Council approves term Greenwich SPS planning position

By Kirk Starratt

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

It was a concept suggested almost three years ago, but Kings County council has finally agreed to undertake a secondary planning strategy (SPS) process for Greenwich, and to hire a term planner to help complete the initiative.

Community Development Services director Bill Butler said the planning advisory committee (PAC) recommended to hire a term planner for two years. Council’s committee of the whole (COTW) recommended in July approval of hiring the term planner. Council discussed the matter at its Tuesday, Aug. 5 session.

Area representative Coun. Chris Parker said the matter should be put off until next year’s budget deliberation process.

Butler said the timing is up to council, although there might be enough urgency to hire the planner now.

Coun. Janet Newton asked where this would fit in the county’s planning work program and how it would be prioritized in comparison with other projects. She drew attention to the fact that the county hired a consultant to explore planning issues in Greenwich at a cost of $25,000, resulting in a 2006 report that recommended cluster housing.

Parker moved to refer the matter to the 2009-10 budget deliberation process. Coun. Madonna Spinazola said planning matters in Greenwich have been ongoing for a long time and she isn’t in favour of referring the matter.

Coun. John Fuller, who has been in favour of a secondary planning strategy in Greenwich since the beginning, asked why council would delay again. “We’ve been accused of delaying enough already,” he said, pointing out that if the funding is available in the current budget as indicated by Corporate Services director Bill McKennan, the county should proceed.

Newton said her concern was purely financial and out of respect for the budget, as she doesn’t want the county in a deficit position and the current $100,000 operating surplus is very slim in comparison with the entire budget, approximately $38 million.

Council defeated Parker’s referral motion and approved the main motion to hire a term planner for two years to complete the Greenwich SPS process.

Four farm business operators in the eastern end of the community -- Doug Hennigar, Peter Elderkin, Harold Forsythe and Hal Stirling -- requested in April that the Town of Wolfville annex their land for sustainable development.

This came after the four became dissatisfied with how the county had handled their planning applications to expand the hamlet boundary to include nearly 400 acres of land currently zoned agricultural and establish Hamlet Residential (R7) zoning or a Comprehensive Development District (CDD). That situation has yet to be resolved.