It’s been punted back and forth between the developers and the County’s planners for five years.

But in September, Picton Heights Ltd.’s appeal to the OLT for approval of 432 new homes, including 60 rental apartments, on Picton Heights was approved.

The Draft Plan of Subdivision includes two new streets, a .7 acre park, a stormwater management pond, and four blocks of new houses on 31 acres. A further two blocks will be held in reserve for future development. 

Picton Heights Ltd. appealed to the OLT after County staff “failed to make a decision” on the company’s plans for the development after four separate submissions over five years. The judgment was released September 9th.

While the OLT agreed it is not within their jurisdiction to order the County to take ownership of infrastructure it does not want, it still approved Picton Heights Ltd.’s entire Draft Plan of Subdivision (DPS). 

There were three major issues: the proposed road network, waterworks servicing, and parkland.

The two new roads follow the shape of an “s-curve.” The OLT rejected the opinion of  Manager of Planning, Michael Michaud, that the proposed roads were “not safe, appropriate, or efficient.”

Another concern included the proposed waterworks servicing for the 432 units. Picton Heights Ltd. said it could meet the demand their development would create by increasing the size of the existing sanitary sewers and replacing old watermains. 

An adjacent developer, Base31’s Prince Edward Community Partners, joined the County, however, to argue such “improvements would be sufficient to support the proposed development, but not the ultimate demand. Put differently, once Base 31 and other developable lands around the Subject Lands are built, surcharging would occur in some of the infrastructure that was not improved.”

The County said a “full engineering solution” was preferable to ensure supportive sewer, water, and stormwater systems into the future.

But the OLT sided with Picton Heights, arguing a full solution was not the developer’s responsibility.

Infrastructure was not the only type of connectivity up for review. The County challenged VineRidge development’s lack of conformity to the existing neighbourhood. That was over-ruled as well.

One area they’ve reversed on, however, is affordable housing. In previous public consultations representatives from FLC group proposed affordable purchase prices starting in the mid-$200,000s, and offered 21 rental units to be donated to the Affordable Housing Corporation. 

No such plans exist in the present Draft Plan of Subdivision. Instead, they are offering the County $504,000 in rent subsidies. 

Coming Soon

Commenting on the decision, Mayor Ferguson said, “while we are disappointed with the Ontario Land Tribunal’s decision, we do have some ability to set conditions through the subdivision approval process. We will be working with the developer to ensure the best possible outcomes for the municipality as this project moves forward to construction.”

Meanwhile, the company evicted 27 families from rent-controlled homes in Macaulay Village last year. At present, 38 houses sit unoccupied in the midst of the stalled development deal.

A large sign advertising the FLC Group’s VineRidge development is staked in the middle of an empty lot. The expanse is bordered by the boarded-up houses of Nery and Inkerman.

“Coming Soon,” the sign reads.

All but one of the houses on the Vine-Ridge lot will be vacant for the foreseeable future. 

“It looks like the apocalypse,” says Christine Durant, a program coordinator at Prince Edward Learning Centre and Macaulay Village resident. 

“We have identified a need in the community for family homes. Multiple generations are living together.”

A document outlining Picton Heights Ltd.’s affordable housing plan in 2021 agrees, stating, “several local studies have shown that long-standing local families are unable to find rental options and younger families who are needed for the growing service industry are unable to find places to live.”

At this point, the developer has removed rent-controlled housing with no plan to replace it. If the OLT decision signals homes are coming soon, that means the “Boutique Towns” of VineRidge will be available at market prices.