The Chippawa Shores development continues to progress towards approval. On March 3rd Madawaska Valley Council in Committee reviewed draft conditions received from Charles Cheesman, Manager of Planning Services Renfrew County. Cheesman’s covering letter said the draft conditions had been arrived at following the second public meeting on August 29, 2019. At that time some residents raised numerous environmental and safety concerns about the proposed development. Click HERE for The Current’s report of that meeting. As directed by Council, meetings were held with Chippawa Shores representatives, Township staff (including Township Engineer and Solicitor), and County planners to prepare the conditions. Photo above: Kamaniskeg-Madawaska waterway.
The 25-page document was introduced to Council (Click HERE to read) with the explanation that the key change in it since Council last discussed the conditions is that while the developer Combermere Lodge Limited (CLL) wants to buy the shoreline, it will be zoned Environmental Protection (EP). The shoreline will be CLL’s property but will have an EP zone on it which will “empower the process of the Tree Conservation Plan being on that property.” Mayor Kim Love said this would place MV in a very good position in terms of their stewardship.
It was noted that any required enforcement will happen through the process of CLL acquiring the Shoreline Road Allowance (SRA). The SRA will then be handed to the condominium corporation who will be the enforcement agency for requirements such as the size of motorboats on Green Lake, installations of docks along the shores of the Madawaska River, and the Tree Conservation Plan. Because the individual property owners will lease their shoreline through their agreement with the condominium corporation, if they violate the rules, they can lose their privilege of using the shoreline. MV did not want Township staff to be responsible for enforcement, said Love. “It was kind of a creative shuffle to get it to a position to where there is somebody with teeth that can actually enforce these things where there are issues.”
Council directed CAO Suzanne Klatt to send the draft back to the Township’s Solicitor to verify some wording that indicated mandatory requirements. Klatt will then forward the draft conditions, drawings and questionnaire to Renfrew County.
Cheesman will then return the final conditions and a Zoning By-Law Amendment (a draft by-law was presented at the public meeting August 29, 2019) to MV Council. Klatt suggested this could happen fairly quickly, perhaps within a couple of months. As everything has been surveyed, once MV Council approves the Zoning By-Law Amendment, if anyone wishes to challenge it their only recourse will be to go to the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT).
