Uxbridge mayor hopes TRCA will take stewardship of property
Aug 21, 2007 - 10:35 AM
UXBRIDGE -- Lands once slated for a huge Uxbridge housing development are now in the hands of the Province.
The provincial government took ownership Friday of 1,400 acres owned by Joey Tanenbaum, who agreed to a land swap for Seaton lands in Pickering, according to Uxbridge Mayor Bob Shepherd.
"It means we can rest assured the lands are protected," said Mayor Shepherd. "We're hoping the Toronto and Area Conservation Authority (TRCA) take over stewardship of the lands."
Mayor Shepherd said he received the call regarding the swap from John Gerretsen, minister of municipal affairs, on Friday, Aug. 17. The new land contains a building, the mayor added. "I put a bug in Minister Gerretsen's ear for the property to be severed and sold off as an estate residence in support of the rest of the lands," he said.
Gerri Lynn O'Connor, chairwoman of the TRCA, noted the lands actually fall within the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) watershed but says she'd like to sit down with (LSRCA) to discuss the property.
Ms. O'Connor headed Uxbridge council when the Gan Eden proposal went to an OMB fight, which ultimately disallowed the development, followed by the introduction of Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act in 2001. She praised members of Uxbridge Naturally, a local conservation group, for ongoing negotiations with the Province to ensure protection of the land.
Alex Grant, chief executive officer, said the swap "gives greater certainty to us that (the land) is protected from any form of growth" if the Province follows through on its own legislation, which is to be reviewed every decade. The Oak Ridges Moraine plan, posted on Ontario's ministry of municipal affairs website, dictates the "10-year review cannot consider removing land from the natural core areas and natural linkage areas", classification the acquired land falls under, according to Mr. Grant.
Mr. Grant said he does not know the details of the swap agreement, adding no plans for the Uxbridge land have been discussed yet. However, the possibility of creating parkland "might bring (more) tourists to Uxbridge" he said, commenting the addition of public land is a benefit to residents.
"It's exciting news."
The loss of tax revenue from the Province taking over the land is a "trade-off", Mr. Grant noted.
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