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Home My WebLink AboutPD-123-82 f a-7 4 CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAMPTON, ONTARIO 1-013 1 JO TEL. (416)263-2231 REPORT TO THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MEETING OF JULY 26, 1982 REPORT NO. : PD-123-82 SUBJECT: STEPHEN'S GULCH CONSERVATION AREA MASTER PLAN RECOMMENDATION: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1 . That Report PD-123-82 be received; and 2. That C.L.O.C.A. be advised that the Town of Newcastle has no objections to the Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area Master Plan, subject to the following concerns being given consideration: a) The Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area Master Plan should be amended to address the concerns raised by the Town of Newcastle Public Works Department as outlined in Staff Report PD-123-82; b) The Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area Master Plan should be further amended to incorporate a section on any benefits other than recreational of the Stephen' s Gulch Conservation Area to the residents of Newcastle; and c) That the Master Plan process for the land acquisition for, and development of the Bowmanville Creek Conservation ,F ,i Area be encouraged to proceed as quickly as possible. ;4` 3. That a copy of Report PD-123-82 be forwarded to Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, k aC�> Report No: PD-123-82 . . ./2 the consultants presently preparing the Town of Newcastle Master Plan for Culture and Recreation, and Mr. Lawson, President of the Bowmanville Creek Angler's Association. BACKGROUND: On May 31 , 1982, the Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area Master Plan was presented to Committee by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (C.L.O.C.A. ) . Committee passed a resolution referring the Master Plan to Town staff for the preparation of a Report. The Stephen' s Gulch Conservation Area is situated in a rural setting approximately 8 km (5 miles) north-east of Bowmanville. The Master Plan provides a long-term policy guide for the development and management of the Conservation area, and proposes extensive passive recreational use of the area for both summer and winter activities combined with educational facilities. By providing such recreational opportunities, the Plan is endeavouring to alleviate the heavy demand on the Enniskillen Conservation Area. As of January 1982, the Conservation Area contained 129.5 ha (320 acres) of land. The Master Plan is based on the assumption that the future land acquisition program will result in an ultimate land parcel covering approximately 344 ha (850 acres) . C.L.O.C.A. intends to phase the development of the Conservation Area over a number of years, with the pattern of development dependent, to a certain extent, on the progress of land acquisition. In accordance with the Town's procedure for reviewing plans prepared by other agencies, the Master Plan was circulated to various Departments for comment. The following is a list of comments received: �Jc) Report No: PD-123-82 . . ./3 The Town of Newcastle Community Services Department "The Report in question has been reviewed by this Department and the Conservation Master Plan should be an asset to the Town of Newcastle. It involves passive and active recreation areas that are not employed by the Department." The Town of Newcastle Public Works Department "General Observations: What the report calls Stephen's Gulch is actually Stephen's Mill Road and what is referred to as Regional Road 3 is actually Stephen's Road. Also with respect to orientation of the site and road access I would question the statement on Page 5, Paragraph 2 that Durham Regonal Road 14 provides access to the site. Other concerns related to this Department may be expressed as follows: 1 . It is implied, although not stated in the report, that certain roads presently under the Town's jurisdiction will be incorporated into the site. The document should include a section indicating such roads and presenting proposals as to how C.L.O.C.A. should proceed, ie. , should the roads be closed by the Town and conveyed to C.L.O.C.A.? Who will bear the costs associated with such closures, etc.? 2. With respect to my point 1 , I think the Town should take the position that all costs associated with closure must be borne by C.L.O.C.A. , and further, that C.L.O.C.A. pay appraised value of the land. 3. The Town should take the position that all development of roads and parking facilities internal to and associated with the Area will be the full responsibility of C.L.O.C.A. I 4. The Town should stipulate that any upgrading of