| WTR, also affectionately know as "Wart Hog Ridge" or "White Elephant Ridge" by local residents, has resurfaced. For those not familiar with the founding of the MMRA, this was the original "cause" that got us in motion.
Back to Development top level
Town Documents page - Documents published by the town on WTR
WTR Site Plans - See how WTR has evolved over time, and analysis
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WTR EA Process
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A phase 1 & 2 report was published by the developer .
More info here.
WTR EA Technical Advisory Committee
Has been set up bu the town and developer. For more information contac the town director of public works Tim Kocialek at 256-2064 ext 233 or tkocialek@mississippimills.ca
May 2005 - Get the TAC Project File info here.
Get your online copy of the EA Phase 1 & 2 report (Dec 2004) here!
The main info page on WTR is here.
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New Council Passes motion in support of WTR
2004-Mar-09 |
The following motion was passed by council on Tuesday March 9th 2004:
11. BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Mississippi Mills supports the White Tail Ridge red-lined subdivision layout dated February 20, 2004.
AND FURTHERMORE THAT there be no changes to the conditions of draft approval for this subdivision as approved February 11, 2003 and refined November 6, 2003.
AND FURTHERMORE THAT, this position be conveyed to the County of Lanark Planning Approvals Department.
This is a highly disappointing result!
....given the statements made by councillors during the fall 2003 election campaign.
To see how councillors voted, see this page.
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What is a Hamlet Style Subdivision?
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See this page for modern planning concepts, including design of small communities.
Of note, on this page are excerpts from the book "Vision for a New America Dream" by Anton Clarence Nelessen. We're not America, but many of the concepts are very applicable.
Also see the WTR Site Plans page for comparison and analysis.
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New Site Plan Presented to Council
Feb. 17 2004
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At the Feb. 17 P&E Meeting Council discussed the newly revised site plan.
Some initial comments:
There are still 175 lots. There is still a "ring road" around the development. 9 lots that used to back onto the park have been relocated so that the park is more exposed to the road. The park is still the same size (about 8-9 acres but the water & sewer processes are located within this park). There is now about 750-850 feet of the park that opens to the street. Some other lots on the site plan have been reduced in size from 1800 square metres to 1000 square metres (presumably to reorganize the park frontage).
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Special Council Meeting on WTR
Feb. 2nd 2004
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Given the decision of Council to open for review the WTR draft conditions and draft subdivision plan, there was a special Council meeting on Feb. 2nd to discuss the way forward.
The need for this meeting was discussed at the Jan. 27 P&E Meeting. Some notes concerning WTR from that meeting are below.
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WTR at the P&E Meeting
Jan. 27 2004
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Council is seeking legal advice to ascertain whether the prior commitments (made by last Council) on the WTR site plan are binding.
There was discussion to make some design changes. For example: the central park, a central "main street", the one entrance, hamlet style subdivision requirements.
Councillors also requested that legal advice / opinion be sought on the compliance of the WTR site plan to the Ramsay OP. There was debate here. Notably, Ed Wilson, Jim Lowry & John Levi thought the current site plan design did comply, but John Edwards, Alex Gillis Val Wilkinson, and Jane Torrance spoke strongly to revisit the design and thought it didn't comply. The split on Council over this issue is evident with other Councillors taking the obvious sides.
Also, the WTR developer had asked the town (see below) to schedule the needed zoning by-law amendment (ZBA) as soon as possible. The general feeling seemed to be that the other questions (above) need to be sorted out before the zoning bylaw amendment proceeds.
Alex Gillis questioned the developer's belief that the EA process runs concurrently with his progressing development. Alex would like to know more about the timing.. i.e. Doesn't the EA need to answer some questions before the developer forges ahead.
Small bore and the number of units it can support is still being left up to the EA to decide, as is the environmental impact of its drainage system.
So... a few Councillors (that slight minority), think the delays on the WTR development are just a waste of time and that only a minority of residents care about making WTR the best it can be.
