Water worries limit Warkworth homes
Just nine homes proposed for 19-acre site on Banta Road
A Toronto developer wants to build nine homes on the western edge of Warkworth. It originally hoped to construct up to 60 homes on the site but concerns about water services led to the current reduced plan.
Highland Builds Ltd., owned by J.P. Galle, is proposing a low-density residential development on 7.87 hectares/19.45 acres along Banta Road. The nine single-detached homes will be between 100 to 200 square metres (about 1,000 to 2,100 square feet). The lots will be partially serviced by municipal water but will use individual septic systems for sewage disposal.
A public hearing on the proposal was held on Tuesday evening.
Municipal Planner Cameron Law said that Highland Builds had originally considered a denser project with 40 to 60 units, including townhouses, but concluded the current plan was best.
“They have been in contact with the municipality for a while with a few different proposals before settling on the current proposal of nine lots,” Law said in an email. “The main servicing problem was getting sufficient water pressure to meet flows for fire hydrants, which have increased requirements for townhomes and multiplexes than single-detached dwellings.
“Wastewater is nearing capacity in Warkworth, but there would have been enough for the number of units that were being proposed,” Law explained. “The developer would have to extend the sanitary main down Banta Road at their cost, which did factor into their decision to reduce the number of units.”
In his presentation, Law said that in 2023 the owner was considering building up to 107 units including an apartment building.
Planning Director Jim Peters said that the Warkworth water system does not have enough pressure to support such density. In order to permit more homes it would require water pumps or a larger water tank. The cost of providing those improvements would be borne by the developer, making the project uneconomic.
The project requires that the property be rezoned from the Community Facility (CF) and the Environmentally Sensitive (ES) Zones to the Low-density Residential (R1) Zone.
Law said it is unclear why the land was zoned Community Facility but perhaps it had been considered for an arena and none was ever built.
Councillor Rick English raised questions about one lot that will run behind three existing homes on Banta Road, suggesting those owners will not want a home in their backyards.
Law said the planning department will work with the developer to determine where a home could be located on that lot.
Amending rules for prime farm land
The municipality is proposing an official plan amendment that will clarify rules about what can be done with prime agricultural land including on-farm diversified uses.
The amendment, which sets out rules for creating smaller farms, was discussed during Tuesday’s public hearing.
“The purpose of the amendment is to add policies to provide direction for limited lot creation within the prime agricultural designation,” the municipality says. “In general, lot creation will still be discouraged within the prime agricultural designation.”
The notice also says, “The amendment also adds a new section for the limited lot creation of farm parcels less than 40 hectares/100 acres in size, with the requirement that the primary use of both parcels remains for agricultural purposes. Where it can be displayed that a smaller farm operation will remain a viable farm operation, such as by a change in the type of farming operation, lot creation may be supported. Additionally, in cases where the creation of a new lot less than 40 hectares/100 acres would aid in succession planning for an existing farm operation, lot creation may also be supported.”
You can read the official plan amendment here.
Planner Cameron Law told the hearing that Northumberland County is revamping its designations of agricultural land and about 6,000 acres will be added to the total in Trent Hills.
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