It’s been a long and rocky road for the Vineridge development proposed for Macaulay Village.

While residents at Nery and Inkerman worry about eviction notices this fall, Picton Heights Ltd. awaits the outcome of an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal after talks with the County’s Planing Department stalled out completely last year.

The company, which is owned by FLC Group, refused the County’s request to turn a proposed private courtyard-style “village green” into a public park. Instead, they said  their offer of “cash-in-lieu” should have been sufficient.

“Cash-in-lieu” of parkland is just that: developers buy their way out of having to build public park spaces into their plans. Long term, the practice has deleterious effects on community amenities. Because the County planners’ request for a public park came two years after their initial submission, the group’s architects said it was “inappropriate.”

(Vineridgecommunity.ca)

During a statutory public consultation session in February 2021, Vineridge proponents received a cool reception from councillors present over the lack of proposed new road to connect the main access, Kingsley Road, to the development. Instead, the developers suggested that the 1500 potential new residents on the Heights could to use London Ave, the present neighbourhood’s only through road.

The company also refused to increase the mix of housing options within the proposed subdivision, and said it could not provide individual water meters.

They did, however, agree to requests for two new roads to connect the new development to future housing at Picton Heights.

They reduced the proposed number of units from 525 to 432, and agreed to offer 60 rental units, 21 of which will be offered to the PEC Housing Corporation to maintain at an affordable rate.

FLC Group’s architects are proposing a medium density, mixed-housing development for the Heights called Vineridge. It will feature both affordable and attainable housing. A central apartment complex will be surrounded by townhouses and condominiums with “intuitively designed spaces and modern finishes.”

They envision “a community complete with a central private park, pedestrian paths and trails, semi-private courtyards and a recreation centre.”

That vision will raze about two dozen Permanent Married Quarters, built for the former Camp Picton in the 1950s, as well as the former Catholic and Protestant churches on the site.

The proposal has been through four rounds of back-and-forth between developers, County Planning staff and public consultations since 2020. A series of “progressive conversations and concessions made by both parties” is how FLC Group’s architects described the path towards approval in a May 2022 letter addressed to Manager of Planning Michael Michaud and Planner James Griffin.

But the letter also expressed significant frustration with County requests. Clearly the feeling was mutual, as county planners, Mr. Michaud and Mr. Griffin, never brought the Vineridge proposal to Council.

Picton Heights Ltd. and the County attended an OLT Hearing of Merit in early June. Both parties made their case. Once the Tribunal makes its decision on the appeal, the judgment is final. All parties will be subject to the  ruling. Appeals to higher courts are only possible through error in law.

It is possible, although doubtful, the developer could walk away from the application. The application would them be closed.

A decision is expected some time in the next 60 days. After the decision is issued, it will be posted on at the Decisions page and is also available on CanLII.