After having deferred making a decision on a heritage permit for a contentious condominium development two weeks ago, during their July 21 meeting Meaford’s council voted in favour of granting the heritage permit, subject to a number of conditions.
The Georgian Bay Harbour condominium development is to be located behind the library property on Trowbridge Street. The proposed five-storey structure plus two levels of underground parking has caused significant concern among residents and members of council due to its size, and its location in a flood plain, adjacent to the Bighead River.
The heritage permit for the development had been on council’s agenda for their July 7 meeting, however after significant discussion lasting more than an hour, council was not comfortable with voting to approve the heritage permit. Instead they developed a replacement motion deferring a decision until July 21 in order “to enable staff to review feedback from council and provide potential conditions for a provisional approval option.”
On July 21, staff provided council with an addendum report that included a revised recommendation for approval of the heritage permit subject to five conditions, most notably that a peer review of the submitted Cultural Heritage Impact Statement (CHIS) be undertaken by the municipality at the property owner’s expense.
The full list of conditions included in Monday’s 6-0 unanimous approval (Councillor Brandon Forder was absent from the meeting) of the heritage permit for the development are as follows:
1. That a peer review of the submitted Cultural Heritage Impact Statement (CHIS) be undertaken by the Municipality at the owners’ expense.
2. That the findings of the peer review and any revised submission material be taken to the Heritage Advisory Committee for consideration.
3. That all recommendations and mitigation measures of the Peer Review be implemented to the satisfaction of the Municipality through the Heritage Permit, Building Permit, or Site Plan Approval, as appropriate.
4. That Site Plan Approval for development of the lands implement the requirements of the CHIS and peer review recommendations, including any internal/on-site and external/off-site improvements that are warranted to mitigate the impact of the development on the Heritage District. This may include but not be limited to:
• Design and location of lighting
• Improvements to Berry Street as a public trail and viewshed
• Inclusion of public art opportunities to create visual interest on blank walls and commemorate the location within the Heritage District
• Enhanced landscaping to soften the massing of the building.
5. And, that knowing that the Site Plan Approval and Grey Sauble Conservation Authority Permit are required to deal appropriately with all flood hazard and geotechnical matters, that any design change necessitated by Site Plan Approval be brought back to Council for approval through a revised Heritage Permit.
Council had to make a decision on the permit at their July 21 meeting as under the provincial Heritage Act, a decision must be made within 90 days after the notice of receipt is issued. In this case the deadline is August 31, however after Monday’s meeting council is on break until September 8. If Council fails to make a decision within the 90 days, the matter is deemed to be approved as outlined in Section 42(5) of the Ontario Heritage Act.
The development has been the subject of much criticism since it was first presented to council in May 2022.
“Council held a public meeting for the original proposal on May 16, 2022. Council related to the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications. Those applications were later appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). The OLT made a decision to approve the amended applications, after the Municipality engaged in a settlement with the applicant,” staff advised council in their July 7 report. “In November 2024, the Municipality received and began processing a Site Plan Application which includes a revised proposal for this development.”
The revised proposal has reduced the number of residential units from 160 to 100, and the five-storey structure will now step down to three storeys on the west side of the building facing the library.
“We are well aware that this is not a popular project, and speaking from my own chair, I am not keen on the mass of this particular proposal,” Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney told council on July 7.
Councillor Harley Greenfield has also expressed several concerns with the proposed development.
“There’s just nothing about this building that is reasonable,” Greenfield told council on July 7. “There are absolutely no heritage features about it, it is huge. One of the things that really worries me is if this is built, it is a precedent-setting construction.”
After Monday’s conditional approval of the heritage permit, Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney again noted the public’s concerns about the proposed development in her post-meeting update posted on social media.
“Many people have shared with council their displeasure with the proposed Georgian Harbour development – 100 condo units behind the library. We are currently engaging in the Heritage Permit process. Staff provided five recommendations today which were unanimously supported. They include the requirement for a peer-reviewed Cultural Heritage Impact Statement, the findings to be taken to the Heritage Advisory Committee and to council in person by the peer reviewer, that all recommendations be implemented to the municipality’s satisfaction thru the site plan review process and that any further changes be brought to council for additional approvals,” Keaveney noted.
The heritage permit is just one step in the long road to come before the proposed development moves forward. Staff noted at Monday’s council meeting that an application for site plan approval has now been submitted and is currently in the review process.
“An application for Site Plan Approval has been submitted by the proponent and is being processed. Site Plan Approval is an internal review process,” staff advised council in their addendum report. “The details of the application have been provided to commenting agencies, including, but not limited to, the GSCA (Grey Sauble Conservation Authority). The Site Plan Approval process will implement the site engineering requirements of the GSCA and the Municipality. Once the review process is complete, provisional approval can be issued by the Director of Development Services in accordance with the Planning Act and By-law 26-2009. Once all conditions of approval are met, the owner can enter into a Site Plan Agreement with the Municipality.”
The proposed development will also require a permit from the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority which is currently reviewing the file.
All of the files and documents related to the proposed development can be found on the municipal website: https://www.meaford.ca/en/business-development/opa-29-and-z06-21-georgian-bay-harbour-ltd.aspx
