SPRINGWATER TWP. -- A new development in Springwater Township has residents and some members of council seeing red.
While the development itself as part of the Midhurst Secondary Plan has already been approved, about 250 residents congregated at an open house on Monday night, many expressing frustration and anger with the process.
They attended to take a look at the Environmental Study Report prepared by Ainley Group, which outlines plans for water/wastewater and transportation to accommodate the growth.
“It’s like building a new city on the edge of Barrie,” Mayor Bill French said in an interview with BarrieToday.
French has been an advocate in his time on council for preventing urban sprawl in the area, and points to this controversy as being one that has existed for six or seven years.
“This will be the poster child for urban sprawl in Ontario,” French said. “It’s contrary to the economic well-being of our township.
“This rapid urban development is not sustainable,” he added.
In 2009, the estimate for the project was $120 million. As of Monday, that estimate has ballooned to $350 million.
Midhurst currently has a population of 3,500 residents. The new residential development is slated to add 8,500 homes over 20 to 30 years, which amounts to an increase in population by an estimated 30,000.
While Midhurst is currently serviced by municipal water (residents are on wells), there are no sanitary sewers or wastewater treatment facilities. The infrastructure needs to be built to accommodate the new homes.
Wanda Allen, a resident who attended the open house, feels that the community wasn’t really being considered when these changes were decided.
“We like the well systems,” said Allen. “It’s going to be such a major change for the community on so many levels.”
When it came time for the question and answer portion of the evening, many people got up to the microphone to ask pointed questions of Joe Mullan, president of Ainley Group.
Bob Burns went first, asking questions about the roads that will carry traffic from the new developments to Highway 400 and Bayfield Street.
His frustration with the process came out at the end of his first series of questions.
“On paper, this looks great. If you live here, it’s not great,” he said, before relinquishing the microphone to another resident.
Michele Bowman stepped to the microphone next, to ask about the four lanes proposed on Russell Road.
“There will be a set of lights shining into my driveway. I don’t understand why the four lanes have to go through there, on the edge of the development, and not through it,” said Bowman. “The word ‘impact’ grossly undermines the effect on our home.”
Many more questions were asked of the panel by residents concerning topics such as who was paying for the development (development charges), traffic increases and the design of the new roads, creation of green lands in the new developments, the possibility of pollution of Willow Creek and the Minesing Wetlands and the new water/wastewater facility.
In an interview on Tuesday, Springwater CAO Robert Brindley indicated that the project has expanded due to changing provincial laws and initiatives concerning density targets.
“The public and council are concerned... but we have to follow the provincial rules,” said Brindley.
He also indicated that since the Midhurst Secondary Plan was first approved by council back in 2008, decision making has been taken out of local hands.
When reached for an interview on Tuesday, Ward 5 Coun. Jack Hanna said his run for his first term of council back in 2010 was directly related to the Midhurst Secondary Plan, as he had residents approach him to ask him to stop the plan from going forward.
“Do the residents support this? Absolutely not,” said Hanna. “The majority of the residents I support do not want this.”
Although the plans are approved and there’s not much he can do now to prevent the development from happening, Hanna still wants to do what he can to support the residents through the process.
“I’m going to try to get as much as I can from developers to assist the residents of Springwater,” he said.
Residents have until Sept. 18 to send in comments before the Environmental Assessment is submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. If no comments are received, the township may proceed to carry out the project as presented.
For more information on how to submit comments, click here.
For a full timeline of how the Midhurst Secondary Plan got to where it is now, click here.
