2001-039 To Adopt Official Plan Amendment No. 9 to the Township of Oro-Medonte Official Plan
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THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF ORO-MEDONTE
BY-LAW NO. 2001-39
BEING A BY-LAW TO ADOPT OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 9 TO THE
TOWNSHIP OF ORO-MEDONTE OFFICIAL PLAN
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The Council of the Corporation of the Township ofOro-Medonte, in accordance with the provision
of the Planning Act, hereby enacts as follows:
1. The attached explanatory text which constitutes Amendment No. 9 to the Official Plan of
the Township of Oro-Medonte, is hereby adopted.
2. The Planner is hereby authorized and directed to make application to the County of Simcoe
for approval of Amendment No.9 to the Official Plan of the Township ofOro-Medonte.
3. This By-law shall come into force and take effect only after a final decision is issued by the
County of Simcoe.
BY-LAW READ A FIRST AND SECOND TIME, THIS 4TH DAY OF APRIL, 2001.
BY-LAW READ A THIRD TIME AND FINALLY PASSED THIS 4th DAY OF APRIL,
2001.
THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF ORO-
MEDONTE
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. OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO.9
TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN OF THE TOWNSHIP OF
ORO-MEDONTE
PART OF LOT 7, CONCESSION 10 (ORO)
M.R. TRUAX
Prepared by The Planning Partnership
March 22, 2001
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CONSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT
The following Amendment to the Official Plan of the Township of Oro-Medonte consists of
three parts,
Part A - The Preamble, consisting of the purpose, location and basis of the Amendment,
does not constitute part of this Amendment.
Part B - The Amendment consisting of the following text constitutes Amendment No, 9 to the
Official Plan for the Township of Oro-Medonte.
Part C - The Appendices, consisting of the background data and planning considerations
associated with this Amendment, does not constitute part of this Amendment
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23, 2001
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PART A - THE PREAMBLE
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Amendment is to make two changes to Schedule 'A' of the Official Plan
to facilitate the expansion of an existing gravel pit in part of Lot 7, Concession 10 (Oro), At
the time the application was submitted, the lands were designated Rural by the Oro-Medonte
Official Plan.
LOCATION
The Amendment affects approximately 10,0 hectares (24.7 acres) of land in Part of Lot 7,
Concession 10, shown on Schedule 'A' attached, Approximately 7,6 hectares (18.7 acres) of
this area is located north and west of an existing gravel pit owned by the applicant (M,R
Truax), The remaining 2,4 hectares (5,9 acres) is located to the east of the same existing
gravel pit
BASIS
The existing Truax pit is about 36.9 hectares (91,3 acres) in size and is designated Mineral
Aggregate Resources by the Official Plan. This pit has existed for at least thirty years and is
subject to two licenses issued under the Aggregate Resource Act The first license (#3561)
was issued on May 20, 1994 and applies to 8,19 hectares (20.2 hectares) in the north-east
portion of the property, This license permits an annual extraction of 500,000 tonnes, The
second license (#14475) was issued on October 11, 1994 and applies to 9,43 hectares (23.3
acres) in the south-west portion of the site, This license also permits an annual extraction of
500,000 tonnes,
It is the intent of the applicant to extract gravel on an additional 19,1 hectares (47.2 acres) of
land, The Official Plan designation applying to 10,0 hectares (2.7 acres) of this expansion
area needs to be changed to accommodate the re-zoning and use of these lands for
extraction purposes, The remaining 9.1 hectares (22.4 acres) is already designated for
aggregate extraction. The northwest expansion area is currently the site of a woodlot The
southeast expansion area is currently the site of a residence (to be demolished) and
agricultural land.
Once all of the additional lands are designated and zoned, the Ministry of Natural Resources
(MNR) would then be in a position to issue a license in accordance with the Aggregate
Resources Act. If this expansion is allowed to proceed, the applicant does not intend to
increase the total annual extraction limit of 1,000,000 tonnes presently permitted by the
existing licenses.
In order to support the applications, the following reports were submitted by the applicant:
· Aggregate Investigation (Geological Investigations) - April 20, 2000. This report
confirmed that aggregate in sufficient quantities for extraction are located on the site.
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23, 2001
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· Natural Environment Study and Impact Assessment (J. Dobell) - June 12, 2000.
This report concluded that the proposed pit expansion, while necessitating the
removal of a 6.1 hectare woodlot, would not have a negative impact on the large
significant woodland in the area,
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Noise Attenuation Assessment (R. Bouwmeester and Associates) - January 29,
1999. This report concluded that the limits of excavation should be 50 metres from
the Hodgkinson residence and that no other off-site impacts are expected.
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· Hydrogeological Study (Dixon Hydrogeology Limited) - 1994. This report
concluded that the proposed pit would not have an adverse impact on the
groundwater table or adjacent wells, primarily because extraction would not occur
within 20 metres (66 feet) of the water table,
· Stage I and II Archaeological Assessment (York North Archaeological Services)
- May 12, 2000. This report concluded that there were no archaeological resources
on the site,
All of the above studies, with the exception of the archaeological assessment, were reviewed
by consultants retained by the Township. These consultants included LGL Limited
(environment), Jagger Hims (hydrogeology) and Valcoustics (noise).
