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Developer takes Mono housing application to land tribunal

June 29, 2023   ·   1 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The proponents of a proposed housing development in Mono have taken their case to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Aragon Development Corp. has submitted a pair of applications to build on vacant land at Highway 10 to the east, Kingfisher Drive to the west, County Road 16 to the north, and Monora Park Drive to the south.

Their proposal, which was discussed in a public Mono council meeting in May, is to develop a residential condominium community with 220 three-storey townhouse units with garages and paved driveways and 52 visitor parking spaces and landscaped areas.

The proposal has shared common areas such as open spaces, linear connections, community mailboxes, a pavilion, a multi-purpose court and playground area, and a wastewater treatment area.

The land parcel abutting the north side of Monora Park Drive is to be maintained for future commercial development.

A number of residents have spoken out against the proposed development for a variety of reasons.

Mayor John Creelman said at the start of a June 27 public meeting about the proposal that Aragon has exercised its right to go to the land tribunal in an appeal. 

The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) adjudicates matters related to land use planning, environmental and natural features and heritage protection, land valuation, land compensation, municipal finance, and related matters.

“When I say they are exercising their right, they are doing so on the basis of the very tight timelines that the current (provincial) government has imposed on municipalities processing these planning applications,” Creelman said.

“That’s not to say that the matter is moot. Indeed, it was our intention when we heard this that this meeting would go ahead today.”

He said council wanted to provide an opportunity for people to express their views on the proposed housing development.

The matter is now “somewhat” out of council’s hands as it is before the OLT, but Mono will be intervening at the tribunal, he said.

“It is a bit of a tortuous process,” Creelman said. “It involves various pre-hearing discussions and, of course, ultimately the setting of a hearing date.”

The mayor said views expressed by Mono’s residents about the proposed development will form part of the municipality’s case at the tribunal hearing when it happens.

“I am disappointed that Aragon has not chosen to pursue the process and has, basically, decided to go directly to the tribunal,” Creelman said.

Deputy Mayor Fred Nix said residents have been lobbying council by email to “make the right decision” on the proposed subdivision.

“In fact, we’re not making a decision,” Nix said. “It’s been taken out of our hands.”

While Nix said no decision for or against the proposal could be made at the June 27 meeting, Creelman said they hopefully would have gotten opinions to express at the tribunal.

One of the issues at the May meeting about the development was restrictions in the condominium corporation’s document. Some of the wording of the condo document made people fearful that they wouldn’t be able to express themselves as openly as they would regarding condo matters.

“We understand perfectly if you still feel inhibited,” Creelman said. “It is a section of the document that, as I said publicly, I do not think would stand up to judicial scrutiny.”

Mono resident Ross McLean asked if council has heard feedback from the school boards.

“My concern is an excess number of buses gong hither and yon and children of various ages … have to be bused to various destinations,” McLean said.

He said he believes Aragon to be a landlord of sorts. As such, he wanted to know if the company will offer the condo units for rent or for sale.

Mark Early, the town’s CAO, said he isn’t aware of any school board’s opinion on the proposed development.

“It would usually be a signage notice … saying that adequate sites may not be available for students in this location,” Early said.

He said what’s been done over the last 10 years or so is that the school boards will check with municipalities about developments. Then the school boards can allocate resources accordingly.

“They are doing that with a more long-term approach and they’re aware of the various developments,” Early said. “They generally don’t comment specifically on applications anymore.”

Regarding whether units will be sold or rented, Creelman said council isn’t aware.

Many written objectors to the proposal expressed fear of how the development will affect groundwater resources and wellhead protection in the area. For wastewater treatment, developers propose to use a sequence batch reactor.

“It’s a different technology than what’s been proposed in the previous two developments in the town that are on communal services,” Early said.

One resident spoke in favour of the proposed housing development. He said the new housing will draw more families to the area and initiate growth.

“People are trying to get out of certain locations to grow their young families,” he said, and added that Greater Toronto Area housing is unaffordable.

“It’s going to create jobs and good opportunities for people,” he said of the proposal.

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