ACTUAL I TÉ • NEWS
SRO crowd listens to changes for counties’ planning guide
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
It was standing-room-only at the start of an afternoon public presentation on the final report about changes to the Official Plan guidelines for land use in Prescott and Russell counties. More than a hundred residents from around the two counties filled all the chairs in the public gallery of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) council chamber with at least another two dozen standing in the back of the room. The June 24 informa- tion session was one of the final stages in what has been a four-year process since May 2011 to update and revise the UCPR’s official zoning and land-use plan for the next five years. Final approval by the province. Louis Prévost, UCPR planning and for- estry director, told both council and the gallery audience that the Official Plan (OP) revision document has a July 24 deadline for final comments from the public before it goes back to counties council in August for approval. Then it goes to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) for final review and approval, barring any changes that ministry officials demand. “Once the (approval) decision is made by the ministry,” said Prévost, “that’s when the appeal period begins.” Once the ministry has signed off on the OP, anymore changes require an order from the OntarioMunicipal Board (OMB). Prévost noted that the OMBwill only accept appeal
The public gallery of the counties council chamber was packed with residents interested in the changes to the Official Plan guidelines for Prescott-Russell.
requests from individuals or groups who have gone on record as part of the OP review process. Anyone who has put their name on the record while attending one of the review process consultation sessions or asked in writing for updates, notices and copies of reports on the review process, or asked in writing for permission to present a brief, are
considered eligible to file an appeal notice to the OMB. If there are no final changes or appeal rulings, the new OP will be the land-use planning guide for the UCPR for the next five years. Most of the questions and comments from the public gallery during the Wednesday afternoon information session concerned counties council’s decision to accept its advi- sory planning committee’s recommendation to remove the aggregate minerals resource designation for the Jessup’s Falls Escarp- ment area. The proposed change to the OP could mean the end for a local developer’s pro-
posal to set up an asphalt plant operation there. Comments from neighbouring resi- dents present during the informationmeet- ing praised counties council for its decision. But there were several queries from the audience about other land-use issues involv- ing either property bordering existing quarry or gravel pits, identifying possible gravel pit sites located in areas of Prescott-Russell where there is karst topography, which could pose risks to aquifers and local wells, and also protection guarantees for wildlife cor- ridors in Prescott-Russell. The UCPROP report will return to coun- ties council for final review and approval in August.
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IanWalker was first to themicrophone during the question period portion of the June 24meeting on changes to the Official Plan for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell.
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