Unpopular development plan guided by Brant County input, says staff

When the agent for a Brant County resident presented the concept for a 108-lot subdivision in the rural village of Scotland at a planning and development meeting in July, it was met with concern by residents and councilors alike.

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“It just doesn’t fit,” Coun. Robert Chambers told Bob Phillips from JH Cohoon Engineering, an agent for landowner Michael Haley, referring to the draft plan as “a cookie-cutter urban subdivision plan.”

“It’s not the right thing to happen,” Mayor David Bailey told Phillips, urging him to listen to the concerns of local residents of the village of about 700, one of whom liked the plan to pack the homes “like sardines.”

But at a council meeting later that month, Alysha Dyjach, the acting general manager of development services for the county, told councilors some of the concerning elements of the proposal were the result of comments from planning staff.

Clarifying misinformation

Haley submitted a letter to council to “clarify misinformation” and address questions from the community “so that we can work together to best meet the needs and recommendations of all involved,” he wrote.

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The 85-acre property at 29 13th Concession Road — about 20 kilometers southwest of Brantford — was designated for residential uses in 2012, the year Haley purchased it.

His intention was “to continue farming the lands, while slowly working toward a future development that fits within the current rural framework” and lifestyle of the community, which he has a personal connection to, he wrote in the letter.

It went on to say that in December 2023, a drawing with 70 lots was presented to county staff for a preconsultation meeting.

The initial drawing also included park and stormwater management blocks, with a connecting pathway to the existing subdivision, which Haley wrote encompassed “the rural feel” and better matched “the current housing typology within Scotland.”

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At the preconsultation meeting, staff recommended including other elements of a “complete community,” including additional high-density requirements, a mixed-use residential-commercial block, and municipal roads and sidewalk connections, Haley wrote.

The current submission shows 108 single-detached dwellings, and additional elements — “all per the direction of county staff,” he wrote.

“I’m here to affirm that is correct,” Dyjach told councilors on July 30.

“He did attend with a drawing which was very much different than the one which was subsequently presented and submitted as an application for approval.” Dyjach said she wanted to make clear that the newest drawing was “made in an attempt to respond to those comments.”

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Dyjach noted the planners’ comments were also in line with stipulations the Ontario Land Tribunal set to remove a holding provision on the property. It landed before the tribunal after staff recommended refusal of the previous rezoning.

The tribunal said a draft plan of subdivision would need to demonstrate “complete communities through an efficient, compact, connected and co-ordinated development pattern, with a range of housing types and uses where appropriate,” Dyjach said.

Designated for residential development

Coun. David Miller expressed he was “disheartened” to learn that Haley and his family have been “accosted” by angry members of the community since the last meeting, particularly when the reality is, the land is designated to be developed, whether by Haley or a bigger developer.

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“I think it would be best for Scotland and the community if we had someone local” working on it, he said.

Dyjach said they’re waiting for comments from a number of departments on the current application, and hope something “productive” will be back before councilors in September.

The clock is ticking for advisors to make a decision, if they want to avoid another land tribunal appeal — and the time constraints could make it difficult if Haley wanted to return to his original vision, Dyjach said.

Still, staff have told Haley they’re willing to work with him in terms of potential ways to move forward. “We will do our very best,” Dyjach said.

The Spectator reached out to Haley and Phillips but did not hear back from either before deadline.

Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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