Escarpment OMB hearing to begin Monday

Northwatch News Release

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Developer Challenging Parkland Dedication on North Bay Escarpment OMB Hearing to Begin Monday Morning in North Bay Council Chambers

North Bay – Laurentian Heights Limited is appealing to the Ontario Municipal Board in an attempt to greatly reduce the amount of land dedicated as parks and open space as part of subdivision development on North Bay’s escarpment. A hearing will get underway in the North Bay Council Chambers on Monday.

The planning condition under contest states that “the owner agrees to convey up to 5% of the land included in the plan to the Municipality for park or other recreational purpose” and identifies four blocks of land to be transferred to the City as “passive open space blocks”. The City has already received Blocks 152, 153 and 157. Block 156 is at issue, and will be the subject of next week’s hearing.

According to a public notice issued earlier this month, the Ontario Municipal Board will be holding a hearing starting on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 11:00 am to consider the appeal. The Board has set aside five days for the proceeding.

Any member of the public may attend the hearing. The Board will consider at the beginning of the hearing whether any additional Parties or Participants should be given standing, and Board staff have indicated that the hearing will most likely begin with a discussion about procedures and scheduling Monday morning.

The controversial proposal by Laurentian Heights was the subject of an Ontario Municipal Board hearing in 2000 after a local citizens group challenged the subdivision plan which would see 151 houses constructed on the face of the scenic escarpment which rings the north end of the City of North Bay. In 2005 the City of North Bay issued the first of several approval for groups of lots to be developed.

The development continues to be a point of contention with City residents.

“Residents of North Bay regularly ask Nipissing Environmental Watch if the de-nuding of the Escarpment will continue. They are concerned more trees are going to be removed from the most obvious visual feature of our city. Approval of this OMB appeal would open the door for more tree cutting”, commented Peggy Walsh Craig, a spokesperson for the group.

Ontario Municipal Board staff has said that members of the public who wish to express their views should attend the hearing, or pass their concerns in writing on to the Board through someone who is able to attend and present on
their behalf. Failing that, they can send their written submission to an OMB staff member and it will be put in the file, but the Board member holding the hearing is not required to consider information that is not presented directly at the hearing.

To allow those who are not able to attend day time hearings an opportunity to participate, Northwatch will be asking the Board to schedule an evening session for later next week, and has set up an email account [email protected] for those who are not able to attend to forward their written comments and they will be presented as a package to the Board during the public
hearing. GreenSpace North Bay has created a FaceBook page “North Bay Escarpment” and Nipissing Environment Watch will post the hearing schedule for the week on its web site at www.nipissingenvironmentalwatch.org as soon as it becomes available after the hearing opens Monday.

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