Norfolk County is looking for ways to address environmental and safety concerns on Hastings Drive in Long Point.
Councilors on Tuesday voted to have county staff develop recommendations to help homeowners who for years have faced a range of weather-related problems.
The report will include a history of the properties, some of which are owned by the municipality. It will also include a summary of the county’s ongoing mitigation work and estimated costs.
Plans call for the report to be ready for council’s consideration by the end of the summer if not sooner.
The issue was brought to council by Coun. Linda Vandendriessche (Ward 2) by way of a notice of motion last week. On Tuesday, councilors endorsed the resolution.
Vandendriessche said, in her motion, that there have been ongoing zoning issues along Hastings Drive since a devastating storm in 1985.
The properties are on the Long Point sand spit, the largest biophysical erosion deposit formation in the Great Lakes. The sand spit covers about 40 kilometers into Lake Erie and includes woodlands, marshes, ponds and meadows.
Long Point is recognized provincially, nationally and internationally for its unique natural heritage features. Its habitat includes a wide range of flora, fauna, fish species including some that are threatened or endangered.
However, the area has also been hard hit by storms over the years including the one in December 1985, which wiped out dozens of cottages on Hastings Drive.
Following the 1985 storm, the former Haldimand-Norfolk Region imposed hazard land designation which led to land-use disputes.
Vandendriessche said the county has received concerns and expressions of frustration from several residents and property owners. There are also issues related to encroachment of existing structures on county-owned land.
Investigating and resolving issues takes up staff time and costs money. Vandendriessche hopes county staff can come up with some viable and sustainable solutions.
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