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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-10-17, Page 1McKinley adds Royal R.E.„McKinley, federal MP for the Huron -Middlesex and Chief Opposition Whip in the .House of Commons, announced this week that he has added a new member to his staff in the person of David Royal. . Mr. Royal is the third sort of Rev. and Mrs. G.L. Royal of Goderich; and received his B.A. in History in 1973 following two years of, study at Sir Wilfred Laurier and one year at McGill University. Formerly employed by the Bank of Commer'te in Mon - treat, Mr. Royal's duties wi11 include research and committee 'organi'zation, as well as other responsibilities associated with the Whip's office. OT. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11s 1914 ' SINGLE 'COPY 25c OMB he�riflgSM0fldaY could be delayed r alba :b:M . !fetal I ” ex n y. • ansa Ontario Municipal Board hearings into the proposed shopping. plaza .for Goderich may _be . temp\ )rarily postponed, pending the. outcome of a public meeting last evening- (Wed- - nesday) and council's decision at this evening's regular caup- ' cil meeting. , ' O.. George Plaxtcin, solicitor for , the . Goderich Business, Men's ,Association came before tclwn cpuncillors last"'Thursday evening to make a proposal on behalf of 'his clients Concerning zoning in the core area. ' Following his presentation to council, he served notice to the town's solicitor, Dan Murphy, that the Goderich Business Men's Association. was 'prepared to make application. to the Divisional C.qurt for judicial' review: of the •interim decision o.f the Q Ontario. Municipal Board. In effect, this would delay •• OMB hearings int() the 'plaza • proposal scheduled to .reopen in Goderich Monday afternoon. " It is understood, that if after last night's open meeting and. tonight's, regular council session,. members of council • agree not to ,act, upon the 'zoning suggestion put forth by . s • ..d" Bylaw 29 would also be -• •4 Mr. Plaxton on behalf.i►f the . • 'Halloween, when kids prowl the streets looking for candy and sometimes playing a few tricks businessmen, action will begin amended through text, Mr. on the residents of town. But like everything else Halloween has changed. The celebration immediately tie stall the Plaxton's proposal noted. This has 'changed from one day .In October to just about the whole month and the. few tricks have . hearings. text would ensure .that any . evoFved into acts of vandalism. These pictures show the cleanup necessary after somebo.dy's In.. addressing council, 'Mr. residences already established night befog. Dennis Stec (top) replaces the windows in his place of�business at Tiger Paxton reviewed •his two -•fold in the proposed Commercial _fun the g Dennis,,Steep .P . Dunlop for the third time and the Town Works Department sent a crew to sweep up the broken argurnertt against . the plaza 'zone could be rebuilt .should someone broke bottles for two blocks along the residential. osal:.that there is a lack of they be destroyed by.'fire or .glass from Anglesea Street after pp " ...,- ..— r".n ✓fearl ility In connection with 'othter' act of God within ,a-- street. {staff -photo) • the shopping plaza. proposed by Stincoai+t Estates; and -•that, if feasibility is proven, it is . the cine area of the municipality - not the outskirts of the town - which should be developed. first. He reiterated his stand that -4 it it is important to the businessmen of this community there he land available in the core .area, readily .usable and '• properly zoned for commercial retail `activ.ity. • "I am surprised •to'find eoun.- cil: ° hasenacted Bylaw •34," stated ,,Mr. Plaxton. "Its effect is to co,hstrain commercial ac- tivity in the core c,)f town. No area is left in the core of town in which new commercial- ac- tivity could be established. We take exception to. it.'' He asked that "Bylaw :34 be revoked and a new bylaw passed.* Hee further requested that Bylaw 29 he' amended -to refer especially to the area . hounded by St. Patrick Street on the south, Nelson Street on the north, Church Stteet on the east'and Waterloo Street on the west.- This area would remain zoned for residential use while the remainder •of the core area would become commercial area. period of two years following the disaster. • , According to Mr.,,,,Plaxton, these two changes would satisfy the businessmen as well as the persons •Who objected. to• the original proposals such _zoning in the 'core area. He said the bulk of written opposition to the proposals Here's what the dispute is about According to a reliable Ontario government source, Rockledge Properties Limited has received notice. it can now go ahead. with plans for construction of a shopping. plaza in Goderich Township if the company still has such plans to do So.