Precedents Galore

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Monty Pythonesque":

Meanwhile the Banner ' reporters ' are beating the bushes to try and create
an uprising about Highland.
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 14 November 2014 11:07

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Several little pockets  of potential discontent  are percolating around  town. 

As a councillor, I received a copy of a thread of correspondence from a resident of the Timberlane /Beacon Hall Neighborhood.

It seems Mayor Dawe  and Councillor Thompson attended the annual general meeting of the neighbourhood association and gave assurance that whatever proposal might be made by Brookfield 
Developments, new owner of the property, would be dealt with publicly and every opportunity provided for input.

Included in the thread was a letter from a neighbour to the developer informing him residents  would not be pleased with a proposal for higher than existing density.

The writer is in the real estate business. He knows price paid for the property would be  based on
potential for  number of  residential units possible.

Buying property in an  already developed area is not the same gamble as buying raw land without
municipal services.

The residents may not know the most recent decision by Council,at the last meeting before the election campaign began.

Approval was given for six units on Bloomington Road on half an acre situated in the
rural/ estate lot area on the  extreme southern edge  of the municipality.

Bloomington Road is an throw-away road allowance, abandoned by the Region of York several decades ago. Bloomington became the town's southern boundary when York Region was created. The abandoned  section currently serves eighteen properties. Since the new alignment for Bloomingtion was  created, the south side of "Old Bloomington" serves no properties or any other purpose. No assessment can be derived.
The town's interest would have been best served by re-locating  and exchanging properties to  the rear of current lots to allow for practical future development and financial feasibility.

That is not what happened.

Stirling Cook, owner of  the half-acre lot , received that which he requested withoutconsideration of the town's  best interest.

Nor should we forget  the litigation in process for the town to acquire a  6 acre parcel on Mavrinac
Boulevard  at a fraction of its value to meet no specific need the town has for the land.

Litigation was undertaken in response to the demand of residents whose purpose is to prevent
development of the property.

Precedents have been set.

The town is encumbered.