The Current has received this letter to the editor from David Hunter of Combermere Lodge Limited (shown above speaking at the Aug.29 2019 public meeting)
Dear Editor
Combermere Lodge Limited (CLL) is the proponent for the Chippawa Shores project.
We read with interest your article of March 25th, 2020 regarding the formation of a citizens group to petition against the timely passage of the attendant Zoning By-Law Amendment to implement the Draft Plan Approval of the Chippawa Shores Subdivision.
We have two comments:
1. The CLL application seeks to DOWN ZONE the site.
We strongly encourage the FMRW group to review the Planning Justification Report on the County website along with the existing Township Zoning By-law.
In particular, Section 11.1 Permitted Uses for Tourism Commercial and Section 17.1 (B) Permitted non-Residential Uses for Rural.
The owner is permitted to fully develop up and down the shores of Green Lake and the Madawaska River with Housekeeping Cottages, Park Homes, 35′ High TimeShares etc. without the density restrictions that apply to the current residential proposal.
The 9 hectare RU parcel would be an excellent manicured parkland developed with a large Air BNB with 1200′ of riverfront access.
However, as noted in the Planning Justification Report, CLL believes the proposed large residential lots (3.4 acre average size) are far more compatible with the existing waterfront residential development along neighbouring Tamarack and Ohio Roads.
CLL has made every effort to craft an environmentally sensitive residential development plan. If this plan is not approved, there is no assurance that a new owner, cognisant of the full tourist commercial development potential, would share those interests.
2. Private landowners have a legal right to develop their property in compliance with the provisions of the Planning Act and the policies of the Provincial Policy Statement.
There are timeframes set out for planning authorities to render decisions and to pass By-laws. These timeframes have been exceeded by multiples of the permitted number of days. Notwithstanding this, CLL has continued to work with the municipality and the residents in good faith.
Council will make their decision, and the proper forum for further review will then be the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.
In conclusion, CLL has no alternative residential development plan. If the proposed subdivision does not proceed in a timely fashion, we expect that the already permitted full scale Tourist Commercial development of the property will follow.
Yours very truly,
David Hunter
President, Combermere Lodge Ltd
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In his conclusions to the petition against the Chippawa Development (in its current format), Mr. Hunter seems to imply that the CLL route is the only option to be considered as viable, and negates the Commercial Tourism Development option for which the property is currently zoned for and has been for approx., the last 50 years.
In his opinion, a suburbia type of development (with no tourism potential) is preferable to one where we would have sustained economic development vis a vis a short-term building spree for the 40 lots CLL hopes to liquidate and after the last septic is dug and flushing begins: Nada/not much.
The Civic minded supporters of the petition deserve credit for highlighting the flaws in CLL’s argument as this being an eco-environmentally friendly project as well as the many public inputs from concerned residents of the MV at the 2 forums and deliberations forwarded to Cheeseman at the County.
One might add that there is no strategic vision from CLL in their exploitation of one of last remaining property gems (as a lot sale) on Kamaniskeg. Furthermore, if one looks at the macro picture – it is difficult to envisage any long-term economic development as a result of this lot sale. The Twp. Of MV sorely needs to address the long-term employment prospects of local residents and especially our MVDH graduates who leave for the “big city”, as their employment opportunities here are marginal.
IMHO, this is one of last remaining commercially viable tourism bona-fida tracts on Kamaniskeg and merits a status not as new suburb in the MV:
BUT as a venue for eco-tourism which is on the hockey stick growth curve of the future, and especially after the Covid-19 epoch, where foreign destinations will have lessor appeal. With some creativity and imagination a “true” project developer could deploy or employ many personnel and provide some much needed Long-Term employment in the area as well as the project being an enabler to attract other businesses and ratchet up the area’s prospects as a great 4 seasons tourist destination, and as a debarkation point to the Algonquin Park. The present proposal postulated by Mr. Hunter provides very limited attributes to these objectives and to the sustainable future of the MV.