Innisfil housing project starting 148 years after plans laid
Apr 24, 2015 1:22:25 GMT -5
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Post by admin on Apr 24, 2015 1:22:25 GMT -5
It took 148 years but work on a small subdivision in Gilford is finally underway.
Resident Mike Murphy just wishes the builders would wait another century or so before they put shovels in the ground.
Murphy, who moved to his quiet Thomas Street home two years ago to escape the hustle and bustle of the GTA, was shocked to learn the open field behind his property would soon be jammed with 21 houses.
“I think it was kind of sneaky, the way it was done,” Murphy said. “I came up here for a quiet way of life. Now it’s ruined. We’ll be dealing with three years of construction now.”
Plans for the property, which was subdivided into smaller lots in 1867, flew under the radar.
Christina Homes purchased the 60-foot severed lots to build single-family homes and started preliminary work on the site this week.
Town staff didn’t learn about the plans until the builder requested access to municipal water that is being piped to a soon-to-be-built estate subdivision nearby.
Tim Cane, the town’s land-use planning manager, said it’s definitely one of the oldest plans he has seen in his 17 years as a planning consultant and municipal planner.
“We were curious that’s why we asked the builder for two legal opinions and we had our own in-house legal opinion saying this could go ahead,” Cane said.
The builder still has to follow rules that apply to all developments for engineering, grading and other municipally controlled issues, Cane said.
“It’s not like it will be a free-for-all,” he said.
Because the lots were registered with West Gwillimbury before Innisfil annexed the area from the township in the late 1980s, the project took politicians, staff and residents by surprise.
But Gilford-area councillor, Rob Nicol, said the fact the stone-strewn field would one day yield a crop of single family homes wasn’t news to old-timers in the laid-back village on the shores of Cook’s Bay.
“Somebody in their infinite wisdom back in 1867 thought it was a great idea to severe these lots,” Nicol said. “Long-time residents have known about it for years, it was only a matter of when.”
In fact, Nicol came across a 2004 Mapquest that shows a non-existent street for the subdivision running through the property.
Nicol said he understands the plans came as somewhat of a shock to some residents, but said homes would have eventually been built on the in-fill site had the normal building process been followed.
Nicol said the good news is the project will bring municipal water closer to existing homes and the builder may offer some green space to the community.
“There are going to be 21 new families here that are going to need to some new facilities,” he said.
Christina Homes did not return messages left by the Journal at the company’s Bradford office.
Resident Mike Murphy just wishes the builders would wait another century or so before they put shovels in the ground.
Murphy, who moved to his quiet Thomas Street home two years ago to escape the hustle and bustle of the GTA, was shocked to learn the open field behind his property would soon be jammed with 21 houses.
“I think it was kind of sneaky, the way it was done,” Murphy said. “I came up here for a quiet way of life. Now it’s ruined. We’ll be dealing with three years of construction now.”
Plans for the property, which was subdivided into smaller lots in 1867, flew under the radar.
Christina Homes purchased the 60-foot severed lots to build single-family homes and started preliminary work on the site this week.
Town staff didn’t learn about the plans until the builder requested access to municipal water that is being piped to a soon-to-be-built estate subdivision nearby.
Tim Cane, the town’s land-use planning manager, said it’s definitely one of the oldest plans he has seen in his 17 years as a planning consultant and municipal planner.
“We were curious that’s why we asked the builder for two legal opinions and we had our own in-house legal opinion saying this could go ahead,” Cane said.
The builder still has to follow rules that apply to all developments for engineering, grading and other municipally controlled issues, Cane said.
“It’s not like it will be a free-for-all,” he said.
Because the lots were registered with West Gwillimbury before Innisfil annexed the area from the township in the late 1980s, the project took politicians, staff and residents by surprise.
But Gilford-area councillor, Rob Nicol, said the fact the stone-strewn field would one day yield a crop of single family homes wasn’t news to old-timers in the laid-back village on the shores of Cook’s Bay.
“Somebody in their infinite wisdom back in 1867 thought it was a great idea to severe these lots,” Nicol said. “Long-time residents have known about it for years, it was only a matter of when.”
In fact, Nicol came across a 2004 Mapquest that shows a non-existent street for the subdivision running through the property.
Nicol said he understands the plans came as somewhat of a shock to some residents, but said homes would have eventually been built on the in-fill site had the normal building process been followed.
Nicol said the good news is the project will bring municipal water closer to existing homes and the builder may offer some green space to the community.
“There are going to be 21 new families here that are going to need to some new facilities,” he said.
Christina Homes did not return messages left by the Journal at the company’s Bradford office.