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WTR Zoning Bylaw to be Considered
Jan. 27 2004
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The developer is wanting to push ahead with the zoning bylaw as soon as possible. Part of the Jan. 27 P&E Meeting information package is this email discussing the bylaw.
Wonder what the developer means by "future phases"?
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Council passes Motion to Defer the Draft Conditions at County
Jan. 20 2004 |
Council passed a motion last night to defer the tabling of the WTR draft conditions at the County Council for 60 days. This will give time for the new MM Council to review the draft conditions as approved by the old Council.
There are a number of concerns some Councillors have, and many in the community share these concerns. The councillors main discussions about why it should be deferred were about (at least what I think I was hearing):
- the fact that WTR was not a Hamlet style design (this was the main reason, I think)
- the EA process should adequately take care of technical unknowns about the communal servicing
- What are the long term implications of owning Communal servicing (legal, financial)?
- The exact number of lots on the site
The vote was evenly split, with Mayor Al breaking the tie to pass the motion. Councillors Anderson, Edwards, Gillis, Torrance, & Wilkinson voted for the deferral.
What next? This gives the current Council an opportunity to investigate and address the numerous concerns. Hopefully it isn't too difficult to come to a consensus on any changes to the WTR draft conditions.
Anyway, thanks to those Councillors that worked hard to make it happen, and then voted to back it up!
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Developer Threatens OMB Action
Jan. 15 2004 |
In a letter to the Town, the developer R.J. Connelly indicated that he would be taking the town to the OMB if the Council passes the motion to delay the Draft Conditions. This letter was presented to Council for the Jan. 20th Council meeting.
Read the letter here.
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White Tail Ridge - the Finale?
Jan. 19th 2004 |
It appears that a crucial vote is being held on WTR at the upcoming Council meeting on Jan. 20th. Please read on.
Why is this coming back now?
The old council rammed through the WTR draft conditions on Nov. 6th, 2003, a few days before the election of Nov. 10th. These draft conditions were sub-par. Councillors Anderson, Gillis and Rogers fought to let the next Council decide the issue, but were unsuccessful.
Some of our Current Council would like to revisit the draft conditions, because they feel that the draft conditions do not meet the Ramsay Official Plan, and that important new information has come forward.
See this document for further details.
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Small Bore Servicing Presentation
Jan. 12, 2004
Roads & Public Works Meeting
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The developer is at council again, giving the following presentation.
One of the things of interest is that it is now breaking out the small bore system from the actual sewage treatment and water supply. There are actually three components that are being proposed here:
- a small bore sewage transport system from the homes to the sewage plant
- a communal sewage treatment plant facility
- a communal water treatment plant and delivery system
Remember, the Town MUST assume ownership of the sewage and water treatment facilities.
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P&E Committed Asks the Town Planner for a WTR Status Report
Jan. 5 2004:
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The new (post election) Planning and Economic Committee has asked the town planner for a current status and a time line for this project since inception. The Planners report from the town's perspective is available here.
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The old council RAMS through the WTR Draft plan!
November 2003
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This allows it to proceed on communal services instead of town sewer and water. Three councillors stood against the rest (Anderson, Gillis, Rogers), realising that this decision is not based on enough information and that it should be left to the new council (the election is just days away!).
Why communal services? Because the town has essentially no capacity left in the sewage lagoon system. The TROW Septage business case study (Appendices here) indicates maybe 1000 more persons can be handled> However, this number is based only on one parameter (Phosphorous), and we feel the report is rudimentary at best.
Even so, by provincial law that capacity must be reserved for servicing any possible development within the Almonte ward - see the Provincial document D-5-1, "Calculating and Reporting Uncommitted Reserve Capacity at Sewage and Water Treatment Plants.". 1000 persons is about 400 houses, and that doesn't include business and industrial development that is possible within the boundaries of Almonte proper.