• Goderich spokesman for Rockledge, Gord• Smith, confir- med the report in a brief telephone conversation Wednesday noon. • Mrs. Anne Beaumont, Director of the, Official Plans Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Housing, told the Signal - Star early Wednesday morning that following examination . for • discovery proceedings concerning the Rockledge prc posal, decision was handed down in ,favor Of the developers. She said Rockledge .provided "very excellent information" • that the Permit for the shopping plaza in Goderich Township • had been approved by municipal council 10 days prior to the "freeze" imposed by the Hon. .John White. Mrs. Beaumont 'addedthat on the basis of a previous case • in Glanford Township near • Woodstock,, where the court found in favor of the developer in a similar situation, the governmentdecided. not to proceed further • with the Rockledge matter. 'g'rttitr-rtnderstood that:cinly those, plans which are already apprcird for the proposed Rockledge development woo l be permitted. Any changes or, alteration' to the original plans • .;wou1d tie subject to the order' of the Minister. - Rurnorti this week'in Goderich and area that the "freeze" had been lifted in Goderich Township were not confirmed. Murray Gaunt, 'MPP for Huron -Bruce- said Wedneday morn ng that the matter is presently uider,review. He noted, however, that the building permit held by Rtckledge Proper- ties Limited was found to he valid despite the "freeze .MPP .Jack Riddell was. away from his office on,..business and could not he reached for comment. ZONE CHANGE-TOR2 ZONE CHANGE TO C2 came from persons in the . north-west area of the municipality and• from persons who feared they would not be, able to reconstruct their .homes in case of fire, etc.' Council agreed to take no ac- tion on Mr. Plaxton's recom- mendation on behalf of the businessmen. The matter was put over until tonight's ,council • Meeting and after last evening's special; public meeting at which Mr. Plaxton r was to have fade the' same Ilroposa1.00, Immediately following his presentation to •• council, Mr. Plaxton • served notice' to Goderich` Town Council's solicitor that the businessmen are ready to make applica,tion to the Divisional ' Court fol.:- judicial o:judicial review of the interim . decision of the OMB. The businessmen believe that since Bylawe :34 is so restrictive to their future needs needs that would be even greater with the possible establishment of It. shopping plaza in the municipality hearings must be held on that bylaw. before any further discussions are held concerning the proposed plaza. A look at Plan Three (Bylaw 4) on the front page shows one rea in severe. dispute: • The property right next to the Woolworth store at the corner of the Square'and South Street is zoned restricted commercial (C2). C2 permits residential -.uses EtA well 'as selected com- mercial uses a church, a guest home, a ,nursine home, a professional office, an under- taking establishment.',' • • Mr. Plaxton pointed out that if the Woolworth store wanted to expand to the south, therefore, it would .be severely restricted under present zoning • laws. . "Woolworth's is not entitled to enlarge their premises by one foot," Mr: Plaxton told council,. He: reminded c•oun'ril . that" similar restrictions' have been placed .on most areas surroun- ding the core area. STRErT This is how the.cbre area was zoned according to Bylaw 19 of 1958. All. .the shaded back area was designated general commercial. Exempted from this plan .,was'' tjie block surrounding Colborne Street and Montreal Street. (as shown by the map). rX 0 1—, Reproductions of official town maps When municidal planners were consulted about" the preparation of an official plan, this is how the core area look'ed. OS designates open space: O4 is general OOMMerci'al; C4-1 permits residential 'Uses in .commercial zone: 04-2 Per - mite, hotels. in a commercial g(,,e; R2 is residential: R3 is residential: O2 restricte.ci rommercial; C3 is highway com- mercial. This plan (Bylaw 29 of 1972) was alre'aled by many Citizens with residences in the area and the fesult was Bylaw 34 whiCh' the businessmen complain seyerely restritts the Commercial .)f Gocierich This is how Bylaw 34 dealt with the oppos.ttionlo Bylaw 29. lt is this plan to whioWthe businessman are now obiecting on fhe grounds that it is too restrictive. In his proposal to town cancil last Thur- sday evening, George Plaxton, solicitor for the Goderich Bustness Men's AsSociation, suggested that Byla‘k 34 be scrapped and a new bylaw passed fo amend Bylaw 29. After analysing Mr. Plax- ton's request, it appears the businessmen would prefer to revert to essentially the zoning_es was 'ap- proved in Bylaw 19 of 1958 with the exception of the Montreal Street area which Would be general comMerctal aS well A chaoge in the text of the ,bylaW, however, would protect those citi/ens with, established homes in the area Should those residences be lost through fire or other act Of God, theY could, be ,rebuilt within two years if the businessmen's recOmmendation is approved.