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Whitby Fmo pmss, Wodneèdy. JuIy 6, 1994, Page 10 Coimîttee shootsý down Moose proposa By Mike Kewalski Members of Whitby's Moose Lodge may have te look else- where for their new home. Town council's planning and deveioprnent conimittee rejected a.rezonxng application Monday te permit the Lyal Order of Moose to operate in an industrial mal on Consumers Drive. The application, filed by the Joante Investinents Ltd., owner of the _property at 119 Con- sumera Dr., wouid have aliowed the service club to hold meetings and other functions in one of the building's units. *But planning department staff recommended denying the appli- cation due te the lack of suffi- cient parking spaces te accomo- date the addîtionai use. Staff were aise in receipt of a letter of objection te the rezening from one of the mal's tenants. Club mombor Gerry Whattam and secrotary Bruce Norton plea-' ded with committeo te reject staffs recommendation. Whattam said the one-year-oid Whitby. iodge, which currently meets in t he Knikhts of Col umbus hall on Brock Street, has had difliculty finding a suitable site. "It's impossible to ho dowrt. town or in a commercial area. The rents are horrendous and we'd neyer get started,'»"ho said. Joante, however mýade the club an offer it cou dl not refuse, Whattam said. "At one.and-a-half dollars a square-foot it's absolutely incred- ile and the landlord's putting in ail the things that we need, hoi said. Although a staff report notes that 142 parking spaces are reurd te, accomodate both in- dutil and club uses, eniy 82 spaces are availabie. Whattam, however, said this was based on the club using the entire 5,500-sq. ft. unit instead of the .2,500 sq. ft. it actually re uires. 99 parin wouid go down markedl'y,»hle caimed. While Norton said the club's hours of operation,. primarily evenings and weekends, will net conflict with other businesses. Noting. that the iodge has already'donated $4,000 to cern- muÏùnity groups in Whitby, Norton said tMheclib has plans for a permanent faciiity. . "If we are successfui we wil purchase property and Luild our own lodge " he said. Councilior Ross Batten said he personally had no problern with the application, but that ho had to su pport staff. «MUy concern is that we have a letter of objection. (frein toy dol manufacturer Halo 'Doils, mc.)," said Batten. "This is stili an -industrial area. If those existing businesses feel you. will not hinder their operations I have ne probiem with the application," he said., 'But if they do 1 have signifi- cant problems." Councillor Don Mitchell con- curred. "I would think that under any situation this would eniy ho tom- porary, but I have, the same concerris,» said Mitchell. "I understand the dollars in- voived, but this really should be in a commercial area,e he added. '<Where in this town are we supposed to go?" asked a frustra- "Noneé of these were any.pod,7 ted orton. he said. "A ýear go I went to the The commrittee was not mnoved (Town s) economic development and recommended that council department for advice," he said. deny the application. Among the sites he was direc- ted to investigate were a former Norton said later that he did church worth $500,000 and a not knoW if the club will try te nursery sehool in a residential convince council to defeat the area, Norton said. committee's recommendation. Trailer homes protected Tlhe president ef 'the tenant association in Whitby's mobile home park says reoently passed legielation by the Ontarie government finally gives tenants "the rights we have leng wan- Bill 21 means mobile home tenants cari insist on proper maintenance of their preperties without long and expensive court delays. Mobile home owners may now pglace a 'for sale' sign on. their hornes, something previously subjeet te the whim of the. Ian- dierd. "Bih, 21 je* an essential.la, says Bernie Emeif,' president of S bway Mobile Hdmhes' Tenants Association. "It gives tenants of mobile home parka and landlease cern- munities the rights we've long wanted.7 «I amn peased that local rosi-* dents mil1 new b. rtcee says Durham CentreMPP Drummond White, who took part i the committee precess of the bill. The Subway park is on Dun- dao Street East, wost of Ander- son Street. 0MB Prenhearing July 15 on Mitch.ell lumber yard By Mwike Kowalsld A decision on a five-year-oid application te build a home im- provement centre and luin- beryard in nortb Whitby may soon be at hand. ,The Ontario Municipal Board (0MB) has scheduled a proehear- ingi conference on a proposaI, by Mitchell Brothers of Brooklin for a building supplies outiet on Spencers Road, west of Hwy. 12. lh. meeting will ho heid in the Whitby council chambors on July l5at 10Oa.m. Although intended primarily te resolve procedural matters in order te shorten the eventual hearin,a representative of the Mitchelis9hopes te force 'the board's hard at the. pre-hearing session. Planning cons tant Kevin Tunney wants the 0MB paniel te reject outrigbt , objections te the Mitchell propos9j whicb were filed by a neiglibo.uring resident. "W. wilI asic that it (0MB apeeal) wedismissed and wrap- peu p nw,»Tunney teld Town couicil's; planninàg and develop- ment commjttee/Iast week. «We were urder the impres- sion it woul inet b. a pre- hearing," her a id. Glenn Bryers of Ashburn Road bas apaled Durhamn Regfien's an îhtbys approval of the Mitchelîs' application for a lum- beryard and showroomn on the six-acre property. Bryers dlaims area home- owners are worried about the developmont'a impact on wel water, lack of adequate fire pro- tection anid potential traffic pro- blems. The Mitchelîs bave been seek- ing permission te move te, the site on the