Grey County council has approved Official Plan Amendment 11.
At its meeting on Oct. 13, council approved the controversial amendment to its Official Plan after one of the longer debates in recent times at county council.
OPA 11 was largely a housekeeping item designed to update the county’s Official Plan to recognize new provincial policies and correct some minor mapping errors. The two most controversial aspects of OPA 11 included the creation of two special policy areas in West Grey for future growth for the Town of Hanover and relaxed policies for on-farm diversified uses (OFDUs).
West Grey representatives sought to have the special policy areas on Hanover’s border removed from the bylaw. An amendment brought forward by West Grey Mayor Christine Robinson would have deleted the two special policy areas, which would have required a separate process to amend the county Official Plan in the future should they ever come forward again. The amendment was defeated in a 51-39 recorded vote.
West Grey officials, including the municipality’s lawyer Leo Longo, argued that the county was prematurely creating the special policy areas before West Grey and Hanover had reached an agreement on the matter.
“This is an item that should be addressed separately. It’s significant enough to have its own staff report,” said Robinson.
Hanover Mayor Sue Paterson said creating the special policy areas, which Hanover will eventually require for future growth, is smart planning.
“I fail to see where planning for the future is dangerous. It’s just good planning,” said Paterson.
The debate and discussion around Robinson’s amendments featured several procedural twists and turns and even resulted in a discussion about whether or not it was appropriate for county council to break for lunch after the amendment had been defeated, but before the OPA 11 bylaw had been voted on by council.
County planning staff repeatedly assured members of council that including the special policy areas in OPA 11 was just a small first step in the process. The two municipalities will still need to work out agreements on how to proceed and a further amendment process will follow at some point in the future.
“For anything to happen, we would need another Official Plan amendment. I don’t know why we’re delaying this further,” said Grey Highlands Deputy Mayor Aakash Desai.
Chatsworth Mayor Scott Mackey said Hanover and West Grey have to do the heavy lifting on the matter.
“It’s obvious there are two frustrated municipalities. I would urge the two municipalities to roll up your sleeves and get to work on this,” said Mackey.
With the West Grey/Hanover matter decided, council had to decide whether or not to include updated policies in OPA 11 for OFDUs. Policies for OFDUs allow the owners of agricultural, speciality agricultural and rural lands to have secondary farm-related businesses and industries located on their properties. OPA 11 proposed lowering the lot size requirements for OFDUs, which generated concern in the farming community.
County council approved an amendment from Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen to remove the provisions around a reduced lot size for OFDUs.
“This is something that can come back,” said McQueen.
Southgate Mayor Brian Milne objected to the amendment.
“(In Southgate) we’ve generally had a good experience,” said Milne. “I don’t think it provides any threat to the farming industry in Grey County.”
With the OFDU amendment approved, the overall bylaw to adopt OPA 11 was approved by county council in a 16-2 vote, with Robinson and West Grey Deputy Mayor Tom Hutchinson opposed.
