The new members of Trent Hills council got a first look on Tuesday evening at what their new part-time job entails.
The councillors were in the gallery, not at the council table, since they haven’t been sworn in yet, but they attended the monthly public planning meeting because the projects discussed will come to council for decisions while they are in power.
First off, they had a 77-page agenda to read through, largely planning reports and comments from Northumberland County and conservation authorities about requested severances and zoning changes.
The meeting showed some of the development and planning issues they will face – from a prominent farmer seeking a severance so his grand-daughter can build a home, to two businesses seeking rezoning to permit their operation in rural areas.
No decisions are made at these sessions which are designed to give neighbours a chance to comment on changes and for staff to answer any concerns that councillors have.
Bill Petherick, former mayor of Seymour Township and deputy mayor of Trent Hills, wants to sever a two-acre lot, the minimum allowed, from a farm on Crowe River Road.
“This application means quite a bit to our family,” Petherick said when he addressed council. “The farm that we’re dealing with was deeded to William Petherick in 1845 and has been in the family ever since, as has the one across the road where I live.”
Petherick explained that the reason for the severance is that his grand-daughter Tessa and her partner want to build a house “and we think it’s a good spot.” The new lot would front on Concession Road 10. Approving it would require a severance and rezoning to rural residential.
The meeting also considered an application from a property just north of the Petherick farms at Riverstone on the Crowe.
Owners of the property, Gerald and Therese Humphries, have being operating it as a wedding venue since 2021.
“The applicants have advised that the venue has experienced strong demand, with weekend bookings substantially secured through the 2027 operating season, which typically extends from mid-June to the first weekend in October,” said a report by Planner Cameron Law.
While it has been used for weddings, “the parcel is considered vacant in planning terms, as there are currently no permanent buildings or structures on the site,” he wrote.
Tents are erected for the weddings and portable washrooms are used. The Humphries want to rezone the property “to legitimize the ongoing use as a wedding / ceremonial venue,” he said.
Councillor Rick English, soon to be deputy mayor, commended the owners for their efforts to explain the plans to neighbours and seek their approval. Eighteen had signed a form letter supporting the venue.
Law explained that the proposed zoning change would create an exception to the environmentally sensitive designation to permit up to 50 people to attend weddings or ceremonial events.
But neighbours don’t always support change.
Roger White told council, in person and in a letter, that he lives on the east side of County Road 45 south of Hastings.
“For 25 years we’ve been looking out our window at a lovely old barn that always reminded us that we’re living in the country,” White said.
But since earlier this year, he now looks at what seems more like a commercial complex, he wrote.
Those storage buildings belong to Greg McCracken of McCracken Towing Inc. One of the buildings is used to store farm equipment while the other holds hay. McCracken is seeking a rural exception zoning to allow him to use part of the site to store impounded vehicles.
White asked that trees or hedges be planted as a buffer zone to hide the buildings.
Law said the municipality can require buffer zones in certain cases, such as adjacent to apartment buildings, but couldn’t force McCracken to install one here. He said he would discuss the issue with the county since it has rules about what can be planted near its roads.