The Township of Georgian Bay wishes to provide a historic timeline regarding Oak Bay Development (“OBD”).
In 2022, OBD Developments applied for a zoning by-law amendment (Z22-12); an initial public meeting was held on February 14, 2023. The Township retained experts in the areas of dust, noise and natural environment impacts to conduct peer reviews of the application and its support studies. At that time, Planning Council deferred a decision on the application until the Township received these peer reviews as well as a planning recommendation report.
In July 2023, OBD appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) for the Township’s “refusal or neglect to make a decision”. At the time of the appeal, technical comments were still outstanding, and therefore Township Planning staff had not yet completed their report/recommendations to Council or taken any position on the application.
On October 10, 2023, the OLT held a Case Management Conference (CMC) for the OBD Developments appeal. During the case management conference, at the direction of Council, the Township’s legal counsel advised the Tribunal that the Township would be contesting the application and calling expert evidence in support of its position.
At the CMC, the Tribunal set dates for a five-day hearing from February 5-9, 2024, following which the Tribunal will decide on the OBD Developments Appeal.
Mayor Koetsier confirms:
Township Council met with legal counsel again today to confirm our position and next steps as we prepare for the hearing in February. For accurate and timely information regarding the matter, the Mayor suggests that any notice or information regarding this matter will be issued on the Township of Georgian Bay Website at www.gbtownship.ca, where residents can choose which topics to subscribe to at the bottom of each page.
If you would like more information regarding this topic, please contact: Greg Mariotti at 705-538-2337 ext. 242 or gmariotti@gbtownship.ca.
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