When you get a crowd of civic-minded people together and meet your neighbours there, you know you’re in the right place, and Wednesday it was a packed house at the Nick Smith Centre Community Hall for a Committee of Adjustment meeting about a land severance application concerning 20 acres of land that the Galilee Centre wishes to convey to developer Cavanagh Homes.
David Joy, media liaison for the Save the Grove Again Committee, tabled evidence in the form of public petitions both digital and hard copy, suggesting widespread opposition to what’s rumoured to be planned for the property.
Committee of Adjustment Chair Bradley Samuel indicated at least four times that he was there to hear everyone’s respectful opinion… just that hearing things was the problem. When the public address microphone failed, a McIver’d sound system was courageously assembled by staff.
Members of the public presented numerous reasons why they thought any project proposal should not go ahead, but counsel for the developer maintained the proposal presented to the Committee of Adjustment for a sole dwelling on the 20 acre severance application met all necessary legal requirements.
While a number of audience members suggested this was a bait-and-switch tactic, the only argument with legal weight that could influence the Committee of Adjustment is whether the severance, should it go ahead, would impede an existing neighbour’s access rights- and in what if any municipal deed or record these might have been spelled out.
Alternatively, might the adjacent property owner’s rights be grandfathered by what is termed “prescriptive access.”
At adjournment, the Adjustment Committee Members decided to enter in camera discussions in order to reach their decision.
Given that the Committee of Adjustment appears to have not reached a decision, when do they have to do so?
Customarily a Committee of Adjustment is expected to reach a decision within 90 days of the Severance application. Anyone registered as present at the meeting who objects will have 20 days from whenever the Committee of Adjustment’s decision is announced, should they wish to appeal it.
Town of Arnprior Planning Staff say Wednesday’s session is just one of many possible steps in the process, depending on what the developer has in mind for the land.
By Rick Stow