Rossmore sub-division proposal for million dollar homes

By Sharon Harrison
Eleven single-detached, million dollar residential homes are proposed for a small residential sub-division at 579 County Road 28 in Rossmore (Ameliasburgh ward). Details of the development proposal were learned at Wednesday’s special planning and development statutory committee meeting.

The applicant (Fernbridge Investments Ltd. and Long Arrow Investments Ltd.) has filed applications (second submission) for an official plan amendment, draft plan of sub-division and zoning bylaw amendment.

Under a new two-step process (effective Jan. 1), no decision on this planning application will be made by council at this first statutory overview meeting (as has been procedure) which is intended as information-gathering only. Decision by council will happen at a future second statutory public meeting where staff will provide a report and recommendation. Council may make brief comments and ask basic questions at the first (overview) meeting, but any discussion or debate must be reserved for the second (decision) meeting under the new procedure.

Wednesday’s planning and development statutory committee overview meeting heard a presentation from the applicant’s representative, Shawn Legere, vice-president and senior planner with RFA Planning Consultant Inc. Comments by three members of the public heard concerns around increased traffic, wetlands, water and flooding, the development bringing the wrong type of housing and density being too low, among them.

County Road 28 resident Duarte Da Silva lives directly south of the proposed sub-division and looks down on it, where he noted personal concerns to the view impacted from his house and the scale of lighting. He also spoke to past flooding of the County Road 28 causeway and the worry for potential creep with the proposed development.

“The residents of County Road 28, we all back onto that marsh, and in 2012, there was a marsh fire with flames that were 50-feet high –it is a highly, highly sensitive area,” noted Da Silva.

While acknowledging that housing is badly needed in the County, he said the density and the location has to be right. “We have to certainly consider what kind of housing we are offering and building in a rural area like Rossmore.”

At 4.87 hectares (12 acres) in size, the proposed development, known as the County Road 28 sub-division project, is located just south of the intersection of County Road 28 (frontage of 21.64 metres/71 feet)) and Highway 62 in the village of Rossmore. The property is designated neighbourhood development area.

While density is low at three units per net hectare, it was noted that this smaller proposal for a sub-division may form part of a larger future residential development to come later on nearby adjacent lands, which it was noted, are not on lands owned by the applicant.

Legere also confirmed that the majority of the neighbourhood development area (38 hectares) to the west and north is under different ownership, and may bring potentially a further 82 dwelling units at some future point.

Councillor Phil St-Jean noted how the development is one part of a future development, with the rest of the lands not owned by the applicant, but expressed concern the neighbourhood concept plan may end up as piecemeal developing, citing Picton’s Talbot Street development as an example of that.

“A lot of those pieces did not neatly fit together, whether it was drainage, property swales between, elevations between each development,” said St-Jean. ”I think yourself, and any future developers on those lands, you need to ensure that all of it works well together, because the last thing I want to see happen in Rossmore is what happened in Talbot Street in Picton where these developments were not thought of as one cohesive unit;”

St-Jean also questioned the $900,000 price tag of the homes and the large lots.

“I get a little concerned when I see a bloated number like 900; are these $2 million houses that are assessed at $900,000, because that’s kind of how the system works?” he asked. “Has your client considered smaller lots, smaller homes at a more affordable and attainable value, particularly in an area like Rossmore that is so close to regional employment opportunities for our County residents?”

Legere agreed the real estate landscape has changed a fair bit since the numbers were prepared four years ago, so those values may vary, he said. He also noted the zoning bylaw dictates the size of the lots as they are hamlet residential lots and have to be larger to accommodate septic systems.

“Whoever the future developer is for the future land, what about slightly higher density that works on partial services, particularly in the north end of the County, needs to be highly considered,” added St-Jean.

The property is on vacant land that consists mainly of cultural woodlands and manicured lawn areas. Deciduous and coniferous forests are also present along the edges, as well as marsh wetland areas at its southern boundary in the form of Sawguin Creek Marsh provincially-significant wetland.

The application indicates a re-designation of the lands in the secondary plan land use map of the Rossmore urban centre secondary plan to village residential area. The application also proposes to adjust the boundaries of the area of environmental protection-provincially significant wetland (adjacent to Sawguin Marsh, a provincially-significant wetland) where there will be a 30-metre setback from Sawguin Creek Marsh provincially-significant wetland.

Currently zoned hamlet residential (HR-H) holding and environmental protection-provincially significant wetland (EP-W), the zoning bylaw amendment application seeks to re-zone a portion of the HR zone to EP-W. Also, the applicant requests the removal of the holding provision from the hamlet residential (HR) zone and apply site-specific development standard to the hamlet residential (HR) zone.

Councillor Roy Pennell spoke to the swamp area to the south of the proposed development.

“Along [County Road] 28, that has flooded several times in last 50 years, and if we get the sub-division going there, with salt and snow and water, is there anything taken into consideration of that,” asked Pennell. “Plus, we are going to have all the water running along the road now. What is the plan so we are not going to flood that road out down below?”

Legere explained the development is north of the causeway across the wetlands and outside of that area.

There was also considerable discussion on turning circles, after Legere indicated two easements for temporary turning circles are proposed, each configured to impact only one side of the road, where Pennell said of great concern to him was a temporary turnaround.

“I realize there are other properties that could be developed in the future, but we’ve got to protect the people there and the municipality, and I would not support it without making the turnaround, for when we are plowing roads, permanent,” stated Pennell.

Legere explained the properties are within the urban serviced centre of Rossmore where a future connection to the west is proposed. He said there will be two turnaround easements, one provided at the far west of the property, to be the primary turning circle and will be permanently constructed.

He said the second turning circle would be constructed in the event if staff decided to reverse the traffic flow to address the alignment issue with Massassauga Road. “We understand it only becomes an issue once the larger neighbourhood development area develops because there is such a low traffic volume and flows.”

“It is very typical for a temporary turn circle to be constructed until the road proceeds through.” Legere said, with Pennell adding that it is not known if the road will proceed or not.

“A permanent road will be constructed from County Road 28 with the option to extend the road further to the west, once those lands develop,” Legere clarified, who reminded again the applicant does not own the property to the north and west.

To clarify confusion, councillor Janice Maynard noted the turnaround would remain until there is future connections to other properties. “So this is not really temporary in that it is not going away until there is a road that will connect to other developable lands.”

Pennell again addressed the issue of snowplows using the turning circle, saying they can’t be off to one side as they have to go in and swing around. Michael Michaud, the County’s manager of planning said it was standard to have the P-design turnaround.

All planning documents related to this application can be found on the County’s website.