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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPD-67-82 I ,V 5�R Q i I i CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAMPTON, ONTARIO L013 1J0 TEL. (416)263-2231 REPORT TO THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MEETING OF MAY 3rd, 1982 REPORT NO. : PD-67-82 SUBJECT: REVISED APPLICATION SUBMITTED BY B. VAN ANDEL TO AMEND THE DURHAM REGIONAL OFFICIAL PLAN FILE: 81-28/D RECOMMENDATION: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: I 1 . That Report PD-67-82 be received; and 2. That the Region of Durham be advised that the Town of Newcastle has no objection to the redesignation to "Estate Residential" of those lands located in Part of Lot 15, Concession 3, former Township of Darlington, and subject to Official Plan Amendment application 81-28/D. i BACKGROUND: On September 30th, 1981 , the Newcastle Planning Department received a copy of an application to amend the Durham Regional Official Plan. The applicant, who owns part of Lot 15, Concession 3, originally proposed to develop twenty-five (25) estate-type lots on 22 hectares of land. i �� Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./2 The proposal has, however, been revised to address certain concerns raised during circulation and the applicant now proposes to develop twenty-three (23) lots. The requested change in designation is from Major Open Space and Hazard Lands to Estate Residential and Hazard Lands. COMMENTS: In accordance with Regional and Newcastle Planning procedures for processing Official Plan amendments, the subject application was circulated to various agencies and departments for comments. In addition, Regional Planning staff published public notices in respect of the Official Plan amendment in order to solicit public input. The following represents a summary of the comments received: Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority December 3, 1981 "Authority staff has completed a review of the above proposal and completed a field investigation. We offer the following comments. The subject lands include the deeply incised Bowmanville Creek valley which, in addition to exhibiting flood and erosion hazards, features high environmental sensitivity with regard to forest cover, wildlife corridor function and fisheries concerns. Tree growth on the site is in mid-climax phase, particularly north of lot 7, and consists of many notable stands of black cherry, sugar maple, American beech and hemlock, and smaller areas of cedar, ash and white birch. Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./3 The site of proposed amendment 81-28 is situated on the beach of former Lake Iroquois. Soils generally outside the line of vegetation on the site are classified as Brighton gravelly sand. Bottom land soils predominate within the forested area and extend to the Bowmanville Creek. The referenced phase of the Brighton series features rapid internal drainage; bottom land soils are poorly drained and subject to seasonal/perennial wetness. During inspection, many areas within the wooded portion of the site were soft and slippery under foot or exhibited moderate to steep topography and moisture-tolerant vegetation. The cool , damp conditions are ideal for the successful regeneration of sugar maple, American beech and hemlock, which is now occurring. The relief of the site and areas of seepage along the valley walls of the Bowmanville Creek provide evidence as to the subject land's role in maintaining hydrologic stability through base flow contribution. Due to the environmental attributes previously outlined, the Bowmanville Creek valley in the vicinity of the subject application is described as being of regional significance in the Authority's Conservation Planning Study of December 1973. In this regard, the Authority has an acquisition interest for the site in those lands on either side of the Bowmanville Creek below the primary topographic break in slope. In view of the above and with particular reference to section 10.3.2.1 , subsection d), we are unable to offer positive comments on proposed amendment 81-28 at the present time." March 24, 1982 "This will acknowledge your request for comments with regard to the above revised official plan amendment application. The revised plan, indicating 23 estate-residential lots, has been prepared subsequent to discussions and a site investigation attended by the owner, the owner's consultant and Authority staff. In principle, the limits of the proposed residential area have been adjusted to our satisfaction. The open-space section of the plan now generally provides for the possible public acquisition of valley lands containing moderate to steep topography, forest cover and organic soils, or for the creation of a separate block to be retained by the applicant. Due to snow cover, it was not possible to positively determine the limits of organic soils, particularly in the area where lots 6 to 10 abut the future open-space block. In this regard, we wish to reserve the opportunity to recommend further adjustments Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./4 to the residential lot areas of the site during environmental analyses and the subsequent draft plan preparation. Extensive areas of organic soils should be included in the open-space portion of the plan rather than in residential lot coverage. These areas can best be determined during the spring to fall period, and preliminary arrangements have been made to complete this aspect of the site investigation pending