Ontario, Canada: Markham says end freeze on some airport lands

Markham has opted not to side with a Markham landowners group in its bid to remove airport land restrictions in the northeast quadrant of the city.

Instead, the city will ask the province to remove restrictions on lands that are slated for growth.

A provincial zoning order freezes all development within about six kilometres east and west of the federally-owned land held for the proposed Pickering airport just south of Stouffville.

Last year, the North Markham Landowners Group filed an application to the province to remove airport land restrictions spread across about 880 hectares of land split between nine properties.

The zoning order was put in place in the early 1970s to protect the area and set height limitations on areas surrounding the proposed Pickering airport.

Landowners are required to appeal to the province to remove the zoning restriction for each patch of property.

“This zoning is antiquated and unnecessary,” said Don Given, president of planning and consulting firm Malone Given Parsons Ltd. and representative for the landowners group.

“And that makes removal of the zoning restriction a patchwork process. The zoning order was a heavy handed approach.”

Instead, the group is appealing to the Ontario Municipal Board to remove the entire restriction on all Markham lands and is asking for the city’s support.

Of the nine properties blanketed by provincial zoning order, three are entirely within the region and the city’s urban boundary and are slated for development in the near future.

The properties are owned by Fieldgate Developments: 10227 Kennedy Rd., 4638 Major Mackenzie Dr. and 4551 Elgin Mills Rd. 

The restriction does cover parts or sections of the other properties, which are listed under the city’s official plan as agricultural land.

The other properties are at 11162 Kennedy Rd., owned by Fieldgate, 4044 Elgin Mills Rd., owned by Romandale Farms Ltd., 10466 Hwy. 48, owned by Cavcoe Holdings, 10566 Hwy. 48, owned by H&R Developments, and 10541 Hwy. 48 and 10192 Ninth Line, both owned by Emery Investments.

Ward 1 Councillor Valerie Burke argued removing the blanket ban is premature. Instead she proposed the city support the zoning restriction removal on lands only within the city’s urban boundary.

“Councillors fought had to protect that farmland,” she said. “This is just another layer of protection.”

The city is in the secondary plan process for those areas and development is expected within the next five years, the city’s development services commissioner Jim Baird said.

“We know there is going to be development there,” Mr. Baird said. “Might as well apply (to the province) and ask for the removal. There is no harm is starting the process.”

Deputy mayor and Regional Councillor Jack Heath agreed.

“Might as well tell the province this is coming,” he said. “If the province wants residential intensification, then it has to remove the restriction.”

If the municipal board agrees with the developer and requests removal of the entire zoning order, there are several other layers of protection for the area, including the province’s Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine protection plans and the city’s zoning bylaw and official plan, Mr. Baird said.

Source:  http://www.yorkregion.com