Statutory Public Meeting to consider revisions and provide input on the Final Draft Zoning By-law, Section 34 (12) of the Planning Act, RSO 1990, as amended.
Chair Elaine MacDonald asked if there were any questions and/or comments from PAC members.
Questions from a few PAC members asked for clarification pertaining to permitted projections into required yards, building height determinations, and parking requirements for campground/drive-thru theatre uses.
The Chair then asked if there were any questions from the public.
Mr. Rick Marvell representing a client owning the property located at 1020 Montreal Road expressed that his client was satisfied with the zoning and its permitted uses at the time of purchase this past July. He added that they haven't had a chance to fully review/analyze the new recommended zoning changes and may take advantage of the 20 day appeal period to later come back to city staff with additional questions.
Although there is a 20 day appeal period, Senior Planner Anita Sott clarified that this is an independent adjudicative tribunal. This appeal period should only be used as a last resort and comes at a cost. She added if there is an optimal time to address any issues/concerns, it would be preferable to have further discussions with city staff from now until its recommendation to Council on December 13th, 2021.
Another member of the audience (Brittany Boots), representing her parents, Cindy and Peter Boots, residing at 1201 Service Road, read two statements provided by her parents. The concerns expressed were that the property on which her family’s home is located will be zoned Employment Area General (EAG) and with that designation, a portion of their 36-acre property, along with other properties along Service Road, could be expropriated in the future by the city. Ms. Boots advised that her parents purchased the property five years ago with plans to one day separate it in smaller lots for her and her three brothers. The zoning on the property wouldn’t change to EAG until the family sells it. She added that this was supposed to be their legacy and that the zoning change has been devastating news for the family, which they did not see coming. She added that even if their property is excluded from the zone change, they don’t necessarily want to live in a general employment area. She explained that they are fully aware of what comes with that zoning — the noise, the odour, the dust. "We don’t want to live in an area where all we hear are trucks and all we see are lights.” said Ms. Boots. She added that her family would reluctantly sell its property to the city if it wanted it down the road and that their message is that it is a beautiful piece of property that shouldn’t be destroyed to one day build a warehouse.
G.M. of Planning, Development and Recreation advised that the city first changed the land use for the properties located on that road back in 2018, when it endorsed it's new Official Plan. At that time, property owners were made aware of the change and no negative feedback was received for the change. He reiterated that on several occasions the city’s process of acquiring lands is slow and that it does not happen overnight. It could take up to 15 years. Cornwall has purchased land for the business park in the past, including the McDonald farm, which was occupied and operational for several years before being sold to the city. He added that there exists two categories where the Boots property is located; rural and prime agricultural lands. In the city's Official Plan as well as in the Provincial Policy Statement , creating various parcels of land or severing lands such as these is discouraged at all times. He encouraged that further discussions continue with property owners.
Chair Elaine MacDonald thanked Ms. Boots for her comments and suggested that she avail herself to the invitation extended by Mr. Boileau to have further talks with city staff.
Ms. Boots agreed that if an invitation is extended, they would absolutely be willing to have those conversations.
A third public member attending virtually (Mr. Etienne Saint-Aubin) highlighted three important items; to connect with protecting the community's tree canopy within the new document; to never again allow heavy industrial uses in the city's manufacturing zones; and, to recognize and encourage a tightening up of parking requirements in residential zones where home businesses exist.
Hearing no further public commentary, Chair Elaine concluded the discussion portion of the meeting and moved the meeting to the recommendation phase.
Following a further brief discussion regarding land ownership and expansion of the Business Park, Mark Boileau clarified that this process began in 2017, where a decision which was made by Council to make those lands Employment Lands and this final draft Zoning By-law is a recognition that it should be Employment lands. He added that the city has an obligation to continue to provide employment lands to bring jobs to this community and is exhausting the lands that are already in place.
Councillor Carilyne Hebert stated she hopes that conversations soon take place with city staff and the boots family, and that PAC members be kept informed of the outcome.
Cornwall Mayor Glen Grant stated that they have been hammered as Council in the past for not looking into the future and reiterated that the city needs to look to the future and continue working towards progress.
Councillor Denis Carr advised that no action will be taken by Council until a meeting has occurred with the concerned parties.
Lay Member Amanda Brisson, expressed reluctance at recommending the final draft zoning bylaw to Council following the comments expressed by Ms. Boots. “I understand that we need to move forward, but I think that we need to address the issues that are in the room right now, before we send this to Council. We need to have happy people,” said Ms. Brisson.
Mark Boileau advised that concerns will be addressed and a follow up of those conversations will be provided to Council for consideration.
Further to a brief discussion, it was