On July 9, 2024, the applicant, Triple T Holdings, hosted a virtual Open House between 6 pm and 8 pm on Zoom related to the proposed Plan of Subdivision, Official Plan amendment (OPA) and Zoning By-law amendment (ZBA) related to the proposed Ray’s Creek (Lakefield South) Subdivision. The following is a summary of the questions and answers that took place between the attendees and the project consultants. This summary will also provide further information that may not have been discussed in order to provide greater clarity.

At the beginning of the meeting, the applicant’s planner, Kent Randall of EcoVue Consulting, provided a summary of the development and the expected timelines:

• The development includes 910 units that will be developed over 10 phases. The units will be a mix of apartments (maximum of four storeys), townhomes, and single detached dwellings. The subdivision will be developed over the course of at least 20- 25 years, as the market demands.
• The County of Peterborough Official Plan must be amended to permit a newer increased density (per current Provincial and local planning standards) and taller apartment buildings (up to four storeys, where only three storeys is permitted in the Official Plan policies that were enacted in 2006) The current designation (Low Density Residential) permits a maximum density of 15 units per hectare, which as a typical density for smaller communities a the time. Although the overall density across the entire site will be about 16 units per hectare, some apartment blocks will reach 49 units per hectare. Therefore, a higher density allowance under the Medium Density Residential designation has been requested and is typical for smaller municipalities such as Selwyn.
• A Zoning By-law amendment (ZBA) is required to rezone the site from the Development (D) Zone to various residential zones (i.e. R1, R3) and Open Space (OS) and Environmental Protection (EP) Zones. The OS Zones will apply to the stormwater ponds and parkland, while the EP Zone will apply to the environmental features and their buffers, including the Ray’s Creek preserve area.
•  The defining feature of the development is the Ray’s Creek Preserve – a 35-acre block that encompasses the creek and associated floodplain, cedar woodlands, and wetland areas. In addition to protecting these features in perpetuity, this block will also be open to the public for passive recreation (i.e. walking trails). In addition to the Preserve, the development will include over 5 acres of active parkland (i.e. land for playing fields, playgrounds, etc.).
•  Collector (main) roads within the subdivision have been designed with wider road allowances to allow for a multi-purpose trail on one side of the road, in addition to a standard sidewalk on the opposite side.
• When the subdivision is approved, conditions associated with the approval, known as draft plan conditions, must be met before the development of the site can move forward. Conditions may include, but are not limited to, the detailed design of servicing and stormwater facilities, road construction details, construction management plans and landscaping details. Draft plan conditions can also require monitoring and updates to technical review documents, such as the traffic study and servicing plan, in order reassess capacity and other dynamic data as time goes on.
• The intent of providing a submission on this scale is to provide a broader, more holistic approach to planning this large area scheduled for growth within the Village. As noted, more details of the development will be further fleshed out as the subdivision is built out and detailed design is undertaken.
• This area has long been identified by the Township to accommodate future residential growth (with some complimentary commercial development). The Township has undertaken a number of technical studies going back as early as 2002-2004, and as recent as this past year, to review the development potential of the site. The current applications represent a continuation of the work that had been undertaken by the Township over 20 years ago.

The development will accommodate approximately 2,000 people, which would essentially double the size of the Village of Lakefield. How can the community absorb this many people without overwhelming our existing hard and soft services?

To answer this question, it is important to understand the phasing and timing of the entire development. As said, full build-out is expected to take a minimum of 20-25 years. This equates to approximately 40 units per year, or approximately 96 people per year based on average single detached household size (the average household size is smaller for apartment units – representing a significant portion of the first few phases). As such, the addition of 2,000 residents will not occur all at once. Each phase of the development is carefully planned through detailed design to ensure that existing municipal services, such as sewer and water, are readily available, and any upcoming needs can be planned and budgeted for well in advance.

Other soft services such as emergency, medical and schools are expected to be updated as the municipality grows. The advantage to providing the Subdivision proposal in all 10 phases is that the municipality and other agencies will have a better understanding of the long-term growth for Lakefield and will have sufficient time to plan for the additional residents.

There are concerns regarding traffic, particularly given that Lakefield has only one bridge crossing. What impact will the development have on traffic, and are there plans to provide a second crossing of the Otonabee River?

The proposed development was subject to an extensive Traffic Impact Study that took into account existing volumes, future projected volumes (based on an assumed 2% growth of existing volumes per year) and the addition of the future Lakefield South subdivision volumes with respect to road capacity. The TIS concluded that the existing road network can accommodate the future traffic generated from the development, with potential requirement for upgrades to the intersections of Lakefield/Tower Road and Lakefield Road/Seventh Line as the subdivision is built out (i.e. traffic lights).

It should be noted that a second bridge crossing is not required to accommodate the future traffic from the subdivision, nor does the future traffic modelling within the TIS include a second crossing as part of the future road network. Peterborough County’s 2022 Transportation Master Plan Update recommends the construction of a new two-lane bridge over the Otonabee River. The exact alignment of this new link is not yet determined but would extend between County Road 29 in the west and County Road 33 in the east, thus providing a future alternative high-capacity route around Lakefield. We would recommend that residents contact the County of Peterborough for more information regarding the future County road network, including a second Lakefield bridge crossing.

