By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express
Changing the face of the Columbus community has some residents worried.
Durham Regional Council’s decision to zone the outer lands, near Windfield Farms, as employment lands could mean an urban sprawl and an eyesore for the small hamlet, says Columbus resident Rosemary McConkey
And while the proposed Durham Regional Official Plan Amendment, also known as ROPA 128, won’t take effect for years, McConkey says she wants to make sure her community is safe now and into the future.
The purpose of the growth plan was to come up with ideas and solutions to deal with population growth within the region for the future up to 2031.
It was amended and approved by council on June 3, 2009 and since then the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has reviewed and assessed the plan against suggestions for the growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
Several areas were examined, including population and employment forecasts to the eight area municipalities for the period to 2031.
The region’s idea was to achieve a density target of 200 residents and jobs combined per hectare in Oshawa and Pickering, a report states.
However, the plan does have some bumps that concern both the region and the City of Oshawa. What’s more, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has some concerns that the region over budgeted lands for this plan.
In a report from the ministry to the city and region, a key concern is that the land budget overestimates the amount of land needed to accommodate the growth forecast for the region.
For example, ROPA reports are based on employment numbers in excess of what is forecast in the growth plan, and additional employment lands have been included without justification.
This, in part, coincides with what McConkey is saying.
The area in the report outlining greenfield sites, where it states the goal is to achieve a minimum density of 50 residents and jobs per hectare is of great concern to her, she says.
She says zoning for the lands outside Columbus are labelled ‘employment lands,’ and she believes this is prime real estate for industry with the implementation of Hwy. 407 running close to the community.
She says the lands shouldn’t have any label whatsoever.
“Why now? Why the rush?” she asks.
“We (Columbus residents) are asking for a serious reconsideration. We have no elected official who has become our voice. We are residents, not planners. There is an unnecessary designation as industrial lands. It’s prime real estate. It’s going to be of interest to a lot of developers.”
But Mayor John Gray, who is also chair of Durham Region's Planning Committee, says the ‘sprawl’ McConkey is referring to is actually going to create jobs in the future and there has been no confirmation that any industry will go on those lands. He says the ministry’s assessment that the region has overestimated the need for lands is a concern because the region is trying to prevent urban sprawl by building outward.
“It’s not going to be heavy industrial,” he says.
“This is a draft plan from the province. We will be bringing back a report. We still think there’s some areas that need to be addressed.”
Councillor Brian Nicholson says the ministry will hold a public consultation process before the plan is approved and that gives everyone a chance to speak about their concerns. |
