[getsmart-l] Aurora council votes against golf course and condo development on moraine

[Janet May]

From:  http://www.yorkregion.com/article/70589

 

Green groups laud Aurora's 'crucial' vote 

  

Aurora 

Mar 06, 2008 07:52 AM 

Golf course, condo development gets thumbs down by council 
By: Simone Joseph 

Aurora politicians made a "crucial decision" to protect the Oak Ridges
Moraine Tuesday night when they voted against a controversial golf course
and condo development, says an environmental law agency lawyer.

Politicians voted 7-1 to reject Lebovic Homes' plan to build an 18-hole golf
course and 75-unit condominium complex on Leslie Street just north of
Bloomington Road.

Councillor Evelyn Buck was the sole supporter of the plan.

"It is a crucial decision for protecting the moraine," said Hugh Wilkins, a
lawyer for Ecojustice, (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) which defends
the right of Canadians to a healthy environment.

Several environmental groups urged council to reject the application to
develop the land, which is part of the Oak Ridges Moraine, and asked
politicians to consider the possible impact on the water supply.

Aurora plans to send a lawyer to the Ontario Municipal Board hearing,
another step in the developer's mission to get the plan approved. 

A lawyer representing residents fighting the development will argue the
application needs the more comprehensive look of a joint board hearing,
which would involve a more thorough review of environmental standards.

When the Oak Ridges Moraine Act was passed in 2001, the developer's
application was already in the works so only partial conditions of the act
apply.

Councillors passed a resolution Tuesday night to take "all necessary steps
and actions" to support this joint board hearing.

"We're disappointed," said Lebovic lawyer Michael McQuaid following
council's vote. 

When speaking to council earlier in the evening, Mr. McQuaid said Toronto
Region Conservation Authority wrote letters approving the project and added
a high-level environmental assessment had already been done on the project.

The application was rejected because councillors did not think the developer
met the conditions required under both the Oak Ridges Moraine Act and
Aurora's official plan. One of these conditions is to prove they will
maintain the quality and quantity of the groundwater.

"Environmentally, I think it is a terrible application," said Councillor
Evelina MacEachern yesterday. "It is on very environmentally sensitive
property, sensitive wetlands," she said, pointing out developers plan to
draw from the same pool of water beneath the ground that residents use.

While some may be concerned about the cost of sending a lawyer to the
Ontario Municipal Board, Mayor Phyllis Morris says it is worth it.

"The cost of going to the OMB is high. The cost to the environment if you
don't is priceless," she said.

At Tuesday night's meeting, Joseph Lebovic, president of Lebovic
Enterprises, reminded officials he has been working in Aurora for more than
30 years and has built lots of homes and industrial buildings. 

Over the past few years, he has given more than $150 million to charity, he
said, adding he has already spent $750,000 in this application.  

 

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