HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1971-08-12, Page 2G D►I R1.CHS'IGNAL,.STAR, THURSDAY• , AUGUST 12,.19/-1
About 200 rcitepoyers
. d)
avidson hopes revised -.plan is approved this year
Now that the three public
"Meetings have been held in
Ruron County to study 'the
county's propos'e"d official plan,
it has been banded back to
Huron's ute' i planning director,
r(ary. Davidson; for irewriting.
'Davidson didn't . write the
first - plan. That work was
• completed by Kleinfeldt .and
Aasociates,.,.jrom _.London at a
• cost of about $58,000. But it is
Davidson who has been selected
to interpret, the views of almost
20Q Huron County taxpayers
who attended the Meetings in
Clinton, Wingham and Exeter,
incorporate them in changes in
the plan after consultation with
Kleinfeldt and Associates, and
then finally presentit. to, °he
Htir-on County Planning Board
who wilt in turn decide whether.
or ° not the plan is ready for
introduction on the fldor at the
September session of Huron
County Council.
It was in 1968 that Huron
County Council requested the
Qntario government to designate
Huron as a planning area. Once
. that was appioved, elec%ed
county officials agreed to hire a
firm to bring in aplan for future
land development in Huron
County.
'At this very moment, Huron
County is the first county in the
. province, of Qntario to have a
proposed official plan.
According to Gary Davidson,
i s tt h o't
special edge on the ;rest of the
counties in the province except
° *that it is definitely one jump
ahead as far as planning a future
for'.this county where land use is.
concerned.
One of ,the recommendations
....... yof Kleinfeldt and Associates was
that .Huron County should have
its own official"county planner.
Gary Davidson, • a native of
Toronto who at the tender age
of 2.S years had risen to head of
the regional planning section of
the Nova Scotia Department of.
Municipal Affairs, was chosen
.from a healthy list •of apcants.
He arrived in Godench this
spring
Davidson is a. graduate of the -
University of Toronto who did
his graduate ,work' at- the
University of -Waterloo. His wife'
4.s.a Kitchener girl and the couple
have one son,• Jan Michael, two
years old.
• Huron's planner will be
responsible for getting the
county's official plan off the
ground' -"and . will alio serve''as
staff for municipalities in Huron.;
County where planning is going
on.
The people of Huron County
have a "basic respect" for the
system of government here,
Davidson said. Although many
persons question the "legitimacy
of planning" and 'are somewhat
apprehensive about it, the initial
response to the Official county
plan has been gratifying:
An average of 60 persons
• a£tended each of three public
meetings held in ' Huron to '
discuss the plan. Not many of
these were ordinary interested
citizens. Most were land
developers, _, lawyers, municipal
,'people and persons who could
be' affected by land use planning •
in. Huron. Still,. according to
Davidson, this •was a fine
beginning and he is hopeful that
things will move quickly toward
final approval for the plan.
The main complaint a.bout
the plant' noted Davidson, was
the size of lots. This portion of
the pian is directed at
developments where sewage and
water supply. is likely to be a
problem for a few years to
come.
"The plan is' only a guide,"
stated Davidson. He admitted
that in some cases,' individual
differences may have to be taken
into account after the developer
has given satisfactory proof that
an exception should be made.
For instance, the plan
suggests. that where development
must be serviced by both a water
well and, a 'septic system for
waste, the lot size should be '11/2
acres or about 210 square feet..',
However, if' the developer can •
prove with soil tests etc. that
adequate drainage can " be
provided on a somewhat smaller
tot, t•he:plan° should be flexible
eno"itgh to permit adjustments.
'By the same token, Davidson
pointed out, if the . planning
bciard"°believes that the -type of
devel'opme t—ptan .ed for a 1' 2
acre site is not `Suitable, they'
should ,have some authority
undk the ,plan tib;' prevent . it
from happenaaig.
Where there is a public water.
supply, Davidson continued, but
the necessity for a private septic
tank system, the lot size is
suggested at half an' acre. In
municipalities such as t derich
where both a public water
supply and a sewage system is
provided, 'the lot size is generally
left up to the municipality.
Of course, the shoreline of
Huron' County is a vIneratrle
area with developers anxious• to
build up these lands and the
county eager to ensure an
orderly, sensible growth which
will not produce new problems
in the future.
Davidson said it was strange
that so many people wanted oto
build along the shoreline because
of the environment and then
were apt • to be careless about
development there which could
esSily destroy that very same
environment, .
"Planning is ptotection of
public • interest in ;the use of
land," said Davidson. "And lot
sizes should be large enough to
protect the' environMent but not
.too Targe to prohibit
development."
The rewriting df the plan and
the slight changes in the
mapping will require time but
Iayi.son opes o ge e
revised plan to county council'
next month. If county council
approves it, the plan will be
forwarded to the Minister of
Municipal Affairs for the
-Province of Ontario for final
approval.
Davidson said that he Lias
already been in touch with
representatives of the
•department of municipal affairs
who' •have 'had a look at the
proposed plan,
A great many , , of their
,concerns about.":the-•plan w re •
,them
sae as were .expressed t •'
the public` meetings," Davidson
pointed out. He is aiming for
provincial approval for thewpian '
• by Christmas:. • ° •
"Huron's, proposed..,..official
plan has generated an
enthusiasm for planning,"
continued` Davidson. "I1 .is a
,general guideline which 'starts
the process .going. It seems to
provide—for—a— m
would set up the process for the
next. building season."
Aside from. his eagerness to
get the plan i-inalized, Davidson
i§ tremendously ckincerncd
about, • building "an •open-door
potley".at his office. •
-"Planning depends on -how
welt the people and the
municipalities understanding the"
,plan and ,the processes.'
Davidson explained..' "That's
why, we're working on the open
door- policy here We, want
people to, know they can come'
in here to talk to us about their
_in
problems and we
have .plans to get out more to
talk .''
At ti mtheomentpeople, there are two
other persons in the planning,
Middle." '''' '
"It would be great timing
from .our viewpoint if the plan
'was finalized by Christmas,
mused Davidsonti, "Thl n we
11
!.
County Council, members had °
expressed a fear that . the staff in
the planning department could'
grow out of proportion with the,
work being done.
Davidson discounted, that
theory. .
"I think that's about as large
as our staff is likely to get for a
"'while," said Davidson.
are Nicholas Hill, a planning
te.4.1mikiag recently acquired by
the county and Shirley Mohring,
their secretary,
At recent sessions of Huron '
There's plenty' of work .ahead
and., Davidson— is the first ,.to
admit it. To add to the load,
many of his duties must be
carried oat 111 the evening•when
meetings are most convenient
with developers and :municipal
people.
"We haven't refused tb. come.
to a , night meeting yet,"
aiFidsen;- Viand -
won't. It makes Iong.hours but it
His exciting "work. It, is worth all
the effort when you can help'
someone with ` a planning
problem."
0
GARY QAVIDSON
. optimistic about planning in HUron .
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