north aide of Spencers -- about halfway between Taun- ten and Winchester roade -- sinco 1989. They have been based in Brooklin for 44 years, but their Churcb Street store is tee smaII for their building supplies busi- ness. In factte Brooklin store je essentially, a showroom. Most of the stek je kept at a sterage yard, also located on Spencers, southwest of the proposed site. Wbile the O0MB wiIl consider Bryers' appeal cf the Mitchella' aplcton te ainend the former DuhmRegion officiai plan and Whitby's current plan, it must also doal with ono frem the 'werDonald Mitchell has aeaied tWhitby's refusaI te ehauigetho property'sagicl tural zoning categery until a site plan application has been suh- mitted te the Town. In 1990, council recommended that Dunham Region approve the officiai plan amendments. (An official plan is a document which stipulatos preferrod land uses in a municipaiity and serves as a blueprint for future deveiop- ment. (Durham Regien'a new plan received -Ontarie government appro,.vailast year. Whitby is in the process of updating its eist- in Ian.) council aise directed that the zoning net be changed until Town staff received an engineering report ensuring there will ne impact on area water, as weil as the site plan. Accerding te a planning departinent report, a site plan bas net been su mitted. As the. report notes, this approach is often taken by coun- ciltospeed up the proceas and enable tii. bylaw te bé tailored te the site if the applications are approved itandem. Italse avoids the need for miner variances wben a sub- sequent site plan application is subrid the report adds. But Tunnoy aslced committee te, waave the neod for a site plan prieir te approving the zoning "Staff have raised concerne that w« don't think are con- cerna,"lho said. "'W. weuld like the zoning byiaw deait with now te aveid another hearing on the saine matter." Arnong the department's con- cerne are open storage of lumber and water and sewage require- monts. If open sterage of lumber is permittod, staff recommend that it be confined te, the rear of the property and buffered fromn nearby homes !qy "a solid row of coniferous trees. As for servicing req!rements, staff su West that thoe zoming bylaw reflecet Ministry of Energy and Environinent (M0EE) con- cerne. This would include ensuring adequate water and sewer capa- bilities until the site cari ho connected te future municipal services. Tunnepy said lumiber sterage cari b.eetiated" if the byiaw 18 approved, but the water issue is another matter. nTii MOEE has approved it, but council has net stated that it is te their satisfaction," said Tun- nei ,My client is concerned about being hunig up on that even thou«h the MOEE approves it," ho said. "We're playing with someone (Bryers) wlio just wants te deiay and delay." Tunney was. referring. te the fact that Bryers' objections were based on Durbam's former plan and Whitby's eutgoingpIan. The site had ben esignated epen space i the two plans, but bas since been changed te an urban living area. Staff note that the former boundary of Wihitby's urban area was Taunten RoadL and that the new Durbam plIan aise desig- nates lands nortb of an adj*acent hydre corridor as industrial. "To the department's know- ledge, Mr. Bryers did net object te any of these changos that wore established in the Durham Offi- ciaI Plan," the staff report states. Staff further note that whule it did net formally ebj,ïect, the Ministry of Municijpal fairs also had reservations about aîlowing this type of . deveiop- ment in an open space area. But with the re-designation the ministry je satisfied, staffe add. Admitting te be'ing a little "ticked off,"t councillor Jo. Dramin said Tunney was «mnore than half right." Drumm moved that the matter ho deferred until next Monday's meeting se staff could reach agreement with' Tunney on the outstanding issues. "As far as rm concerned a site plan is net required for bylaw apýrova," he said. Letts get the dann thing mev- in and 'get on with the show, sid Drumm, recalling that h went through bell" convincing Durham Regon. council te sup- port the application. "I appreciate that, butI would like te say our report was pro- pared *n a positive mariner fol- iowig the iection ocucl relid planning directer Bo1 Shiort. «I want te make it clear that this office je net standing in the way of the procesa," Short strosseci. Drunim insisted 'ho was net was only trying toeoxpedite the. matter. Councillors Rosa Batten and Dennis Fox could net support their colleague however. (Councillor bon Mitchell, son of the applicant, deciared a con- flict of intereat and did net parti- cipate in tiie discussion.) It's been a practice of council te have a site plan prier te byiaw approvai,» eaid Batten, the cern- mitte. chair. "I don't think it (deferral) wil accomplish much,» added Fox. "Staff are foloýwinj, the direc- tion of council," ho said. motion and 'supported stafrs recommondation which calis on coundil te, retain a solicitor te represent the. Town at the. pre- hearin. Thoe lawyer will ho authorized te introduce a" zonLing bylaw ainendment that refl sceun- Cilla position and te advise tho board that it net be approved until a siteplanapplcation hms been submitdan-endorsed. But bowinj to Drumm 's requost, commit>pe also directed staff te meet with the applicant prier te. next Monday te discus the preposed bylaw . HAPPY 'GRADUATES' tram the Ashbumn Moms and Tots peshaol group are Justin DAlleva (top Ieft), Laura NooAlistair Gnierson (top n ht) and Alastair Usher. The non-profit group was establisfied 10Oyears ago by local mathers. Yaungest members are a few manths aid and graduates are those aged 4 and 5. Photo by Jormy Drosa, WhItby Fie Prose 0