suitable weather conditions. Our major concern for the site relates to this hydrogeology. The poorly drained/seepage areas described in our 03 December 1981 letter and the presence of a flowing stream in the area of lot 8 during our February 1982 site inspection (-8 0 ) , cause us to suspect the subject lands may play a major hydrologic role along the Lake Iroquois beach - Bowmanville Creek valley interface. The extent, degree and associated limitations of this interaction should be determined through a detailed hydrogeological analysis prior to the preparation of a draft plan of subdivision. Based on the preceding, we do not object to amending the regional official plan to permit an estate-residential development on the site of proposed amendment 81-28 (revised) . This position is based on the understanding that the number and areal extent of residential lots will be determined by further site meetings and the results of the requested study of site hydrology. The applicant should be requested to contact the Authority to determine our requirements." Durham Regional Health Unit October 8, 1981 "The Durham Regional Health Unit can tentatively approve this proposal , subject to the following: 1 . Lots are to be at least 2 acres in area. 2. Some lots will require raised tile beds. 3. Individual drilled wells are to be provided. 4. A plan showing area and dimensions of each lot, and location of wells and sewage disposal systems in relation to dwellings. 5. Minimum requirements for sewage disposal systems include tanks of 1 ,000 gal . capacity and 400 lineal feet of tile. Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./5 6. 100% replacement areas for tile beds to be shown on plans for each lot. 7. Plans showing existing and proposed contours at two metre intervals, as well as details of surface drainage." March 1 , 1982 "Please be advised that the Durham Regional Health Unit offers no objection to the above proposal subject to the following conditions: 1 . Some lots will require raised tile beds (5 feet of granular fill ). 2. Individual drilled wells are to be provided. 3. On heavily wooded lots, trees will have to be cleared on the leaching bed sites. i 4. A plan showing the dimensions of each lot, location of drilled wells, sewage disposal systems and 100% replacement areas for tile beds should be submitted." Ministry of Natural Resources October 9, 1981 "This proposal has been reviewed and we have no objections to it. Several of our concerns do affect the site, but it appears they can be resolved. Bowmanville Creek is an important coldwater fishery and tributary to Lake Ontario. As the rainbow trout which occur in this stream are very susceptible to damage from pollution, siltation, water heating and obstructions in their migration routes, we are very concerned with any possible detrimental impacts on the creek. In this regard we would suggest that if a plan such as this is to be considered for the site, the valley area along the creek should be separated from the rest of the property, and be retained in a Major Open Space and Hazardland designation. 50� l Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./6 The boundary between the building lots and the valley appears to follow the conservation authority fill line which seems sensible. However portions of many lots still slope toward the creek. This suggests that some control on siltation, removel of vegetation, and siting of buildings may be necessary in the Subdividers Agreement at the time of draft approval . There is an abandoned pit on the property but the usable material has been mostly removed. As suggested above, the design of the lots avoids the floodplain hazard in the valley." February 26, 1982 "We have reviewed this revised plan while considering our earlier comments. We note that the rear lot lines have been moved up slope, and that the valley lands and slopes have been designated "Open Space". These changes are in line with Ministry policy. Therefore, we have no objections to a change in the Official Plan land use designations for this property if: 1 . The "Open Space" block will be designated "Hazard Land". 2. Lots 1-23 will be designated "Estate Residential". When this plan is recirculated as a draft plan of subdivision, we will have several conditions to impose. However, we do not believe that these will cause any difficulties for the developer." Ministry of Agriculture and Food "On behalf of this Ministry, I have reviewed the proposal in view of the Food Land Guidelines. Although we have no concern about the principle of development, we do want to protect the apple orchard located west of this proposal . In order to avoid potential conflicts from spray drift we require that houses and swimming pools be at least 200 feet from the nearest point of the orchard. This should be a condition in the zoning by-law. " i 5 C�� Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./7 The Peterborough-Victoria-Northumberland and Newcastle Roman Catholic Separate School Board "The Separate School Board has reviewed the request to amend the Official Plan and the information attached. We note the provision for (25) estate residential single family dwellings. The plan proposed would not adversely affect the present or future plans of this School Board." The Northumberland and Newcastle Board of Education October 10,1981 "The above official plan amendment to the Durham Regional Official Plan - Town of Newcastle was reviewed by the Board at its last Regular Meeting. I have been directed to advise you that a site for