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(Posted 6:30
a.m., Feb. 25)
City council elects not to revisit urban boundary decision
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
Ottawa
city council will stick to its guns and defend their original decision to limit
the expansion of the urban boundary to 222 hectares after a movement to revisit
the issue fizzled on Wednesday. College
Ward Coun. Rick Charelli and Mayor Larry O'Brien had indicated their desire to
reopen the debate after at least two outside lawyers suggested the city stood
a good chance of losing multiple appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board which
has the power to overturn their decision. The
debate goes back to last June when council voted 12-11 to reject a staff recommendation
to expand the urban boundary by 865 acres and instead limit the increase to 222
acres in the west end. The
decision deep-sixed plans put forward by Tamarack Homes to build a 4,500 home
subdivision just east of Cardinal Creek in the far east end. O'Brien
was embroiled in a court battle at the time and had taken a temporary leave from
council. If he had of occupied his seat at the time he would have supported the
staff recommendation and it would have passed on a tie vote. As it was, a majority
of the councillors accepted the advice of their own legal council who said their
position was "defensible". On
Wednesday, council went behind closed doors to discuss whether or not the latest
legal advice, along with the prospect of having to spend hundreds of thousands
of dollars to defend themselves against dozens of appeals, passed the litmus test
required to reopen the debate. In the end, they decided that it did not and Coun.
Chiarelli was forced to withdraw his motion. The
decision was a bitter disappointment to Tamarack Homes director of development
Ted Phillips, but a huge relief for opponents of any further expansion of the
urban boundary expansion, especially in the east end. The
debate will now switch to the Ontario Municipal Board which is expected to take
a year or more to hear the various appeals. If the OMB rules in favor of the developers,
who plan to use the staff recommendation in arguing their appeal, the city will
be forced to proceed with the developers' plans. (This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.) Return
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