Municipality of Kincardine
New Natural Heritage Study
By TROY PATTERSON,
Kincardine News Staff
There's a lot of detail and suggestions for Municipality of Kincardine staff to work with in the new Natural Heritage Study.
The document was authored over the last year by representatives of North South Environmental Inc. and Dougan & Associates for the municipality, in partnership with Bruce County and Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, both of which had representatives at last week's meeting.
The report gave an outline of the forested areas in the municipality, which exist as lakeshore 'coastal corridor' wooded areas and woodlots along the backs of properties, both of which are extremely valuable parts of the ecosystem. Special land use policies are needed in these areas to "recognize their ecologicial significance," said representative Margo Dougan.
The municipality was pressed to protect the forested areas and create linkages to improve ecosystems that have been cut off or isolated in the past. Council was also told there is a high level of bio-diversity in terms of plants and wildlife, which need options to move within habitats and not be further limited.
Deputy Mayor Laura Haight said since there were no environmental hazard lands or floodplain maps 40 years ago, they're working to repair damage already done.
"How we move forward is the trick," Haight said. "It's not going to be an easy task."
Mayor Larry Kraemer said council will have to work to be more "sensitive" when dealing with development projects, as balancing the "competition between the human species and the natural environment" is the biggest challenge.
Planning Advisory Recommendation (Natural Heritage Study)
Council Minutes Wednesday, March 10, 2010
6.0 MATTERS ARISING FROM PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
6.1 Planning Advisory Recommendation (Natural Heritage Study)
Resolution # 03/10/10 - 05
Moved by: Ron Hewitt
Seconded by: Kenneth Craig
THAT the Council of The Corporation of the Municipality of Kincardine concurs
with the recommendation of the Planning Advisory Committee to defer the
adoption of an Official Plan Amendment for the Natural Heritage System Study to
the Building & Planning Committee;
AND FURTHER THAT a report be brought back to Council no later then July 30,
2010.
Carried.
Residents applaud downfall of Natural Heritage System
By TROY PATTERSON
Kincardine News Staff
After five years of public consultation, Inverhuron-Lakeshore area residents applauded the downfall of the Natural Heritage System (NHS) proposed to control development, preserve woodland and change land use designations in the area.
In a unanimous recorded vote, Municipality of Kincardine council defeated the motion to accept the implementation of the NHS as an Official Plan amendment. Numerous residents gave statements protesting the amendment due to the affect it would have on the value and use of their land, as well as widespread confusion over the scope and goals of the project.
“Five years got us nowhere,” said Mayor Larry Kraemer. “It held up development and people’s use of land. It’s dead unless some other council decides to resurrect it, but it won’t be this one.”
The project would see dozens of landdesignations changed
Kraemer said he’d lost support for the project a long time ago, as it was passed to the current council, as it was created prior to the 2006 election and he didn’t want to see it survive this term. Kraemer said he’d rather see development handled case-bycase, with a tree retention and replacement bylaw to maintain woodland and usher in new development and growth.
Kraemer said the changes aren’t required under the Provincial Policy Statement and unnecessary. The Lakeshore Area Land Use plan was broken down into five designations by Bruce County Planning, each with specific descriptions, allowed and prohibited land uses that would change many existing designations, with property owners fearing property devaluation, loss of use and loss of control over their land.
Councillor Ron Hewitt was in favour of deferring the decision until more discussion could take place with stakeholders and Bruce County, but the motion was defeated.
Counc. Mike Leggett said the majority of the 'Heritage' forest was logged a century ago and is only regrowth. He said policies like this that are overprotective lead municipalities to " push into good farmland and eat it up with homes."
"We should deal with each (application) as they come," said Leggett.
Resident Sharon Jackson said this plan, along with others like the Inverhuron water and sewer line Environmental Assessment, are being looked upon with "stress, anxiety and anger.
Ed Roberts of the Tiverton and District Ratepayers said the area has much capacity to build, so it should take advantage of those opportunities or risk becoming pigeon-holed as a retirement community.
Jackie Mann's issue with the NHS was that it threatened to prevent she and her siblings from splitting up the seven acres of land left by her parents into lots for each of them.
"Where is the input from the people" said Mann. "It's impacting a lot of people and few are making the decisions. There's not a sufficient understanding and I think (Bruce County) is creating a false sense of security."
Many residents outlined how the system would limit development to just a fraction of their available land, without any compensation for the loss of land use that would be caused by the amendment. Some questioned how a few of the areas were justified as "heritage" when in many occasions the county hadn't visited the sites to see its true condition.
Numerous developers were also concerned about the potential impacts it would have on their investment lands. Many would be significantly impacted by restrictions placed on them from the NHS.
Bruce County Planner Bill Hollo said many individual policies benefited from the discussions that took place during the 11 public meetings that were held over the five years.
His main concern was consistency in development as the years past, which will maintain and improve the natural environment. Returning to the original policy, each application will be dealt with separately, so the county will now focus on dealing with individual applications in an effort of avoiding a "patchwork quilt" of development lands.
"We certainly had a good discussion," said Hollo.
revised 2010 Oct 14