New Tecumseth faces 3 more minister’s zoning order requests for large-scale projects in Alliston, Tottenham

More developers are lining up to ask the Town of New Tecumseth to support their plans to request a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to approve large-scale developments in Alliston and Tottenham.

The details of the requests, which the town has not made public yet, relate to Totten Investment Inc.’s Coventry Park Neighbourhood Plan and Rock Garden Estates Inc. Hawthorne Glen for Tottenham, and San Marco in Lamis Ltd.’s proposal for Huntington Woods in Alliston. All of the proposed developments are located outside the settlement area boundaries for both communities.

. The documents submitted to the town state the development would include a range of housing types, including affordable options, and also a 200-bed-long-term-care facility.

The Rock Garden Estates is proposed to be built at a 70-hectare property located on the north side of the 5th Line, west of Tottenham Road. . The plan says the property would be used for employment uses and commercial uses along the 5th Line.

The proposal also says two manufacturing companies have expressed interest in expanding their operations at the property, which would bring almost 2,000 “good paying” jobs to the area.

The north end of the property toward the 6th Line would be used for residential and community uses, including “expanded natural areas” and also for “alternative forms” of housing.

The Huntington Woods proposal at , is described as a residential community designed for seniors of all stages in life, including those requiring long-term care. The plan includes 336 residential units, including single and semi-detached homes, along with townhomes, plus a 120-bed long-term-care facility and community centre.

The MZO is a tool at the disposal of the province that allows the minister of municipal affairs and housing to designate land uses, which in turn lets developers bypass the normal planning approval process at the municipal level. While MZOs used to be reserved for extraordinary cases, the Ford government has been using them more frequently in the past two years. Since early October, the province has issued them 26 times.

An MZO removes the requirement for any public consultation, along with the possibility of appealing the land use designation at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).

While the minister of municipal affairs and housing is the one who ultimately approves MZOs, the ministry told Simcoe.com it doesn’t consider requests for approval unless they have the full backing of the municipal council.

Councillors will be asked to provide comments on the three requests at an upcoming committee of the whole meeting.

Simcoe.com asked New Tecumseth Mayor Rick Milne to explain how he thinks the town should deal with the influx of MZOs, and any others that might be coming.

“We will deal with each one separately, sending it to staff to make a report when all information has been gathered, and send it back to council to make a decision,” he said.

These requests follow on the heels of FLATO’s MZO request for a 995-unit development outside Beeton’s settlement boundary that proposes to provide attainable housing for seniors.

Council voted 7-3 in favour of the proposal at a special meeting held Oct. 19, but council is expected to discuss the issue again at the Nov. 4 meeting to finalize a list of conditions the town wants to include in its letter of support to the province.