HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-02-21, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019.
Huron East Council has approved
a contested zoning bylaw
amendment for Don and Jill
Sholdice after two weeks of further
consultation yielded few results.
Huron County Planner Denise Van
Amersfoort spoke to the issue at
council’s Feb. 5 meeting, saying that
the department was recommending
denial of the application to create a
new lot due to a myriad of concerns.
The issue was first discussed at
council’s Jan. 22 meeting when the
Sholdices applied to create a new lot
on Elizabeth Street that would have
an unusual shape and allow two
horses on the property. They were
proposing to sever it from their
current property and create the new
lot, but concerns with a laneway
were at the heart of the matter
between the Sholdices and their
neighbours, Jenna Fischer and
Andrew Baker.
In her report presented on Jan. 22,
Van Amersfoort said that while
developing the property wouldn’t be
impossible, it would be difficult,
which is why the department felt as
though the Sholdices’ plans would
be almost temporary in nature ahead
of development that could take place
40 or 50 years down the road.
The property, she said, is a largely
undeveloped parcel that is nearly
five acres in size. Sholdice said that
he and his wife bought the property
with the hopes of developing it in
this way one day, but that the last
thing they wanted to do was cause
any trouble with their neighbours.
The largest issue with the
application has proven to be a
proposed laneway that would run
between the new lot and the Fischer
and Baker home.
Fischer spoke to council at the Jan.
22 meeting, saying that the laneway
wouldn’t be compatible with the
current character of the neighbour-
hood and that she would be worried
about the safety of children along
that portion of the property.
Sholdice said that he has been
planning to take several measures to
ensure separation along the laneway,
including a four-foot-high fence and
the planting of trees, but that the two
families have yet to come to a
solution on which both can agree.
Councillor Joe Steffler said he had
recently visited the property in
question and felt that the Sholdices
would put it to good use by
developing it in this manner. He also
said it would be a good use of the
property, which, has been sitting
vacant for some time.
If the laneway wasn’t located in
the proposed location, Sholdice said,
the new property and the current
property would then have to share a
driveway, which isn’t agreeable to
the owners and isn’t good planning
practice for future owners, said Van
Amersfoort.
At the Feb. 5 meeting, Van
Amersfoort said that two weeks of
discussion hadn’t propelled the issue
any further and that, despite the
Sholdices’ best efforts, her
department recommended denial.
Because of the noise, dust and loss
of privacy in the backyard associated
with a long laneway like the one
proposed by the Sholdices, a fence
and row of trees would be necessary.
In addition, it would create a unique
situation for the severed property,
referred to as the Higgins property,
that would likely result in a
construction of a fence on that side
of the property as well, essentially
creating a fenced-in laneway.
She also said that the decision
would create a rather odd-shaped lot,
which the Planning Act always
instructs planners to avoid at all
costs.
Van Amersfoort also said that the
new property would have
approximately 50 per cent of the
frontage of other properties in the
neighbourhood, which would lead to
compatibility concerns.
Fischer again addressed council,
saying that she felt her and Baker’s
concerns were not heard at the
previous meeting and that some
councillors already had their minds
made up and had decided to approve
the application no matter the
planning recommendation.
She said that she and Baker shared
many of the concerns voiced by Van
Amersfoort in her report and they
worried that the creation of an odd-
shaped lot would leave the
neighbourhood with an albatross for
generations to come.
Fischer and Baker said they
thought of their Elizabeth Street
home as their “forever home” and
they wanted to do everything they
could to preserve its integrity.
Sholdice told council that he had
no plans to subdivide the property in
the future and that he planned to
pave the new laneway in the next
two or three years, which may help
with concerns over dust.
Councillor Joe Steffler was the
first to speak against the
recommendation of the planning
department, saying he was very
familiar with the property and felt
that the Sholdices would do right by
it in developing it. He also said that
a similar lot with reduced frontage
had been created in Egmondville not
that long ago and he felt council
should do the same in Brussels.
Deputy-Mayor Bob Fisher also
spoke in favour of the Sholdices’
application. Councillor Alvin
McLellan joined, saying he was
leaning towards approving the
application for a number of reasons.
Council voted unanimously to
approve the application, despite the
planning department’s advice to the
contrary.
Council passed a motion
approving both of the Sholdices’
applications and voting to stop up,
close and convey that short portion
of Hawkes Street beside the
Sholdices’ newly-severed property.
As a disputed severance, the
Sholdices’ application will be up for
Huron County Council approval at
the March 6 meeting of council.
Secrets and snowballs
With a steady stream of winter weather in the first two months of the year, area students have
been able to consistently play in the snow for weeks without interruption. While some students
opt to slide down hills or play soccer, these young ladies have opted to gather snow, while
documenting some secrets in a special book of theirs. From left: Reese deBoer, Macy Smith,
Abbey Haak and Marie Bolen. (Denny Scott photo)
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By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Huron East Council
approves severance
despite protestations
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