Let Acton grow John Reeve, owner of Leathertown Feed Supply in Acton, shares the view of many frustrated Acton residents. The Ontario Municipal Board hearing will end in approxi- mately two weeks, by which time the fate of Acton should be decided. “1 believe there is lots of water in Acton for the town to grow,” Reeve insisted. photo by Simon Wilson/HHTW Niagara Escarpment Commission fights back By Oksana Buhel Disturbed by a report by Ministry of Energy and the Environment (MOEE) offi- cers in March, the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) released its own rec- ommendations for a revised Niagara Plan the terms of reference set out in 1990, at the beginning of the Plan review, by former Minister of the Environment Jim Bradley. One adminis- trative issue of particular concern was the proposed delegation of development control to municipalities. (NEP). The recommendations, entitled “Renewing the ” were submitted Monday~ to provincial Environment Minister Bud Wildman, as a final contribu- tion to a five-year review of Canada’s first large-scale environmental land use plan. Wildman will use the infor- mation to present his own proposals to the Ontario cab- ine NEC members were con- cerned hearing officers Mary Munro and John McLellan focused on Plan implementa- and administrative issues instead of adhering to Delegation of controls to municipalities —a.concern Another issue of discon- tent was the constant referral of the officers to the devel- opment-oriented Planning Act, which varies substan- tially from the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. NEC members rejected approximately 20 per cent of the recommendations made by Munro and McLellan. Another 42 proposals, deal- ing with the administration of the NEP, are still being studied by NEC, before another report is submitted to Wildman. Some of the suggestions listed in “Renewing the Vision” include; alleviation of bans on recreational ponds, but tighter controls on their placement and con- struction; improved protec- tion of historic sites and structures; permission of commercial uses accessory to agriculture (i.e. cottage wineries); allowing retire- ment lots for farmers; less lot creation by land severance and no plans of subdivision in the Escarpment Rural area; a ban on new pits and quarries; recognition of the importance of the Bruce Trail in providing public access to the Escarpment and changes to strengthen the Niagara Escarpment Parks System. * fi t Vol. 2, No. 10 Wednesday, September HIS WEEN 1993 877-5211 874-3051 MICHAEL (MIKE) ADAMS ‘Award Winning Sales Rep 232 Guelph St., Georgetown 873-2254 Heritage Conservation District in the Glen? In 1990, Halton Hills ..4own council enacted a by- law defining a,portion of e iams as a Study Area for a possible Heritage Conservation District. The bylaw was initiated at the request of L.A.C.A.C. (now called Heritage Halton Hills) and residents of Glen Williams interested in the unique historic character of the village. A Heritage Conservation District is mandated through the Ontario Heritage Act and is con- cerned with the protection and enhancement of groups of properties that collective- ly give an area a special character. This character could be derived from indi- vidual properties which may be. of architectural or historical interest but also from the overall historic and aesthetic values of buildings, streets and open spaces seen together. Since the enactment of the Study Area. bylaw, Heritage Halton Hills has been proceeding slowly, with its’ own resources, and its founders.: It has also been. looking into the process of a District Designation to find out the impact it could have on property owners and the methods available for pre- serving village character. Last summer, this work involved the compilation of an inventory of buildings, infrastructure and landscape features to be used as refer- ence catalogue for future historic research. This year, Heritage Halton Hills has again been able to hire Tom Wilson, a University of Waterloo Architecture student, to begin work on the second stage of the Heritage District Study. This stage will provide a draft techni- cal report to examine the affects of planning and engineering policies (like road improvements and municipal servicing) as well as the impact of guidelines and possible i "Your independent voice in Halton Hills’ Heritage Act provides regu- lations regarding Heritage Conservation Districts, the municipality needs ‘to spend time identifying what fea- tures are most important to the District and what guide- lines are most appropriate to their conservation. Because every Heritage District is unique many of the guidelines need to be developed from first princi- plesin Heritage Halton Hills is also a volunteer Committee of Council and members cannot always afford full- time commitment to the project. The solution has been to break the project down into smaller pieces completing a series. of smaller studies. Now it looks as+if most of the research is complete. The Committee is hoping to hold a public meeting at the Glen Town Hall on pent. 9 to Present aoe tion strategies for Heritage Coisérvatiba District Designation. Why is so much time and Ee feedback from residents before proceeding with a possible recommendation to Town Council for a ary Juan LIBERAI Reed tosses hat into ring Julian Reed, Liberal candidate for the riding of Halton Peel, seemed to enjoy per- forming the ribbon-cutting to open his federal election campaign headquarters locat- ed at 122 Guelph Street in Georgetown. Pictured at the ribbon-cutting ceremony (from left), is Kay Lawson campaign helper, Julian Reed, Rud Whiting, campaign researching the history of being spent on the study? Heritage District | helper, Alice Walker, campaign helper, and Don Boudria MP for the federal riding of Glen Williams, its buildings Although the Ontario Designation. Glengarry-Prescott-Russell. photo by Simon Wilson/HHTW : Pa Si GEORGETO seers quTooon il Solid Brass Green Shade Cast Aluminum 19" Pumpkin Open Wee Bie hts Let as het you with ALL your Lighting concerns! until 9 p.m. LIVING 2 | o> 2) 245 Guelph St. (Hwy. 7), Georgetown. 873-2996 Desk Lamp Black or White Bulbs extra,