Town Hall in brief

Parking fees parked

UXBRIDGE -- Two downtown restaurant projects can move forward now that the town has temporarily parked some big fees.

James Harlow, of Harlow's Bar and Grille on Brock Street West, as well as Donna and Joel van Veghel, have previously approached council regarding parking-in-lieu fees associated with their developments. Mr. Harlow is looking to construct a rear patio for his existing establishment, and the van Veghels are looking to open a new restaurant at 1 Main St. S.

The current cash-in-lieu of parking fee is $2,500 per space in Uxbridge. With the amount of parking required, the van Veghels were facing costs of $17,500 while Mr. Harlow would have to shell out $55,000.

To help get the projects off the ground, planning committee agreed to charge both owners only $100 per required parking space, with the offer open to any others entrepreneurs looking to open a restaurant in Uxbridge by the end of 2008.

Meanwhile, Uxbridge will revise its existing parking fees policy so "that (it) deals with everyone on the same level", said Councillor Jack Ballinger.

A hard road to handle

UXBRIDGE -- A problem section of a concession road in Uxbridge won't be hard-surfaced as previously discussed by politicians.

Council had requested Uxbridge's works department to add a surface to Concession 6 from Albright Road south to Uxbridge/Pickering Townline. But in a May 5 report, Ben Kester, director of public works, said the roadway is too narrow in some sections and trees would have to be cut to "secure the minimum width" for the type of surfacing proposed. As well, Mr. Kester noted, "There are a number of locations that are extremely close to ponds and any work near these ponds would require environmental approvals from (Toronto Region Conservation Authority).

He said the proposed "double surface treatment and slurry seal" would cost close to $200,000 alone without required road-widening and environment approvals. "This would be a fairly big construction project on its own," noted Mr. Kester.

However, $50,000 originally set aside from provincial infrastructure funding will be used to apply a thick layer of gravel on the surface of that section of the concession, which residents have referred to as "a soupy mess". Mr. Kester said the gravel will be added when the road surface is dry for best results. The stretch of Conc. 6 from Albright to Goodwood roads is scheduled to receive a hard surface treatment this year.

Cadets get new shooting range

UXBRIDGE -- The Uxbridge 76 Cadets have a temporary home to practice marksmanship.

Officer Cadet Brian Fowlow, and Capt. David Mount of the unit visited councillors May 6 to explain the need for a new place for target practice after the cadets were stopped from firing their rifles at Uxbridge Secondary School six years ago. The Department of National Defence had concerns about lead contamination, noted Capt. Mount, who stressed what the cadets practice with "is not a gun, it is an air rifle, it's not a weapon."

Since then, the Township has allowed the cadets to practice in the large barn in Elgin Park sporadically. But a formal agreement was reached May 5 allowing the cadets to use the barn once a month for eight months, looking for a permanent home in the meantime.

The captain explained there will be a backdrop on the target sheet which will absorb a pellet if a cadet misses the mark. A strict set of rules are applied to the training, with the cadets first learning to make sure the rifle is not loaded and the safety is on.

He noted once cadets get experience shooting, they step up to a .22 rifle which they use at Camp Borden.

Coun. Jack Ballinger said the trade-off for use of the facility will be free cleanup of the site. A motion from Coun. Ted Eng to give the Uxbridge Cadets $250 from the Township golf tournament fund "toward their cause" was passed by committee.

Uxbridge to study developer fees

UXBRIDGE -- In the face of limited growth, Uxbridge will review how much it charges developers to build in the township.

"Changes in growth projections that may result from the recent sewage allocation that limits growth in the Township's urban boundary, legislative changes, and changes in the need for certain capital projects have resulted in the need to accelerate the review of these (development) charges," reads a report from Treasurer Al Shultz.

Mr. Shultz said following a May 5 finance committee meeting if a developer's building application is received by a certain date, the current charges will apply. But that date hasn't been set yet, and will be part of the review process, he said.

Loading bay plan unloaded

UXBRIDGE -- Uxbridge will limit the number of loading bays at future businesses.

In the past, Uxbridge had to go through a minor variance process to address the number of bays at new establishments, which was "holding up applications", according to Councillor Jack Ballinger, chairman of planning.

He said the new bylaw, discussed in a public meeting May 5, will allow the number of loading bays to be agreed on during the site plan process.

Coun. Ballinger said the old system of determining the number of loading docks was based on floor space of the building. But, "There are a number of places going in now that don't need these (additional) loading spaces," said the councillor.

If a business owner wants to add more docks under the new rules, they would "have to justify" the need for them, he said.

Coun. Ted Eng had concerns that limiting the number of bays will mean more trucks parked on the side of road waiting their turn to deliver. But Coun. Ballinger said that can be handled through proper scheduling by the business.

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