school purposes would not be required within the boundaries of the proposal , and that no objection is raised." March 15, 1982 "The Board at its last Regular Meeting, considered the above noted amendment to the Official Plan of the Region of Durham. I have been directed to advise you that no objection is raised to the amendment, and that a site for school purposes would not be required within the boundaries of the development, however, transportation would be required. " Newcastle Fire Department "The proposed site is located within 2 miles travel distance from existing fire station 1 , Bowmanville, with a response time of approximately 5 minutes, this is an acceptable response time and travel distance for emergency fire service. Water supply for fire protection to be designed in accordance with Town of Newcastle "Policy in Respect of Fire Protection Standards for Estate Lot and Rural Residential Development". Generalized Standards (1 ) would be acceptable to the department. Building construction in accordance with fire safety requirements, Ontario Building Code. Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./8 Newcastle Community Services Department "When the Durham Region Official Plan is amended, I would recommend five (5) per cent in lieu of park land. " Newcastle Public Works "No comments at this time" The applicant has, in support of this application, provided the background information required by the Durham Regional Official Plan and has addressed the apparent environmental sensitivity of the site (in keeping with Amendment 19 to the Durham Regional Official Plan). Staff have reviewed the supporting information provided along with the comments received and now believe that the proposed application, as revised, respects the apparent environmental sensitivity of the site. We therefore have no objection to the principle of the proposed 23 Estate Residential lots on the basis of environmental concerns. Outstanding environmental concerns, particularly those identified by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources, should be addressed through the subdivision approval process. Futher studies as may be required during the subdivision process may necessitate further revisions to the proposed development layout and a possible reduction in the number of lots. Staff note that in addition to the comments received through circulation, the Region of Durham received one letter of * objection (attached) submitted by local residents, Mr. and Mrs. Davidson. As can be seen from their letter, the Davidsons' concerns are related to environmental impacts, preservation of agricultural land, property maintenance and traffic impacts. Report No. : PD-67-82 . . ./9 With respect to the Davidsons' concerns about environmental impacts, staff are of the opinion that the plan, as revised in accordance with Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority's concerns, respects the environmental sensitivity of the site. We note, however, that further hydrogeological analysis will be required during the subdivision review process, possibly resulting in further revisions to the proposal . The concern identified in respect of traffic impacts is noted and, as with the hydrogeological aspects, will be further reviewed during subdivision review. In that regard, we would anticipate an increase of between 160 and 185 trips per day on Old Scugog Road as a direct result of this development. Given the present condition of this road, it is not unlikely that improvements will be necessitated by this development. The extent of such improvements will be more fully determined during subdivision review. With respect to loss of agricultural lands, we note that the majority of the site is either heavily wooded or worked-out gravel pit. There is only a very narrow strip of workable agricultural land abutting Old Scugog Road. We note that the lands in question are designated class 3 M by the Canada Land Inventory. Soils with this designation possess moderately severe limitations, due to low natural fertility and moisture holding capacity, which would restrict the range of crops and/or require special conservation practices. Staff note that given this designation and the Ontario Foodland Guidelines, development of these lands should be prohibited. However, in view of the characteristics of abutting lands, heavily wooded, steep slopes, abandoned gravel pit, and the limited extent of the workable lands, staff do not feel that the lands have an extremely high capability for crop production. Report No. : PD-67-82 .. ./10 Although not a concern arising from the proposed development, staff feel it is appropriate to comment on the matter of property maintenance. As indicated by the Davidsons, the present owner of the property is storing certain equipment and materials on this site. Some of this equipment and material is of an agricultural nature, others are not and could be considered as contravening By-law provisions in respect of open storage. However, inasmuch as this type of concern is more usually addressed through a property standards by-law, there is very little the municipality can do where there is any doubt or room for argument about the types of things a property owner may legally store on his property. Given the foregoing and the resultant rehabilitation of a large portion of the site, specifically the abandoned gravel pit, staff would have no objection to the approval of the proposal . Respectfully submitted, T. T. Edwards, M.C.I.P. 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