Mayor and council members of the Township of Scugog are being asked to defer consideration of the proposed Reach Street development, and refer it to the ongoing official plan review process.
“Council can and should say no to development that does not fit the character, scale, and long-term vision of our community,” said Mike Coll, a mayoral candidate for the October elections, in an open letter.
“What concerns many residents is not simply the size of this proposal, but the inconsistency in how major planning decisions are being handled,” Coll said.
He pointed out that when the Heritage Advisory Committee sought heritage designation for the Fairgrounds, they were told to wait for the official plan review. When Myrtle Market requested diversified uses, they were told to wait for the North Durham planning process.
“Yet a proposal for up to 1,355 residential units and buildings up to eight storeys is advancing while Scugog is undertaking its most significant growth planning exercise in decades,” said Coll.
“Thank you for your email. I hope you will attend tomorrow’s [15th June] meeting to hear the conversation,” said Scugog Mayor Wilma Wotten, in a brief response yesterday.
Inconsistency In Approvals
He said residents deserve to understand why some applications must wait for broader planning policies while others proceed ahead of them.
Scugog sits within the provincial greenbelt, and the subject lands are designated employment lands that the township, Durham Region, and province have all identified as important to retain. Once employment lands are lost, they are extremely difficult to replace, he pointed out.
“This proposal also raises questions that extend beyond housing numbers. It does not address doctor shortages and growing healthcare wait lists. It does not explain how local schools will accommodate additional students when many are already approaching capacity. It does not address the reliability of Durham Region’s On Demand transit service. Nor does it explain how existing infrastructure challenges, including roads reported as 63 percent in poor condition, will be affected by significant growth,” said Coll.
100 Housing Units a Year
He said in 2024, council approved a growth strategy that contemplated approximately 100 housing units per year. “Residents deserve to know whether that direction was incorrect at the time or whether this proposal is inconsistent with the strategy council previously endorsed.
“I am also concerned that considering a proposal of this scale before the official plan review is completed risks predetermining the outcome of that process. Residents are currently being asked where growth should occur, what should be protected, and what Scugog should look like in the coming decades. Making major growth decisions before that work is complete undermines confidence in the consultation process and raises legitimate questions about whether the outcome has already been decided,” said Coll.
He said the official plan should guide development. Development applications should not determine the official plan.
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Michael Coll has no authority to call for anything, and would benefit from a Civics 101. The proposal may suck, but the municipality has to follow due process. Michael has once again demonstrated that he is unfit and unqualified.