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OMB hearin Approve 70 foot restriction on height of apartments in Acton Officials of the Ontario Municipal Board approved an application by the town of Acton to restrict the height of apartment buildings in tones to following an hour and a half hearing In the council chambers Monday morning The application was opposed by Charles Heard and Lome both of whom own property adjacent to the Beverley property at the comer of Church and Maria sts where two suite apartment buildings are proposed Devalue property Objectors said erection of apartments on the property would mean loss of privacy and would devalue their property They also cited the increase In traffic apartments would bring Mr Heard said he was ob jecting only to the foot allowance as It applied to the Beverley property which was originally designated In keeping with the presence of a quiet residential zone He saw zoning changes of the last three years as vehicles for developers to make money at the expense of residents already established He also thought the foot buildings would overpower existing low profile housing Mr said apartments would also change the format of the area from a nice residential area to one with a multiplicity of people and foresaw deterioration of the area He admitted he felt any building project would destroy the present natural beauty of the three acre property However the chairman of the hearing B Smith and his colleague Alan Van Every of the said the towns application restricting the height of apartment buildings to 70 feet would restrict builders since the evidence presented by the town indicated there was no such height restriction now and construction could proceed on a storey building if so desired In approving the application they ruled that the municipality acted properly In obtaining the advice of the engineer and planner P G Smith acted as solicitor for the town during the hearing and Aldo Bralda represented Holdings Ltd who propose building apartments on the Beverley property Destroy beauty Dennis Flood senior planner from the townengaged Project Planners was the first to give testimony for the town and suggested there be a limit on the height of apartments He said present regulations would allow suites with underground parking and 170 suits with parking above ground He suggested storey apartment building would be overpowering THEIR 55111 wedding anniversary was marked last week by popular local residents Mr and Mrs L Davidson 2 Their celebration was combined with a third birth day party for little Lisa Daly of SL Catharines at the home of her grandparents Mr and Mrs Bob Marshall The Davidsons son Wilmer and his wife were among the guests Photo by Bill Stuckey Burnedout families settled get donations The three families burned out December during a fire on the fifth line of Nassagaweya are settled elsewhere temporarily at least And the owner bones to rebuild the ruined farmhouse to restore its original charm Mr and Mrs Joe and six children are now living in above Carneys plumbing sad beating Of the three families they received the most from sympathetic strangers They have no relatives in the immediate area and sheltered first after the Ore in Blue Springs Motel Not only was provided but household articles including stove frig and television One youngster generously gave his own fifty cents at Christmas time when he heard of their plight Mr works at quarry live relatives Mr and Mrs Gilbert Geneau and one child are living with his parents on a turkey farm near Speystde He works at Beard- morcs The family benefitted from a collection mere Mr and Mrs Floyd Foster and their two children are living with his parents In Acton They got most of their furniture out of the building He works at Pauls Sunoco service station Lost gifts The three families all lost personal possessions and Christmas gifts A total of IS were left homeless by the fire one of the worst house fires In the district Weekends there Honey Locust farm Is owned by Bert of OakviUe who weekends in a trailer there He has been staying in the trailer since the fire with his wife and two daughters to feed the horse ponies and other animals and to rent the snowmobiles there Tenants had looked after this before the fire The Leroys were veryfond of their old farmhouse and hope to rebuild it to the same lines He has been an Industrial arts teacher and has had building experience He would be interested to recreate even the gingerbread moulding on tbe verandah One part of it has been saved and could be used for a pattern Mr had Insurance on the house and a lot of low buildings would destroy the natural beauty of the property Seventy foot buildings would blend with existing housing he sold In his opinion there was a need for apartments In Acton and a high rise would attract newly marrieds and single people while low profile buildings would be more apt to have larger families Next to testify was town engineer Ken Hyde of V Anderson Associates who said water sewage and roads were adequate to service a foot apartment building on the Beverley property totally owned by Holdings and sub mitted mops with required Information The questioned the necessity of the evidence presented by the town but allowed further presentation when told the solicitor had preconceptions about the nature of objections not yet given Mutual aid Fire Chief Mick Holmes testified there was sufficient fire protection for the area since the National Building Code adopted by the town demanded stand- pipes and hoses on each floor The code also requires two exits on each floor He testified aerial ladders reach only SO feet and the nearest one was at Oakvllle which was available through the mutual aid agreement If needed Holdings director Charles testified the companys reasons for apartments on the property was to provide apartments for single people couples and those who wished to move out of houses This he pointed out would provide more houses for people with families The company planned two sevenstorey buildings with suites In each because they wanted elevators and that many floors are needed to make It economical He said the was centrally located and convenient to business places He Inter told the Free Press the company hoped to start building In 1071 Leatherland also appeared to support the but worried about tting land In the township He was reassured the town had no jurisdiction over land in the township Sums up Mr Smith summed up the towns testifying that the Issue was not height but good planning principles Alternatives would allow developers to build 22 storey buildings He said ob jectors should have opposed passage of ByLaw 1358 which the area rather than attacking an application which was more In line with their Intents JSl v it jr i Year No Globe asks ACTON ONTARIO TUESDAY DECEMBER Fourteen Flfleon Cents Milton move to Zone One why not Acton Georgetown