Issues
A comprehensive review of the application and the issues it raises is contained within a
Planning Report prepared by The Planning Partnership, which is attached to this Amendment
as Appendix 1, Below is a summary of the main conclusions and recommendations in this
report
1. The applicant has completed an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and has
confirmed that the proposed expansion will not impact on any defined feature of
Provincial significance. In addition, the applicant's consultant has indicated that the
amount of cleared area is very small compared to the size of the forest unit and the
historical harvesting on site has reduced the value of the woodlot In addition, this
area does not support any watercourses or other significant natural features, On the
basis of Township's review of the various reports, the Township accepts this
conclusion.
2, The applicant has indicated that the proposed pit expansion will not impact on the
groundwater recharge function of the area, In addition, extraction will not intercept
the water table, as it will not occur within 20 metres (65 feet) of the water table. No
on-site washing of aggregate is proposed, thereby lessening the potential impact. In
order to ensure that extraction does not occur close to the water table, a number of
monitoring wells will be drilled as a condition of approval. In addition, the extraction
will not have an adverse impact on adjacent wells, The Township agrees with these
conclusions.
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23, 2001
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3.
Given that a pit is a fairly intrusive land use, the character of the property will certainly
change if the applications are approved. However, the applicant has indicated that a
number of measures will be undertaken to minimize the impact of the pit on the
character of the area, These include:
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The retention of 4,0 hectares of woodlot along the north site of Area A, so
that the expansion area will not be visible from Bass Lake Sideroad; and,
The retention of a buffer area having a width of 30 metres (100 feet) along
the 9th Line, which will be site of a berm and tree planting.
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It is the Township's opinion that the two measures above will ensure that the impacts
of the proposed expansion area are mitigated as best as they can be,
4, Given that this proposal represents an expansion to an existing pit within an area
already partially designated for aggregate extraction and given that the applicant has
proposed not to increase the licensed annual tonnage, it is the Township's opinion
that the extent of added impacts are minOL
5. While it is recognized that 1,000,000 tonnes per year have not historically been
extracted from the site, the full impact of the applications, if approved, on the function
of the 9th Line between the Bass Lake Sideroad and the south entrance has to be
taken into account Given the potential volume of traffic, the nature of the road and
the presence of two residences on this portion of the road, this portion of the 9th Line
will be upgraded by the applicant, in conjunction with other gravel pit operators in the
area as a condition of approval.
Gravel Extraction and the Oro Moraine
Several concerns have been raised by neighbouring landowners with respect to the impact of
aggregate extraction on the Oro Moraine, These concerns are well founded. The Moraine is
the heart of the Township's natural heritage system and covers an area of about 4,400
acres, It provides recharge function to a number of groundwater aquifers and is the
headwater for a number of watercourses flowing into Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay.
Given the importance of this feature, Council authorized the preparation of a study to review
groundwater issues in the Oro Moraine. To date, this study has generally concluded that the
Oro Moraine is generally in good health. However, this determination is based on an
understanding of the current groundwater function of the Moraine, It is the Township's that a
better understanding of the connections between the groundwater recharge function and
biological functions of the Moraine is required. This issue will be explored further, in the
context of an Official Plan Review.
Notwithstanding the above, it is the Township's opinion that the approval of this application
can take place in advance of any further study of the Oro Moraine since:
· The application does not involve the creation of a new pit;
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23, 2001
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The expanded pit will have little or no impact on the groundwater function of the Oro
Moraine; and,
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The applicant will not be permitted to take out any additional aggregate, over what he
is currently permitted to extract, if the expansion is approved,
SUMMARY
On the basis of our review of the applications, the supporting studies and the reviews of
those studies by the Township's peer review consultants, it is Council's opinion that the
proposed expansion will have a minimal impact on the environment, the character of the
area, the groundwater recharge function of the Ora Moraine and neighbouring water
supplies, On this basis, it is recommended that the application for Official Plan Amendment
be approved by the County of Simcoe,
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23, 2001
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PART B - THE AMENDMENT
All of this part of the document entitled Part B - The Amendment, consisting of the following
text and Schedule 'A', constitutes Amendment No, 9 to the Official Plan of the Township of
Oro-Medonte.
DETAILS OF THE AMENDMENT
The Official Plan of the Township of Oro-Medonte is amended as follows:
Item 1:
Schedule 'A-13' of the Official Plan of the Township of Oro-Medonte is hereby amended by
changing the land use designation applying to approximately 10.0 hectares from the Rural
designation to the Mineral Aggregate Resources designation as shown on Schedule 'A' to
this Amendment
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23, 2001
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ORO MFDONTE TWP ~ 7375078
NO. 323 (;113132
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Schedule 'A' to. Official ~1~~_~~QI1J.~nt No. 9.,__ , .... --
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LEGEND )( Xl
IX
_ ~~Dmeutal SUBJECT LANDS
roteeUou One
D Acricultural 6
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_ Rural SettJement
he. 1
~ Reatricted Rural
e:::i! 1Im...a! Aure,ate 8
DODO Retources
I;i;:m Open Space
_ Rural Residential i
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OVERLAY DESIGNATIONS
_ Bn'rironmental :i
Protection Two 10
I I Growul1fatArr ~
Rechar,e Area
11 I
500 0 1000 2000m I
W:- I I
1 :40,000
. LANDS TO BE REDESIGNATED FROM THE RURAL DESIGNATION
TO THE MINERAL AGGREGATE RESOURCES DESIGN A TION
Township of Oro-Medonte
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PART C . THE APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Planning Report prepared by The Planning Partnership dated March 22, 2001,
OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NUMBER 9
Township of Oro-Medonte
Prepared by The Planning Partnership on March 23,2001
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