Important Announcement – Official Plan Amendment

May 8, 2023 · Categories: News

Important Information for Six Mile Lake Property Owners                              May 2, 2023

Application for Official Plan Amendment (OPA)                                                

We would like to share with the residents of Six Mile Lake that the Six Mile Lake Cottage Association has been made aware of current and proposed actions being undertaken by the Six Mile Lake Ratepayers Alliance Board of Directors which will potentially impact future land use and the environmental makeup of Six Mile Lake (SML).

The Township of Georgian Bay Official Plan is the operative document which provides direction and policy framework for managing growth and land use in the Township. The purpose of this Plan is to balance Georgian Bay’s unique character with the needs of the community while protecting the natural heritage.

The Six Mile Lake Cottagers Association (CA):

  • The CA has been providing stewardship on the Lake since 1940 for both paid members of the association and non-members alike. The CA’s overriding objective is to represent the interests of the entire Lake community while working to protect the habitat and environment. All CA communications are visible to every Six Mile Lake property owner through printed newsletters, as well as to the general public through various digital channels (email campaigns, website and social media). CA membership currently averages 500 (60%) of SML property owners.

The Six Mile Lake Ratepayers Alliance (RA)

  • The RA was formed in 2016 due to concerns regarding township building regulations – primarily relating to cottage size. This issue has created a divide in the SML community. The RA has not been transparent regarding their membership numbers. Based on their membership revenue, it is estimated that they currently have approximately 100 members (12%) of SML property owners.

At the present time, the RA has filed an APPLICATION FOR OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT (OPA) with the Township of Georgian Bay which seeks to remove a restriction namely, Gross Floor Area (GFA), which acts to control the size of new cottages and/or additions to existing cottages.  While we are supportive of some relaxation of current restrictions, we are concerned that this OPA is a preliminary step towards the eventual removal of GFA from the Zoning By-law. This would allow for much greater sizing (massing) of cottages going forward which would undoubtedly change the look and feel of SML. All residents of Six Mile Lake should be concerned about the autocratic approach of the RA Board, which has not sought out support for their application from either the SML land owners nor taken it to their full membership for approval.

The CA is of the view that GFA should be retained. This is reflective of the views of the SML property owners. The results of a 2019 SML wide survey, in which 430 property owners participated, showed a clear message on the issue of the GFA restriction with about 2/3 of the survey respondents voting in favour of it being retained. It was also clear from the survey that some relaxation of the current GFA rules allowing for expansion in sizes is desired, but with reasonable caps and/or limitations being maintained.

The CA tried in vain to obtain consensus on change with the RA Board on compromises which will relax the existing rules. The preferred route was to work with the RA to develop changes to the definition or limits of the GFA, or alternatively, identify a way to replace the GFA. This could then jointly have been taken to the property owners for comment and then approval, before being submitted to the Township. The RA’s current position is to reject any proposed alternatives outside of abandoning the GFA restriction. They have elected the alternate course of submitting the application for an Official Plan Amendment. The CA feels it is their responsibility to respect the view of the majority and continue to champion the cause of modifying/replacing the GFA for the benefit of SML.

We are completely in favour of reasonable changes but we strongly feel that until such time as the owners of SML properties have a viable proposal on changes to recommend to the Township any radical liberalization of the rules (ie. By-laws) should not be made.

We will continue to communicate with lake residents any and all developments on this issue as they arise. We will also continue to support workable rule changes that meet with the approval of the lake. We will, as always, welcome input and participation from all interested parties whether it be an individual or group. The application is now being addressed by the Township and there is now an opportunity for submissions from the SML property owners and the public, as well as a public meeting (see below). It will be imperative that we all express our views on this issue. The impact of the outcome will define how the Lake evolves during the foreseeable future.

Separately, in the past the CA has been reluctant to comment on inaccuracies published by the RA so as not to fuel the fires of controversy or create further division within our community. However, last Friday, April 28,2023, the RA published a newsletter to their members which contains significant inaccuracies. The CA considers the newsletter to be critically misleading to the point of requiring that the record be set straight. A rebuttal is attached below.

If you have any questions about this, please reach out to us at info@sixmilelake.net. For more detailed information past communications or meetings please visit our website at www.sixmilelake.net or click the links below:

A public meeting will be held by the Township on June 6th, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. in council chambers, 99 Lone Pine Road, Port Severn. You can also attend this meeting on Zoom. Details about this application and the meeting can be found at: https://georgianbay.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/178413/ . If you wish to register a comment about this application send it to planning@gbtownship.ca .

 

The Board of Directors,

Six Mile Lake Cottage Association