A 49-lot residential subdivision proposed southwest of the Village of Rosseau could soon be rejected by the Township of Seguin.
A staff report included in the April 7 council agenda package recommends the Township deny the proposed official plan amendment, zoning bylaw amendment, and draft plan of subdivision associated with the project.
According to staff, the Township’s Official Plan currently does not permit a development of this size in a rural designated area. Officials also say the Official Plan, and Provincial Planning Statement, aim to focus growth in settlement areas – and the development, proposed for a 106 hectare lot south of Highway 632, is not in a settlement area.
The proposed rural residential subdivision does not have regard to the matters of provincial interest, specifically the orderly development of safe and healthy communities and the appropriate location of growth and development,” states the staff report.
The proposal has also received opposition from the community, with many voicing concerns over the quote “unsuitability of the plan” – along with the negative impact it would have on the area.
“If you look at what has happened in Minett, and what is about to happen in Gravenhurst, you will understand why all of these people are here. Not every single little bit of Muskoka has to be developed. This is not Toronto. We moved from Toronto to here because we didn’t want that,” said Seguin resident Brian Slessor, at a meeting in September.
The topic was deferred during the April 7 council meeting, at the request of the developer, to allow them more time to digest the staff report. It’s slated to come back to council in May.
