Lengthy delays on the completion of subdivisions were up for discussion at the most recent Bracebridge general committee meeting.
Councillors debated whether to support a two-year extension to fulfill the conditions of draft approval for the Inveraray Highlands Subdivision, located off Santa’s Village Road.
Coun. Don Smith said while he had no problem with the Inverary Subdivision in particular, he was frustrated with the process which saw subdivision developers returning regularly with requests for extension.
The final decision on the extension lies with the District of Muskoka but the Town is asked for their support.
The original motion was to provide delegated authority but Smith put forward an amendment to remove that portion of the motion.
“It’s incumbent on us to hold them to account,” said Smith. “I will support the extension but I want to be absolutely 100 percent clear that we want things to move much faster. This development does appear to be moving along but we need to start drawing a clear line.”
Cheryl Kelley, Bracerbidge’s Director of Planning and Development said the Inveraray development is only on phase 3 of 7 and councillors can expect to see more extensions coming back to them. She said the applicant, Evertrust Development, continues work on the subdivision and is working on increasing the density of the development right now.
“There are files that are inactive but that isn’t one of them,” said Kelley.
Mayor Rick Maloney said approving the amendment runs the risk of setting a precedent.
“What are the potential negative impacts of treating one development differently than another?” he asked.
Council voted 4-4 on the amendment, which caused it to be lost, and the extension was supported.
Over the course of the seven phases of the subdivision, only two which have been approved thus far, some 219 lots are expected to be created.
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