SEBRINGVILLE – A large-scale development being proposed for the hamlet of Sebringville has some residents sounding the alarm.
The development, proposed by a numbered company, is slated to include 302 housing units and would include 92 single detached homes, 168 apartment units and 42 townhouses on the west side of Station Street in Sebringville.
“We know that some people in Sebringville are somewhat alarmed by the number of homes included in this development,” said Perth South Mayor Jim Aitcheson.
Aitcheson added “right now there is a big push to get higher density and use less farmland to build homes that are needed in the province.”
But the project did see a deferred motion come to the last Perth County Council meeting.
At a June meeting, a recommendation was presented to Perth County Council from planner Jeff Bannon, that would have allowed an amendment to the county’s Official Plan to allow for apartments included in the development, to be three stories in height and contain 24 units.
“One of the biggest concerns from the public has been a couple of bigger apartment units, but nothing has been passed yet, it's still in the concept phase, so until we get a little deeper into it, then those decisions will be made,” Aitcheson said.
The amendment would not have guaranteed that the project would have proceeded, but some council members voiced concerns about the lack of an environmental assessment for the project.
“The environmental assessment is not yet finished, and once the applicant makes an application they have so many days to present it and have it heard, so the thing that came out of county council was because not all the information was available it was decided to defer the decision,” said Aitcheson.
The draft phase 1 and 2 of the environmental assessment reports are nearing completion, and the draft reports are being reviewed by engineering firm BM Ross and Associates who were retained by the Township of Perth South.
Both Municipal staff along with BM Ross will provide feedback to the applicant's consultant in preparation for the final draft of phase one and two.
“It's a residential subdivision, along with supporting functions such as municipal roads, a park, a stormwater management facility, according to Caroline Baker, the principal at Baker Planning who is representing the developer.
The draft reports are scheduled to be presented to the township council near the end of September.
Since the township is the co-proponent on the environmental assessment, Perth South Council will need to endorse the reports before they are posted online for public comment and feedback.
Once feedback and comments have been received, the next step will see the applicant begin work on the phase three report which will include results of a study providing more detailed design in regards to servicing.
“There has been one public meeting and one council meeting held, and comments were received at the meeting and there were also written comments from community members who expressed some concerns,” said Baker, adding that the project team is preparing responses to concerns raised including density, transportation, and servicing”
The study will provide the municipality with scientific modeling to help predict the impact of the treated wastewater generated by the proposed subdivision on the receiving watercourse. The study will also help determine the quality of wastewater that the watercourse can absorb without exceeding water quality guidelines set out by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Following the study the applicant will have to engage in pre-consultation discussions with the province before submitting the study to BM Ross and the municipality in September.
This entire process is expected to be completed in November.
BM Ross and Municipal staff are also reviewing updated engineering reports from the applicant.
The report is being circulated to the conservation authority and sourcewater protection agencies for review and comment.
Work is also continuing on a Transportation Impact Study. Upgrades will need to be made to Station Road if the development is approved, and a cost sharing formula related to road and sidewalk work is being reviewed.
The applicant will be submitting the updated Transportation Impact Study to the Ministry of Transportation and the Municipality within the next four weeks.
Perth South is exploring options to obtain access to Huron Road instead of Station Road, however the Ministry is currently not permitting access.
Baker Planning is scheduling meetings in August and or September with the Perth County Planning staff to review zoning for the townhouse/condo aspect of the development.
Planning matters could come to council with recommendations if and once servicing capacity has been demonstrated, which could occur later this year.