Public meeting connects ski club, community

More than 70 people participated in a virtual public meeting about the proposed development at Mansfield Ski Club Wednesday.
The meeting was hosted by Mulmur Township council and staff as a courtesy to the community in response to growing opposition to a proposed development project that is meant to ensure the vitality of the private ski club, and to meet the needs of current and future members.
“It was our intention that this meeting would allay some of the fears, clarify information and make sure that you have the questions that were burning for you answered in an open forum,” said Mulmur Mayor Janet Horner at the close of the two-hour meeting. “We will… work carefully with Mansfield Ski Club to make sure that this project will not be passed until all requirements are satisfied.”
Speaking on behalf of Mansfield Ski Club, Finley McEwen was allotted time at the top of the meeting to make an introduction.
“Residential development has been permitted on the site and in the area for decades. About 150 homes have been built around the club since it was founded in 1962. Much development happens without site plan approval. The club’s application is going through site plan so it may appear different or incremental but at 93 units it’s obviously smaller scale than the existing 150 and it’s less impactful than the future non site plan density that’s approved for the area,” said McEwen.
He said it occupies far less land and is subject to more environmental study than development that is not subject to site plan approval.
“Incorrect information has been widely broadcast about the application. Inaccurate statements or petitions with misleading information may get attention and they might be a call to action but they don’t help people’s understanding of the facts,” said McEwen… “Ultimately truth matters and science based approach will govern.”
He said there are three main components to the application: a snow-making pond, a 25-metre elevation change to top of the hill to meet international slalom course standards, and a cluster of residences.
It is the latter that drew the most comments and questions from people participating in the public meeting, specifically about how the leases will work and how the development will impact the Pine River.
McEwen said the snow-making pond will not impact the watercourse, there will be no change to drainage and minimize impact on existing trees.
He said the cluster of accommodation, which they hope to build in the parking lot area, is designed to preserve open space and encourage pedestrian movement.
“Moreover, drivers come to and from the city four to six times per week, and tightly clustered overnight accommodations will reduce daily trips to the city, encourage shared rides, and shared childcare,” said McEwen.
The plan includes stormwater management and an upgrade to the existing sewage treatment plant which he said will be more efficient than the septic systems of the surrounding residences, which also have an impact on the watercourse.
A common concern for residents in attendance is in regard to the accommodation. The units will be secured on a life lease basis. Owners will have to be members but they will be able to rent them to guests. Finley countered concerns saying the club has been entertaining guests without issue throughout its history and it goes both ways, as there have been issues with people renting out homes in the surrounding area.
The township’s lawyer David Germain said in response to a concern, if the ski club were to close in the future, the units could conceivably be used as a hotel, but units could not be broken up and sold without further Planning Act approval.
The use of the accommodation is to be deemed “personal” in the plan, which has yet to be drafted, but Germain said the intention is to draft it as tightly as possible and not leave any loopholes that would make the use ambiguous.
Many highly technical issues were addressed by consulting engineer Gord Feniak, with regard to the assimilative capacity study and the sewage treatment system. Related documents are posted at mulmur.ca. Other matters are in the hands of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, which is responsible for issuing relative permits.