Development on James Stokes: virtual open house

Tuesday, April 20 at 6pm there is a virtual open house, hosted by the developer to learn about a proposal to develop lands north of James Stokes Court in the Kingview subdivision.  (The latter is located north and east of the Heritage & Cultural Centre.)  This is the opportunity to ask questions directly to the developer and/or the agent.  Here is the invitation which was sent to homeowners in proximity to the site; it includes details on how to participate.   (The Planning Act defines the circle of persons to be contacted ).  The statutory public meeting for this development is already announced as being at the May 3 Council Planning Meeting.

New Development Off Dew Street

On April 6 there is a Council Planning Meeting.  There is only one agenda item:  the application for a 4 semi-detached residential units an a condominium road to be created off Dew Street on the north side.  As indicated in the report there was a public meeting for this same property in October; but in response to public feedback there has been a significant change in the proposal and accordingly a new public meeting is being held.  I consider the new proposal to be better than previous but I need to know more.  I think the idea of semi detached is interesting as it is in place of single detached and it may be more interesting for person(s) wanting to downsize and to have a front door opening to street level.  Here are the appendices.  To make a verbal deputation or to send an email contact [email protected]a.  At this statutory public meeting there will be no decision by Council; purpose is to hear feedback from public.

Gypsy Moth: the offense

In late summer 2020 many people remarked on how the canopy of trees was being eaten away by gypsy moths.  Some tried to swat & capture the moths; and before that there was effort to trap  the caterpillars on tree trunks.  As we start to have warmer temperatures it is now the time to scrape off the eggs which have been laid on the tree trunks by last year’s moths.  The photos to the left are what the eggs look like now.  A King City resident, Bill Patterson, published an article published in King Weekly Sentinel with the full story on the cycle of these moths; and very importantly how anyone can help to reduce the infestation this year and the damage to our trees.  As he reports oak trees are the favoured diet but few tree species are truly protected.  Once the eggs hatch it is too late. Here is  his article.

Refreshed Community Improvement Plan

On Council March 29 agenda there is the proposed  refreshed Community Improvement Plan (CIP).  As expressed earlier when the draft was presented to Council in February I believe the CIP is “good” for King and I am very pleased with its evolution in terms of increasing the eligibility for grants.  As indicated in the report the fundamental motivation is to incent property and business owners to make changes to foster growth.  Appropriately the focus has been and continues to be on the village cores; but in the refreshed CIP there is recognition that there is economic activity outside the village cores both in the hamlets and at farms throughout the Township.    Its also recognized that heritage properties within the village cores contribute to the attractiveness of those cores and accordingly grant eligibility should extend to them.  I am impressed with the precinct concept; once a property owner understand which precinct they are it is pretty easy to determine which grants are available and the details. I am also very impressed with the speed with which this has been done as our small business have been so seriously affected by the pandemic; and I note that some portion of the grants is for projects to make improvements to address safe safe social/physical distancing measures.  To access the Staff report and all the appendices click here and scroll down to 7.1. 

As the meeting is being conducted virtually it is necessary to register to make a deputation; alternatively you can send an email.  To register or to email your questions and comments do so at [email protected] by March 29 noon.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

On Council March 29 agenda there is a report recommending Council support for creation of a vaccination clinic at the Trisan Centre.  I am thrilled that the prework has been done to enable it to be opened as early as April 6 or 12 pending vaccine supply.  As reviewed running this clinic will not cost the Township but indeed there have been some difficult choices made.  Summer ice at Trisan or the other arenas will not be offered and the Nobleton pool will not be opened. Service levels at some of the sports fields will be reduced; other recreational programming will be limited.  I appreciate that these cuts in service will be very much missed by the users given the lack of programming for the last 12 months. I am hopeful that our clinic will play a role in increasing the uptake of the vaccines as this is critical for moving into a new normal.  As noted in the report there will be a role for volunteers; I will be asking on Monday about the process for volunteering.  To access the report, the floor plan for Trisan clinic and the bylaw click here and scroll down to 7.9.

As the meeting is being conducted virtually it is necessary to register to make a deputation; alternatively you can send an email.  To register or to email your questions and comments do so at [email protected] by March 29 noon.

Smart Boundary Adjustment on the ORM

On March 29 Council meeting there is a report for allowing implementation of a boundary adjustment.  There was a public planning meeting for this initiative in November 2019; conclusion of that meeting was that more work needed to be done as the proposed solution did not fully respect the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) which requires that no undersized lots are created for the current or intended purposes. As indicated in this report there has been some very creative work to develop a solution respectful of the property owner’s desires and the ORMCP.  And, I believe that the ORM is actually better protected now.  The productive agricultural land has not been fragmented and the key natural heritage feature (woodlot, a 10 meter buffer from its dripline and watercourse) has been put into a Environmental Protection Zone. Satisfying to see changes made which achieve property owners desires and yet do not sacrifice the ORMCP policies.