The possibility that Milton may be taken from the retarded growth of Zone Two and placed In fast growing Zone One of the Torontocentred regional development concept has led to speculation that the Ontario government is bending to pressure from the powerful Tory backroom boys Writer Warren Gerard In a bylined article In Mondays Globe and Mail asks why Milton was placed in Zone Two to start with Ho also asks why Acton and Georgetown to other developing communities are in Zone Two Was It because a boundary line had to be drawn some where he asks Minimum compromise The writer examines the Torontocentred region plan in the article and concludes that the plan which was presented to the province May may need some selling He also charges the process that led up to the concept was a story of minimum compromise He says that the most serious conflict will arise out of the governments concept for Zone Two also referred to as the Commuter shed The Is already revising population figures for the zone after calling for only about four per cent of the regions population One source a Cabinet Minister said the zones population will have to go to about double the original concept conflict The article says that this and other Indications such as the decision not yet announced to take Milton out of Zone Two and place It In Zone One- demonstrate the disagreement in concept between the planners of the Department of Municipal Affairs and the economists and statisticians of the Department of Treasury and Economics Growth that will take place In Zone Two according to the conceptual plan that appeared in this newspaper In May would be encouraged to a limited degree in OrnngeviUo Acton Bolton Georgetown Milton Uxbridge Port Perry and Stouftville A fog In the boundary line eliminated Milton from Zone One a spot Mayor Brian Best of county town made no bones- about Is the place rather be Best lobbying There has been evidence to suggest that has been lobbying to get the plan changed so they could encourage growth which was anticipated but which always seemed to be slightly out of reach Mayor Brian Best said he had been urging the provincial treasurer to move Milton to Zone One at recent meetings as well as twisting various other arms of the government MPP Jim Snow said he had taken Miltons brief to the provincial treasurer and minister of municipal affairs He supported Miltons stand But observers agree a government used to legislating controversial Issues such as the new county school boards despite strong opposition must have had other sympathetic pressures Sea to change their minds reaction of towns like Three smashups no one is hurt Three accidents damage vehicles Four Acton and district people were Involved in a series of investigated by Milton during Christmas week Thursday morning a car driven by David Garrett Acton received 450 damage when It went out of control and took out three The accident happened on Highway 25 a mile north of Five Slderoad Later that morning cars driven by Ivan MacLeod of RR Acton and Cornells Smlt of town collided on Highway at causing 500 damage A Saturday afternoon accident on the HaltonWentworth Town line involved cars driven by Lyle J Giroux and Reginald Andrews of Acton Damage was estimated at None of the drivers were Injured OPP said Georgetown and Acton of course Is going to be How come and not us Resolve conflicts The provincial treasurer has said there will be no actual Implementation of the Toronto- centred region concept until the areas of conflict nave been resolved Until then however at least 170 amendments to official plans to municipalities have been placed in suspension because they conflict with the concept Meanwhile the government Is studying 150 briefs and letters received in response to public reaction to the concept When they have been studied and digested for future policy it Is expected the government will say more In about six months The Milton mayor of course was delighted He envisions a town of people If MUton moves to Zone One a step which greeneyed OakviUe and Burlington would oppose The mayor sees the key issue as the towns ability to service future growth One result of the move of course will be the fact other communities on the periphery of Zone One will be watching with renewed interest following this disclosure and wondering whether they can get a representative In the smoke- filled rooms to push their Interests Early Christmas gift three OPP charges A collision at the intersection of Maria and Poplar at 445 on December 23 was Investigated by police Drivers were Joseph Leslie Wilson Milton whose car received an estimated damage and Leo Tremblay Poplar Ave with damage Band carollers Christmas music Both the Citizens Band and the were out serenading shoppers last Wednesday night The Choraliers strolled up and down the business section with lanterns singing favorite carols Carol singing was popular this year with various groups going door to door Two fail breath test During the week one driver was charged with failing the breath test and another with impaired driving and failing the test One was an Acton man and one was from Milton Christmas Day didnt begin too snowmobile and charged with Early Victoria Ave man His failing to have a snowmobile day started out early at registered not having sun with a unique present insurance and driving on tbe three chances by Acton police street without a drivers license He appears in court In He was stopped while driving a February EARLY PUBLICATION this week limits the amount of news in todays Free Press More next week On Christmas Eve during freezing rain a car driven by Mrs Wilhelmlna de Jong struck a parked car on Church St near Willow The parked car owned by Alexander SnurreU Rockwood had about damage while the de Jong car had an estimated damage Cons Bob Pearson investigated these two accidents On December 27 Corp Ray Mason Investigated an accident at the corner of Church and Frederick St at am Drivers were Allan McAlpine Ontario whose cars damage was set at and Peter Kroes Victoria Ave with an estimated damage Answer two fire calls Acton firefighters answered calls to two fires within the past week Last Tuesday afternoon a fire started ta the basement of at Acton Meadows Golf Coarse bat was extinguished by the time Firefighters arrived Damage to the Insulation and was minor An overheated space heater brought firefighters to the home of Mrs Pat Price Willow Street hut night Monday about 8 Firefighters used a smoke ejector to help clear smoke from the upstairs apartment There was no other damage ACTON AND DISTRICT people flocked to attraction lor parishioners and visitors The Christmas services at local churches both on crib Is erected under the direction of the Sundays prior and after Christmas as well White each Christmas and taken down after as on Christmas Eve and day The creche or Epiphany Staff Photo crib at St Josephs Church is always an