Kingsville denies land swap application

A large contingent of Cedarhurst Subdivision area residents attended the Kingsville Council meeting on Monday, February 26 to speak to a proposed Official Plan Amendment, which would have seen a parcel of vacant land along County Rd. 20 re-designated in a ‘land swap’ between the municipality and an adjacent landowner.

A public delegation consisting of several area residents was heard by council and in the end, council denied the application.

The recommendation by administration was to allow the re-designation of the lands and the request by the applicant to swap 4.4 hectares that are currently zoned residential for an area that is zoned agricultural.

Of the residents that spoke at the meeting, the main theme was the flooding that already occurs in that area and they felt that allowing this swap to go through may jeopardize their properties further.

Some said the road and adjacent properties — as well as the field in question — are constantly underwater.

The other major concern was the cell phone tower that currently sits west of the subdivision and its expectation to upgrade to a 5G network if that hasn’t already taken place.

Councillor Larry Patterson pulled no punches when it came time for council members to weigh in.

“I’ve driven down those roads and I’ve never seen it dry,” he said. “These people have spoken and there’s not one word of exaggeration.”

“I’m not going to support the recommendation,” continued Patterson. “I’ve seen what that area is like. How dare a builder try to put a basement in that area.”

Councillor Thomas Neufeld agreed, saying that after he heard the delegation and saw the updated flood mapping put out by ERCA earlier in the day, he could not support the application.

“We can’t, in good conscience, allow a residential development,” he said. “As proposed, I can’t support this either.”

Councillor Sheri Lowrie said she’s looked at homes in the area and noticed that one she looked at was on stilts.

“There’s no doubt this area is a flood zone,” she said. “It may be too close to the tower.”

Councillor Lowrie was in favour of the application being amended with “more information” before coming back to council in the future.

“This is just a swap of land,” she said. 

Information given suggested that the applicant had plans to farm the land and had no plans for immediate development.

Councillor Debby Jarvis-Chausse had major concerns with the cell tower and how 5G would affect nearby residents over time. She also had concerns with the flooding.

“I see the flooding all the time out in that area,” she said. “I also wonder about the wildlife in that area.”

Councillor Tony Gaffan was passionate about this issue, citing that “this isn’t just a simple land swap.”

“This isn’t a need, it’s a want,” he said. “Strictly a benefit for the property owner, not for the community.”

Gaffan also said he was very concerned about the 5G cell tower.

“We do not have any data on whether this is harmful,” he said. “It will take decades.”

Mayor Dennis Rogers said there were too many unanswered questions, and while he’s not in favour of a complete denial of the  application, he’d be open to them coming back at a later date with new information.

“If there are unanswered questions at this point, I cannot in good faith, vote in favour (of the application),” he said.

A motion was then made by Councillor Neufeld to deny the application and a vote was taken. 

The motion passed 4-2 and the application was denied.

Since it was denied, it can be appealed by the applicant to the Ontario Land Tribunal.