recreation/open space uses on
agricultural areas. The report included an assessment of
the impact of a golf course on adjacent agricultural
operations. The report concluded that recreation/open space
uses appear to display the same range of adverse impacts on
adjacent agricultural operation as other types of non-farm
development.
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REPORT NO. : PO-44-84 Page 4
On January 20, 1984, the Planning Department also received a
copy of a letter from the owner of the subject property
addressed to the Region of Durham. The owner indicated that
they were not prepared to accept the Ministry of Agriculture
and Food's objection to the golf course proposal .
Based on the comments provided by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Food and staff's review of the report on the
impact of recreation/open space uses on agricultural
operations , it is recommended that the Region of Durham be
advised that the Town of Newcastle recommends that the
subject application to amend the Durham Region Official Plan
be denied.
Respec mitted,
T.T. Edwards, M.C.I.P.
Director of Planning
JAS*TTE*jip
January 30, 1984
Applicant: Mr. Marvin Stewart
Parking Control (Markham) Ltd.
120 Milner Avenue, Unit 1
AGINCOURT, Ontario
MIS 3R2