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Woodington Lake hosts roundtable discussion over proposed development

May 14, 2021   ·   0 Comments

A proposed development on the northwest side of Tottenham received some public input when the owners of Wooding Lake Golf Course hosted an on-line roundtable discussion on Thursday, May 6.

The new development has received considerable backlash from local residents who are concerned the massive proposal will permanently change the town.

The proposal submitted to the Town seeks to expand the existing golf course on the 4th Line, then build a new neighbourhood between the 5th and 6th Line with a long term care facility and affordable seniors housing, and a residential neighborhood.

The plan is to expand the golf course with an additional 18 holes, add a hotel, conference facility and short-term rentals.

Also included is an industrial park that Woodington Lake claims would provide jobs to the area – specifically for younger people who would then not have to travel for employment.

The roundtable discussion was hosted by Woodington Lake spokesperson Jeff Lang-Weir and allowed residents to take part and ask questions and voice concerns about the development.

“I know that there are a lot of people here that may be new to hearing about this proposal, or who may have strong opinions already,” Mr. Lang-Wier said. “This is not a session in which we are here to convince you all of anything. We’re at a point where there isn’t currently a proposal on the table. We’re going to listen to your interests and record what you have to say. When there is a proposal ready it will be publicly available and folks will be able to see it – they will be able to react to the proposal.”

A slide was presented detailing the steps needed to be taken to get the project underway. This included “input”, the point where Woodington Lake says there are currently, followed by Revised Application, Town Council Approval, Provincial Approval, and Additional Town-led Approval.

The developers have previously stated they are applying for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) under the Provincial Planning Act. An MZO allows developers to go around the normal route and get approval from the province to build.

A spokesperson for Woodington Lake said the MZO is being sought to “give the employers we’re looking to build as part of the project the certainty they need to commit to it.”

The MZOs have been a controversial issue as there are no conditions applied when they are granted, allowing developers to ignore recommendations from organizations like Conservation Authorities.

The response from local residents who took part in the discussion questioned all areas of the development.

Right at the start, one person asked why the map that was shown detailing the development area was skewed to make the location look much smaller than it really is. This was followed by another comment complaining the questions Woodington Lake put out for public input where all “leading questions” posted for the benefit of the developer rather than taking questions for residents.

Concerns from residents included preserving the rural nature of the town, environmental and water issues, and high-density housing which produces many “other issues.”

“We don’t want this to become another Brampton,” one resident said, noting the town has already doubled in size with the addition of two large subdivisions on the east side, adding “the person who wants to do this doesn’t even live here.”

By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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