Adam Prudhomme
Editor
The first steps towards developing the town’s official plan were discussed during Greater Napanee council’s meeting on Jan. 25.
Topics such as statements of land use policies, guides for long-range land use plans, identifying locations for different land use areas and goals and objectives of the community will all be included in the final official plan, which is scheduled to be completed by summer and submitted to L&A County for approval.
“The official plan is a policy document that is mandated to be created by the province,” said Mark Touw, associate director of IBI Group, which the town has hired to consult on the plan. “It’s one of two primary planning documents in a municipality. One is this official plan; the second is the zoning by-law. The official plan is kind of an overarching, higher level policy document and the zoning by-law is more the nuts and bolts of how individual properties get developed in terms of uses.”
Touw says the plan will include four big picture items: accommodating demand for residential growth by designating ‘fringe areas’, urban boundary adjustment, the future of Selby Creek secondary plan area and the transition of the old industrial area south of Hwy 401.
Touw’s presentation was seen as the start of the discussion, which will continue through 2022 and include public feedback.
“I would like to note that this is the official kick off meeting,” said Michael Nobes, Town of Greater Napanee’s general manager of growth and expansion. “Further open houses and public meetings will be held following this meeting to solicit important feedback from the community as the process unfolds. Staff will also be publishing a Bang the Table page for the public to provide comment on the review process and comment on draft materials as they become available. Written comments are also always welcome and may be addressed to staff outside of open houses or public meetings.”
One resident, Matthew King, had a chance to provide feedback directly after the presentation via a virtual deputation. King, who lives close to the site of the Tomlinson Ltd’s proposed asphalt plant to be located at 8205 County Rd. 2. King is one of several residents who are opposed to the plant being built on the site of an old quarry.
“Tomlinson has taken advantage of the outdated by-laws in town zoning and my standard of living has already, frankly, gone down since they have taken ownership of the quarry,” said King. “I would like the updated plan to consider the following: the fringe area around the quarry needs to be updated. What is the plan for growth there? If a permanent asphalt plant is situated in the proposed location, there’s going to be no opportunity for residential growth because no one is going to want to live anywhere close to there.”
Touw said the town will have many variables to consider.
“I think as part of this OP (official plan) review that area of the town, there’s some industrial designations, there is the designation for the quarry and there’s a huge fringe area as you pointed out around there where the town is going to be deciding or have to look at,” said Touw. “Are we designating that for uses now or is it going to continue to be a future development area? There’s an application, you’re perhaps aware of, to the south of Hwy 2 next to the rail line, approximately a 300 unit sub division there. So I think that area of Hwy 2 is facing pressure for change, is facing pressure for more urbanization I’ll call it and I think that’s going to have the potential to create conflict with things like the quarry or some of the older industrial uses in the area. We are going to be looking at that as part of this OP review to make sure that we’re avoiding problems rather than creating them.”
-Council is considering a proposal from Sky Pixel Inc. to install a 14’x48’ double-sided digital billboard at the back of 16 McPherson Drive, next to Hwy 401.
Mike Novak and Kyle McCutcheon of Sky Pixel Inc. appeared before council to pitch their proposal.
An artist rendering of a proposed digital billboard to be placed behind the Strathcona Paper Centre.
“The opportunity for Greater Napanee is we would be looking at a term of 15 years, plus an option to renew for another 15,” said McCutcheon. “We would be providing Greater Napanee with an annual lease for the billboard property of $45,000 and that would have an annual lease increase of two per cent per year.”
Included in the lease would be one free slot for a community message to scroll through the billboard’s list of advertisements.
McCutcheon said the proposed location is ideal because it would allow both local and national advertisers to reach a large audience of drivers travelling the 401.
Council directed staff to do some research on the proposal and include a report that would contain specifics as to how much light pollution would be produced from the sign, what the cost of renting an ad space on the billboard would be to determine whether it’d be feasible for local businesses and to look at examples of other digital billboards in the area. Mayor Marg Isbester also said she’d like to know the potential impacts it could have on the nearby soccer field at the Strathcona Paper Centre and hotel.
“Not against it, but I think we need a lot more information,” said Isbester.
Councillor John McCormack made the successful motion that staff prepare a report and come back to council at a later meeting.
-At the request of Communities in Bloom, the Town of Greater Napanee has officially declared 2022 to be Year of the Garden.
All year long the town will highlight contributions of local gardeners and gardening organizations as part of a larger, national campaign.