Stayner boundary expansion to justify servicing costs

Clearview Township staff is hoping to get up to $35 million from the province in infrastructure costs in order to build more homes.

“Water infrastructure is necessary, or homes will not be built. Stayner has no further water allocations to issue for building residential or commercial properties,” reported CAO John Ferguson. “Our existing water system is at capacity. We cannot give building permits for infill housing or secondary units on the same property. Our [development] land will remain stranded without government infrastructure assistance.”

He told council on Monday that a request to expand the settlement area of Stayner will demonstrate Clearview Township is planning for the future.

“A lot of thought has gone into this,” said Ferguson, “partially to make sure we have enough homes being built to justify the cost of the infrastructure. The infrastructure costs are extremely high and to invest that type of money and to build so many homes over so many years, I think we have to have a future plan that we plan on building more homes to justify these costs. I think that’s what government will want to see from us in our application to receive funding.”

Clearview’s shovel-ready $70-million Klondike Park Road Deep Well and Pipeline Project would create capacity for about 4,250 new homes. The option is preferable to connecting to the Collingwood/New Tecumseth pipeline estimated to cost $135 million (and not shovel ready) for two reasons, reports Ferguson: Mixing deep well water with surface water is not recommended unless there is no alternative due to different PH levels and temperature, and secondly, Reinhart Foods Ltd., Canada’s largest vinegar producer, requires the cold water provided by the well at its Stayner plant.

“The Klondike Park site can support additional drilled wells, producing capacity for 2,000-3,000 more homes over and above the 4,250 planned from the existing project,” reported Ferguson. “This means Clearview Township can and will build 4,250 homes in the next 10 years and plans for thousands more.” Council unanimously supported the motion, including making a request to the County of Simcoe for a boundary expansion and a second funding application to the Housing-Enabling

Water Systems Fund (HEWSF). Council also directed staff to open negotiations with the Town of Wasaga Beach for increased sewer allocation. Clearview has an agreement with Wasaga Beach for up to 5,000 residential units (2,500 accessible now and an additional 2,500 with paid upgrades) and intends to seek an additional 2,500 sewer allocations for a total of 7,500. “These solutions, in part, will assist in levelling housing costs by increasing the availability of new homes, adding to the volume needed to offset demand. The task of building 1.5 million homes must be an obligation we all share, in respect to large and small rural municipalities,” said Ferguson. “Striving for an additional 7500 homes to be built in the next 10 to 20 years is achievable, but it requires infrastructure.

The infrastructure costs at present have paused developers on moving forward and for all intents-in-purpose have stopped further development in our community.”

“This is about thinking long term,” said Mayor Doug Measures. “It has been over 30 years since the Town of Stayner expanded its boundaries at the time of amalgamation and created what we have now. If you look around our community, growth is happening. It takes, I’m sorry to say, sometimes 25-30 years to get a project to fruition, where something actually gets built.”

He said the request to the County of Simcoe sends a message to future councils and residents that council is looking to the future knowing it will take years before something is developed.

“We have to look to the future and see what will happen down the road and give opportunity for our town to grow and have economic prosperity,” said Measures, adding he was happy to see the motion from the CAO and planning department.