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Page THE WEEKEND OUTLOOK Friday May 1991 Community Residents claim unfair treatment by council ByBENDUMMETT The Herald Claiming they were treated un fairly by a majority of Halton Hills Council over a development proposal for a Church Street pro perty in Acton last March local developers Edward Bain and Cheryl Smart say they hope coun cil treats them more fairly when it considers a new version of the original proposal The developers who operate Halton Builders and Renovators in Acton said during an inter view Wednesday several ciliors focused their attention on outside issues instead of the ap plication during the debate leading up to vote on the original proposal The original proposal called for four linked houses to be built at Church and John Streets in Ac ton Town planning staff mended Council approve the ap plication saying at the time the project was compatible with the surrounding area Contacted Wednesday Town Planner Glen said staffs favorable position on the original proposal was based on the existence of triplexes single family and semidetached homes in the surrounding area However at the time the ma of Councillors decided the property in question was too small for our housing units The couple is now proposing to build three executivetype styled houses In accordance with the Ontario Planning Act the General Com mittee voted Tuesday on whether the new application should be allowed to go before a public meeting Usually a formality this time around Town Councillor Pam Johnston requested a decision on holding a public meeting on the proposal be deferred for two weeks General Committee is comprised of Town councillors Coun Johnston wanted the Town lawyer to review a letter submitted by Mr Bain and Mrs Smart to councillors and suggested the letter contained possible libelous statements concerning the Town and The letter was addressed to On Housing Minister Dave Cooke but copies were handed out to the councillors The deferral was defeated A majority of councillors followed Acton Councillor Gerald Bennies lead who contended the letter had nothing to do with the revised ap plication They are two separate issues said the councillor The letter is an overview as in by Mr Bain and Ms Smart of the meetings earned out by Council leading up to coun ciliors rejecting the original ap plication As proof that council focused on side issues rather than the ap propriateness of the application the letter indicates some coun questioned the developers on where the developers planned to live if the development was permitted to be constructed In the letter the couple also point to one councillor s comment that the property be used for a halfway house We don t mind constructive criticism but where we live is none of the councillors business said Ms Smart Wednesday Acknowledging some coun asked questions of a per nature when the first ap plication was considered Coun Johnston said Wednesday she has no problem with these objections Personal questions are not ap propriate she said Coun Johnston went on to say she objected to the original ap plication because the density was too high for the property With respect to the letter Coun Johnston said she objected to allegations in the letter describ ing the council behavior as that of a Not only do the developers believe council treated them un fairly they also feel the system favors the public To have planning staff process a development application the developer is required to pay the Town certain administrative fees Mr Bain and Ms Sart would have no problem with the fees if the members of the public who object to a development ap plication had to pay similar fees to the Town to have their objec tions part of the public record As part of the process the Town Planning Department is re quired to investigate concerns raised by the public over a development application when the application goes before a public meeting Ms Smart and Mr Bain object to the public not having to pay the Town to in vestigate public initiated con Mr Wellings said this practice isn followed because basically there would be no public concerns if the developer hadnt submitted an application in the first place OSBORNE DECOR Custom Mode Verticals Drapes And Bedspreads FREE SHOP AT HOME SERVICE Lallan Pictured above is an artist s rendition of a ed housing development church and John streets in Acton The developers Bam and Cheryl Smart have decided on three executive styled homes for the property because their original pro posal for four linked houses was rejected by Town Council this past March Council deemed at the time four houses was too dense a development for the property Graphic submitted InTHe Course Of A Lifetime I Youll Buy23725 Apples And One Lifetime Floor Free Delivery Service Wednesday And Saturday Mornings Hilton Hills Area HELP THE ENVIRONMENT RECYCLE Bring back your plastic palls and we will give you 50 to oil your next purchase 8337003 AREWARRArUCTAUreTIMt I Discover Ihe reason we call 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