WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — At the meeting of the Council of the Township of Whitewater Region on Wednesday last week, the Development and Planning Committee recommended Council to support consent file B78/19. This will allow the creation of a new residential lot, subject to the following conditions:
- That the Owner provides the Township with two original copies of a registered survey plan;
- That the Owner obtain an amendment to the zoning by-law (ZBL) in order to reduce the minimum lot frontage, reduce the minimum farm building setback and to prohibit any future residential uses on the retained parcel.
The present application is submitted by Willem Van Lindenberg, on behalf of Van Lindenberg Farms Inc. for the purposes of creating a new residential lot containing a surplus farm dwelling. The concerned parcel is described as, “Part of Lot 13, Ross Concession 7” and is known municipally as 3318 Queens Line. According to Ivan Burton, Planner and Economic Development Officer, the severed parcel contains a singled detached dwelling and a detached garage, will have a regular shape, a lot frontage of 57.9 metres, a depth of 70 metres and a lot area of one acre. The retained parcel contains one cover-all storage structure, which will remain, and two other storage sheds to be demolished. The retained parcel will be used solely for agricultural purposes, will have a lot frontage of 186 metres and will retain a lot area of 97 acres.
“The present application proposes to sever a surplus farm dwelling from the existing farm and stated the severed parcel and dwelling will be positioned for sale, while the retained farmlands will continue to be held by Van Lindenberg Farm Inc., who operates several farms in the area,” said Mr. Burton.
The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) states prime agricultural areas shall be protected for the long-term. The concerned parcels are entirely situated within the agriculture land use designation within the County of Renfrew’s Official Plan (OP). A small portion is located within the environmental protection designation, which follows an existing drainage ditch/ watercourse. To protect the prime agricultural areas, lot creations may only be permitted provided the new lot is appropriately sized for the type of agriculture use common in the area and for a residence surplus to a farming operation as a result of farm consolidation.
Both the PPS and OP require that the surplus dwelling lot be limited to the minimum size to provide and accommodate the of water and sewer services. Additionally, both documents require a condition be imposed in order to prohibit any future residential uses on the agricultural property. An amendment to the ZBL will be conditioned to approval.
The severed parcel is located within the “Agriculture (A) Zone” of the Ross ZBL number 92-23. There are two proposed provisions which will not meet the requirements of the ZBL:
- The proposed 186 metre lot frontage of the retained parcel will not conform to the minimum requirement of 300 metres;
- The proposed minimum farm-use building setback between the existing cover-all building and proposed property line of 15 metres will not meet the minimum 30 metres.
The afore-mentioned ZBL amendment will include the reduction of these provisions. The newly created parcel and retained parcels will be re-assessed accordingly and this may affect the assessment for the Township. The present application, if approved and conditions fulfilled, will not contravene the policies of the PPS, the OP of the County of Renfrew and the local ZBL.
Moved by Councillor Dave MacKay and seconded by Councillor Daryl McLaughlin, Council voted to carry the motion. Township will now advise the Planning Services of the County of Renfrew of Council’s decision and forward them the recommended conditions.