What happens if the roads get busier, over time, than what the TIS anticipated in the modelling?

As noted, each phase of the development will require the developer to update plans that involve dynamic data such as servicing (water and sewer) and traffic. Traffic impact studies typically have a shelf life of about five years as the traffic counts require updating. Should the situation on the roads worsen for any particular reason, the updated TIS will reflect those new traffic counts and trigger changes to the timing, design, and infrastructure, as needed.

Does this development include affordable housing?

The proposal does not consider affordable housing at this point. However, the proposed designation and zoning within the subdivision does not dictate the type of housing tenure that may occur, nor does it preclude the inclusion of affordable units – exact building designs, pricing schemes etc. are not typical or appropriate at a zoning stage of planning. In other words, any of the units within the development could be affordable units, should the developer/builder decide to offer such units at the time of detailed design and construction. The ownership or rental tenure (i.e. market rent, affordable, condominium, etc.) is not determined at this point in the process.

Will you be requiring homeowners to use alternative methods for heating and energy usage?

Several residents expressed concern that the development may be serviced with natural gas, citing impacts related to climate change. At this point in the process, it is typical to assess the availability of all services – including electricity, natural gas, water/sewer and communications. To satisfy planning requirements and identify where improvements may be required, each service is looked at independently. The actual equipment to be selected for the various building types and uses would be accounted for in the future when detailed building plans and building types (commercial/residential/rental/condo etc.) are identified. The reflection upon cost, efficiency, environmental concerns, and functionality will take place at the design and construction stage for each phase and individual building.

For those looking for further clarification, at no point will the developer be restricting the availability of services to new home or building owners beyond what is readily available to the general public and allowable under the building codes and regulations of our area. That being said, nothing about the current application precludes the opportunity to include green technologies in the designs of the subdivision and or its buildings as economics, demand and opportunity dictate.

How much parking will be provided within the development?

The single detached and townhome units will require two (2) parking spaces per unit, which will be provided on individual lots. The ZBA application requests a reduction in the minimum parking standard for apartment units within the development from two (2) spaces per unit to 1.5 spaces per unit in keeping with planning guidelines in other similar jurisdictions. We feel that this is an appropriate reduction given the typical vehicle needs of apartment tenants. It is also consistent with the former Village of Lakefield Zoning By-law, which was repealed after the consolidated Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield Zoning By-law was approved in 2009

Stormwater ponds are proposed to outlet into Ray’s Creek. Has there been any consideration of the potential impact that the stormwater may have on the creek’s hydrology?

Yes, this has been considered in the supporting documentation provided with the applications, including the Functional Servicing and Preliminary Stormwater Management Report prepared by Tatham Engineering Limited and the Natural Heritage Assessment (NHA) prepared by GHD.

During storm events, runoff from the subdivision will be collected in stormwater management ponds and gradually released to existing surface water features including Ray’s Creek. Stormwater management ponds provide water quality treatment, flood control and erosion protection and are specifically designed to preserve the existing hydrology of the downstream receivers of runoff.

Low impact development features including perforated pipe systems, soakaway pits/trenches, vegetated filter strips, rain gardens etc., each intended to promote infiltration, will also be incorporated throughout the subdivision site where they are feasible and will further contribute towards maintaining the existing hydrology of the downstream receivers of runoff. The NHA concludes that there will be no negative impact to the creek feature and function provided that the stormwater facilities are designed in consultation with a biologist. In order to ensure that the outlet to the creek sufficiently mitigates impacts, the NHA recommends that the outlet should have a finishing treatment through a bioswale feature. Other stormwater management design features including bottom draw pond outlets that discharge the cooler portion of stormwater held in the ponds and discharging the ponds to naturally landscaped surfaces upstream of the creek to minimize thermal pollution and reduce the temperature of the discharged water into the creek, which will be further investigated during the detailed design stage.

These detailed design features will be included with subsequent submissions (through the clearing of draft plan conditions or site plan approval) prior to the development of the site. These design submissions will be reviewed by the Conservation Authority and the Township of Selwyn. No development can occur until these designs have been approved by the appropriate authorities.

Our house is serviced with a private well. How will this development affect our well?

The proposed development will be on full municipal sanitary and water servicing and should not impact groundwater in the area. Groundwater flows towards Ray’s Creek – from southeast to northwest within the development area. Therefore, lots on the west side of Ray’s Creek (i.e. Seaforth Crescent) will not be impacted by the excavation and site alteration.

The proposed underground works, including rock removal will be limited to the upper 4 metres of the soil/bedrock, which is quite shallow in comparison to the depths of the existing neighbouring wells. With piped systems, the potential for contamination of these wells would be very low.

Am I able to access the reports that have been submitted with these applications?

Yes, they are all available at this page: https://tinyurl.com/2mtjymzn

Also, please feel free to visit the Ray’s Creek Subdivision

website: rayscreek.ca

I missed the Open House or didn’t get my question to the consultants at the Open House. Can I still ask questions?

Yes! The consulting team is happy to answer questions via phone or email.

Please contact:

Kent Randall

EcoVue Consulting Services Inc.

311 George Street North, Suite 200 Peterborough, ON K9J 3H3

705-876-8340

krandall@ecovueconsulting.com