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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPD-157-82 4 CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT T.T.EDWARDS,M.C.I.P.,Director HAMPTON,ONTARIO LOB 1J0 TEL.(416)263.2231 REPORT TO THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 27, 1982 REPORT NO. : PO-157-82 SUBJECT: RESIDENTIAL NODES AND CLUSTERS OUR FILE: PLN 4.1 RECOMMENDATION: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1 . That Report PD-157-82 be received for information. BACKGROUND: On September 13th, 1982, the General Purpose and Administration Committee approved Resolution GPA-102.6-82 as follows: "That the Director of Planning review the requirements for determining the definition of a development cluster in the Municipality and bring back a Report to the next General Purpose and Administration Committee meeting." I Report No: PD-157-82 .. ./2 On July 12th, 1982, the General Purpose and Administration Committee considered staff Report PD-116-82 in respect of a Land Division Application, part of Lot 31 , Conc. 2, former Township of Darlington. Said Report dealt, in part, with the subject matter of non-farm related residential nodes or clusters within the rural areas of the Town of Newcastle. COMMENTS: Section 10 of the Durham Regional Official Plan, dealing with rural settlements, provides policies in respect of this type of development. It defines Non-Farm Residential as single family residential dwellings unrelated to farm operations. Furthermore, it provides that development of new non-farm residential uses shall be discouraged. However, limited non-farm residential dwellings may be allowed in the form of infilling within the general Agricultural areas and the major Open Space areas if it is deemed desirable by the Council of the respective area municipality and recognized in the zoning by-law. Furthermore, Section 10.2.14 goes on to indicate that for the purposes of this Section, infilling shall refer to situations where one or more non-farm residential dwellings are to be located between two buildings located on the same side of a public road and within a distinct node or cluster of non-farm residential dwellings in such a manner as not to contribute to strip or ribbon development and subject to such node or cluster being identified in the respective zoning by-law. Section 12 of the Official Plan dealing with Major Open Space areas provides further insight into what is meant by infilling, and Section 12.3.3 states that infilling shall only be between existing residential dwellings which are no more than approximately 300 feet apart and on the same side of the road. Report No: PD-157-82 . . ./3 For the purposes of implementing the provisions of the Durham Regional Official Plan, staff have taken the position, as was outlined in staff Report PD-116-82, that for the purposes of interpretation a residential node or cluster would be a grouping of non-farm related dwellings having some common focus, such as the intersection of two roads, or a non-farm non-residential use such as a church or rural school , and be located within the Major Open Space or General Agricultural designation. It is also felt that such a node or cluster should be limited in size, tightly grouped and exhibiting similar area and frontage characteristics. Furthermore, such a grouping would only present an opportunity for infilling inasmuch as extensions to such a node or cluster would represent strip or ribbon development and would be contrary to the intent of the Official Plan as recited by Section 10.2.14. As part of our review, staff have prepared a map showing the general location of major groupings of non-farm related residential development. This map will be displayed at the General Purpose and Administration Committee meeting and reveals that most of the non-farm related rural residential development is in the form of strip or ribbon development, and the largest percentage of this is made up of ten acre parcels. There are, however, one or two areas which could possibly be considered as nodes or clusters, and these are shown encircled on the aforesaid map. These have not, however, been identified on the first draft of the comprehensive zoning by-law, pending further delineation of appropriate limits and zone provisions. In the meantime, they would continue to be considered as legally non-conforming uses and infilling would not be permitted without an application for rezoning. I Report No: PD-157-82 . . ./4 As the Committee can appreciate by looking at the map, there is a great deal of existing non-farm related residential development within the Town, and in fact, much of that shown may as yet be unbuilt. However, being existing lots of record, the potential does exist for building permits which could turn what may be presently productive agricultural land into land which is restricted in use due to the introduction of non-farm residential uses and the inherent conflicts between such uses and those associated with the agricultural industry. Staff are of the opinion, based upon the existing potential for problems and the intent of the Durham Regional Official Plan, that further non-farm residential development should be discouraged, and if such development is to be recognized in the zoning by-law, it should be very limited in scale. As the Committee may well appreciate, agriculture is probably the number one employer within the Town of Newcastle, and in my opinion one of the most significant industries the Town has. Provincial and Regional objectives, as recited by the Durham Regional Official Plan, place a high priority on the protection of agricultural land and land uses from conflicts in use which could impair the use of good land and/or remove such land from production. In view of the foregoing, staff would not recommend extensive changes to our existing by-laws or the draft comprehensive zoning by-law to identify rural clusters or nodes, save and except where these are limited in scale and clearly identifiable as a node or cluster consistent with the intent of the Durham Regional Official Plan. Respe 1 s itted, i T. T. Edwards i Director of Planning I TTE*mjc .✓ September 18, 1982