existing external Town roads necessitated by development of the Area will be negotiated to the satisfaction of the Town. 5. The Town should make it clear that any increase in the level of maintenance service required by the development of the Area will be negotiated with the Town." i i i act Report No: PD-123-82 . . ./4 COMMENTS: In general terms, Planning Department staff have no objections to the site layout and the uses recommended by the Master Plan for the Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area. By concentrating the most intensively used areas near the park entrance and along the major access road, damage to the environment resulting from overuse will be confined, leaving the remainder of the Conservation Area in a relatively undisturbed and natural state. We do disagree however, with the inclusion of a "put-and-take" fishing pond since it would not be compatible with the concept of a Conservation Area. With respect to those concerns raised by other agencies, it is recommended that the Master Plan be changed to address the concerns raised by the Town of Newcastle Public Works Department, as outlined in this Report, and Mr. David Lawson, President of the Bowmanville Anglers Association, as presented at the May 31 , 1982 meeting of the General Purpose and Administration Committee. At that meeting, Mr. Lawson stated that the Bowmanville Creek Valley system would be more accessible to the residents of the Bowmanville area than would Stephen' s Gulch, and cited a petition containing more than 1 ,000 signatures asking that the Bowmanville Creek Valley lands be developed. Mr. Lawson also inquired about the amount of tourist dollars that the development of Stephen' s Gulch would bring to Bowmanville. Planning Department staff contacted C.L.O.C.A. to inquire about that status of a Master Plan for the Bowmanville Creek Valley Conservation Area. A Master Plan is currently being prepared and C.L.O.C.A. expects to be able to present it to Committee in the fall of 1982. i I I Report No: PD-123-82 . . ./5 That Master Plan will cover that portion of the Bowmanville Creek Valley from the bridge crossing on Regional Road 57 south to Baseline Road in Bowmanville. C.L.O.C.A. currently owns only 24 ha (60 acres) of this land, not including the 6.8 ha (16.8 acres) of land to be conveyed to C.L.O.C.A. by the Town. However, the Ministry of Natural Resources prefers to have a Master Plan in place before embarking on a major land acquisition program, since the specific land requirements for the Conservation Area will be defined in the Plan. It should also be noted that C.L.O.C.A. is currently preparing a separate Master Plan for the Bowmanville Harbour Conservation Area, which is that portion of the Bowmanville Creek Valley between Highway 401 and Lake Ontario. It is expected that this Plan will also be presented to Committee in the fall of 1982. Those lands in the Valley between Baseline Road and Highway 401 , as well as north of the area covered by the Bowmanville Creek Conservation Area Master Plan will remain as valley lands under the jurisdiction of C.L.O.C.A. 's proposed Policy for the Determination of Valleyland limits (see Report PD-126-82, also on this agenda) . Currently, the Bowmanville Creek Valley is heavily used because of its proximity to the Town of Bowmanville. Because of the demands placed on the Valley, the potential for extensive and perhaps irreversible damage to the valley environment is substantially greater than for Stephen's Gulch. By proceeding quickly on the development of the Bowmanville Creek Conservation Area once the Master Plan is i completed, C.L.O.C.A. would be able to regulate the use of -the valley and thereby restore the environment to its natural state and avert any possible future damage. As I I Report No: PD-123-82 . . ./6 well , the residents of Bowmanville would probably benefit more from tourist dollars attracted by the Bowmanville Creek Conservation Area than the Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area. It is therefore recommended that Council advise C.L.O.C.A. that land acquisition for and development of the Bowmanville Creek Conversation Area should be given priority. Respect ly 6mitted, T. Edwards, M.C.I .P. Director of Planning JAS*TTE*mjc July 10, 1982 s r i I KEY MAP FORMER TOWNSHIP OF DARLINGTON LOT LOT I LOT I LOT LOT LOT LOT ( LOT I SOT LOT LOT' 10 ( 9 ( 8 7 6 15 4 ! 3 ) 2 ( 1 35 1 i I I i I I I I I I I I I I I I I ¢g i ( i i : I I I I i { I I .. EC Z :AGS:{{a:jt:::?'ci::x ; SIT ( ('� \1 i I I > I v x>. k�tt: i Z I 0 I I L. I O I I �'`u��`�x' I I ( I I I I I I I W I i I 1 I I I I I I I I I i STEPHEN S GULCH 0 250 500 Ioo0m CONSERVATION AREA 500 100 ----- i