Agreement struck in time for water grant application

Clearview Township has finalized agreements with its three largest developers in order to submit an application for provincial funding that could result in new water capacity for Stayner.

A priority council meeting was held on Oct. 28 to finalize Water Capacity Allocation Agreements with the developers in order to position the township to apply for provincial funding through the province’s Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund before the Nov. 1 application deadline. Prior to applying for provincial funds, Clearview Township was required to demonstrate that it can finance the entire infrastructure build for the Stayner Water Project at a cost of $70 million.

A first attempt at an agreement in 2022 was stalled due to high costs.

“With the new opportunity to get up to $35 million in provincial grant fundings, the cost to the developers to fund this project through development charge early payments has become more reasonable and affordable,” said Jim McIntosh, the township’s solicitor. “We have three developers, who are very significant in terms of their land holdings in and around Stayner that are prepared to provide roughly $10 million each in development charge early payment funding to help cash flow the project through to completion.”

The three developers – 863194 and 863195 Ontario Limited (Briarwood Development Group, Ashton Meadows); MacPherson Builders (Nottawasaga Station) and Kingsmen Group – will be contributing $10,047,450 each. Combined with the municipality’s $4,772,025, recoverable through development charges, the buy-in equals the matching funds necessary to pay for half of the shovel-ready Klondike Park Road Deep Well and Pipeline Project that would create capacity for about 4,250 new homes.

If all goes according to plan the project would be completed in 2027.

“We do want to assure individual residents around the Stayner community who are dealing with infill lots and building permit requests that we will do everything we can to work with them to help find and secure that,” said Mayor Doug Measures.

He said he is pleased to see developers working together for the benefit of all development and the community as a whole.

“Frankly, we wont get infrastructure built without this process,” said CAO John Ferguson. “We need each other to build this.”