OMB ruling outrages village residents
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/ruling+outrages+Manotick+residents/1487853/story.html
Fear losing 'small-town feel' after decision OKs plan that will double the size of Manotick by 2020
BY MARIA COOK, THE OTTAWA CITIZENAPRIL 11, 2009
As he shared a hot-dog barbecue with neighbours on Friday, David Kirk explained why he and his family moved to Manotick nine years ago.
"We wanted a small-village feel, a quiet community," said Kirk, a 40-year-old marketing executive. "It wasn't a congested area."
That will change, he predicted, as the result of a controversial decision by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) that will double the population of Manotick by 2020.
"It's pretty disappointing to see the community and the city against it, and the OMB overruling us," he said.
On the estate lots, where Kirk lives, as well as in the historic village core, residents expressed sadness, anger and a sense of impending loss.
"Once the population is bigger, the chains will come in and it will be harder for local businesses on Main Street to stay in business," Kirk said.
"It's going to put a lot of stress on resources; we've got one hockey rink. Manotick is sized nicely for what we have."
On Thursday, the OMB approved Minto's Mahogany subdivision: 1,400 houses slated for a 480-acre area south of Manotick's village core.
"How do they have the power to overrule what a city and a community wants?" asked Dan Colfe, a 65-year-old newspaper contractor. "In 99 per cent of cases you've got two people working in a family. You're adding 2,800 cars."
City council rejected the proposed development last year, stating that the pace and size of growth did not comply with the city's official plan or the village's secondary plan, and that the project did not fit with the rural character of the village.
Minto Communities Inc. appealed council's decision to the board, made up of provincial appointees with the power to overrule municipal governments on planning issues.
"It doesn't surprise me," said 50-year-old hair stylist Donna Wright, who lives and works in a 150-year-old house on Main Street. "These are people who have a lot of weight and money and plans."
"It's unfortunate for our small town, because Barrhaven is touching us at one end and now Minto at the other. Manotick is just going to become a bedroom community of the city. People fear the loss of the small-town feeling."
Wright wishes traffic could be rerouted and the downtown turned into a pedestrian zone.
"I know from living on this street, it's extremely busy," she said.
"It's going to make it more difficult for people to get through the village. How are people going to be able to stop and park to bring their business to us?"
Sue Boucher's house backs onto the land to be developed.
"I'm very sad," she said. "I believe the OMB is totally for the developers. We had a strong case. The problem isn't Minto. The problem is the OMB, they don't know anything about villages."
Boucher will plant trees to screen the development. "We've lost our view. I do not want to see houses."
However, the battle has made the village stronger, she said. "I've met wonderful people in Manotick that I didn't know before. It's brought us closer."
She said they will scrutinize the development as it unfolds. "If I have a well problem, the city better be there to clean it up."
Dave Bracken, 63, is less concerned. His family has been in Manotick since 1942 and he lives on land that was once part of the family farm.
"Development is inevitable," he said. "You won't get a better builder or corporate citizen than Minto. It's not the houses that are an issue, it's the traffic. Until the infrastructure is in place, they shouldn't build one house."
Village historian Larry Ellis supports the development, in large part because it will create smaller houses for people who want to downsize as they age. "We've got none of that out here now.
"Minto is probably one of the better developers," he added.
"I've talked to them, met them, taken them on walking tours around town. They have a good feel for the village. They have a feeling for nature."
Meanwhile, Brian Tansley, president of the West Manotick community association, spent Friday morning fielding calls from unhappy residents.
"Disappointed would be an understatement," he said. "We lost big time. Every single point that we raised was ruled down.
"The primary disappointment is the lack of justification for the ruling. In a legal document there's references to prior rulings to provide rationale for decisions. There were none of those."
A rapid rate of growth will overwhelm recreation and public facilities, leading newcomers to shop and play in Barrhaven and elsewhere, he said.
"When you're raising family, you want to avail yourself of Girl Guides, soccer, hockey, churches, all the things that make family life.
"If they can't avail themselves of those features, are they going to make their own little community over there?
"You can look at other places where this has happened -- Kemptville, Smiths Falls -- where developments on the periphery have eaten out the central part of the village," said Tansley.
"It won't happen tomorrow, it'll happen in pieces. The rural village character will dissolve in part."
The secondary plan provided for 250 more houses to the current stock of 1,750 by 2020.
"Manotick is still here after 150 years," said Tansley. "We've managed to get this far by managing the growth."
Minto originally proposed upward of 2,000 houses, but reduced the number to 1,400 during talks with the city and community groups. It plans to build in five phases by 2020.
Construction could begin next year.
The OMB said that prior to each phase, Minto must prove there is enough transportation capacity to handle the population increase.
One element is the Strandherd-Armstrong bridge, which still requires financial commitments from the provincial and federal governments but is expected to be completed by 2013.
The board also ordered Minto to transfer ownership of a pond, creek corridors and other environmentally sensitive areas to the city for public use.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
Prev
Linear Mode