So as an alternative to keep this project alive, the WTR draft conditions were amended to allow Communal Services to be used instead of town sewer & water. Due to the efforts of councillors Gillis, Rogers, and Anderson, the stipulation of the number of lots (152) was removed and replaced by a statement that the final number will be determined by an environmental assessment and subject to approval of council. We're not entirely sure this is any better though. The same three councillors tried unsuccessfully to defer the whole thing to the new council, based on the lack of information on the communal system and the 11th hour of the current council term (less than one week away). A valiant effort, but to no avail. Kudos to them for trying! As a side note, two out of these three got re-elected (Anderson & Gillis).
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Developer's Presentation on SBS to Council
August 28 2003
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Below is a copy of the developers presentation to council about the Small Bore System (SBS).
To us this misses the point of the sewage treatment completely. The SBS transports the sewage to the treatment facility. It's the treatment facility that is the issue. Do we really need another sewage treatment plant in Mississippi Mills?
Here is a PDF version (1 MB) which doesn't have the developers talking points for each slide
Here is the full Power Point presentation (3.2 MB) with all the talking points.
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July 17th 2003
WTR Rears it's Head Again!
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There was a public "information meeting" on July 29th at 7:05pm. The developer Richard (Dick) Connelly presented a "Servicing Options Statement" in an attempt to justify the development proposal.
Note that a "report" is required, but the developer submitted a "statement". One would assume that this is a subset of what is actually required. Wonder why?
Golf course? Read the fine print on the bottom of the page. "White Tail Ridge Golf Community" Is this the developer's "master plan" that the public knows nothing about (yet)?
Interesting, given the recent sewer and water capacity issues reported elsewhere on this site in regards to the town of Almonte's lagoons. See the notice below for more information. More will be posted as it becomes available.
July 29th P&E Committee Public information Meeting Notice
A Biography of the developer R.W. (Dick) Connelly can be found HERE.
as presented by the developer on July 29th is available here.
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May 27, 2003
White Tail Ridge zoning bylaw put on the shelf
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At the May 27th Planning and Economic Committee Meeting, the town planner stated that since there is no Almonte OP amendment with regard to sewer and water in progress, the passing of the zoning bylaw would contravene the Planning Act. This coincides with our previously published position paper on the issue. |
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May 2, 2003
White Tail Ridge - Still Ongoing
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Even though the town's proposed Almonte Official Plan amendment to allow water and sewer to be brought outside of the Almonte urban area boundary was rejected by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (see below), the town is still proceeding with the zoning bylaw amendment.
Copy of the proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment
The public meeting is for May 27th.
The MMRA feels that since there is no Almonte OP amendment in the works to allow sewer and water to be brought out to WTR, the passing of the zoning bylaw would contravene the Planning Act.
Read the MMRA Position Paper Here
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| Letter to Council - PDF
Letter to Council - RTF
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This is a "form" letter from the keyboard of Julie Yeaman that opposes the new proposed development of White Tail Ridge. You can print it out and send to council as is.
The second link is to a Microsoft Word RTF format file that you can feel free to modify prior to sending it.
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| General Analysis - Long
Post Nov. 14 2002 Meeting Revision by Stewart Yeaman
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This analysis of various issues concerning this development were thoughtfully put together by Stewart and Julie Yeaman. The topics listed below are discussed in detail, and this document forms the basis for individual sections listed in the links table to the far left.
The first link is to a 6 pager that goes into quite some detail. The second link is a revision based on the Public information meeting.
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| White Tail Ridge information at the Town of Mississippi Mills web site. |
Link to information officially published by the Town of Mississippi Mills. Please note that the MMRA questions the validity of many of the statements made on this site. |
| Notes by Jill McCubbin
Notes by Brendan Gawn
Official Minutes
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Official Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Dec. 9th 2002
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Link to text on CBC Radio web site
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Planning Committee Meeting
Council Chambers
5pm Tues. Nov. 26, 2002
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Post Meeting Analysis by Stewart Yeaman
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Public Information Meeting
Thursday Nov. 14 2002
7pm - Miss. Mills Council Chambers
The house was packed with concerned residents!
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First Council Meeting addressing this issue -
Sept. 24th 2002
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This was a raucous affair. I think all were surprised by the intensity of the opposition to the proposed development.
We believe that council was ready to pass the application - until a large number of residents showed up!
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