Boundary Adjustments Have Been Put On Hold

Friday, 21 June 2019 08:34

Woodstock City council has deferred the boundary adjustment report. City council's Boundary Adjustment Committee was to agree in principle with the Township of South West Oxford on a draft boundary adjustment proposal.

WOODSTOCK - The boundary adjustment report has been postponed by Woodstock City council.

City council's Boundary Adjustment Committee was to agree in principle with the Township of South West Oxford on a draft boundary adjustment proposal.

Mayor Trevor Birtch says the Township is looking at a few issues on their end before entering into an agreement with council.

"At this point in time we have deferred the motion, as we're looking for a little bit more confidence from the Township of Southwest Oxford. They have a few issues that they're looking at that they want to make sure that they are comfortable with before we enter into any formal agreement that'll go before the provincial government. Needless to say, this is a need for the city to continue to grow to the future. We've seen the growth numbers projected by the County of Oxford for the city of Woodstock and we'll be talking with Southwest Oxford again in the near future."

Mayor Birtch says the committee reached a decision with respect to the area and compensation.

He says as the population grows, the needs of the community need to be met. He says this is very important to the community.

"This is very important to the community. When you look at the growth that we've been having here in Woodstock, it's higher than the provincial average and higher than the Canadian average. And we have many more employers that are looking for people here in the city and there's more families that would like to locate here, so in combination with our infill and new apartments that'll be going up, as well as future expansion, we need to make sure that we service those needs for generations to come."

The proposal was looking at extending the boundaries at Karn Road, which included two farming operations and a plan by the city's local builders group that was to include a mix of semis, townhouses and apartments.

According to council's report, the scope of the proposed boundary agreement is approximately 256 acres resulting in about 130 acres of greenfield development potential. Once municipal services become available, there is potential or additional development on developed parcels.

Council's report also states the proposed terms are based off past boundary adjustment agreements mostly, however there is an exception. The exception is an additional compensation of a one-time payment of $250.00 to the Township per new residential unit that is proposed.

Had both the Township council and City council reached an agreement in principle with the boundary adjustment process, a public meeting would have been scheduled for July 10th.

Mayor Birtch says they will be talking with Southwest Oxford again in the near future.