Bridgebrook development may be in limbo

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A report by township planning consultant Elizabeth Howson on Monday indicated that the proposed Bridgebrook development north of Quaker Heights could now be in limbo.

Howson's report on a revised policy on the allocation of waste water services said Bridgebrook had requested that the Township redo its servicing analysis and “allocate servicing capacity to Bridgebrook as part of the Township’s reserve.” They also requested that the policy be changed to “recognize and prioritize a reservation of capacity for developments such as theirs” and provide for a longer period of reservation for draft plan approved lands.

A letter from Bridgebrook’s planning consultants, Malone Given Parsons Ltd., claimed that having a “restrictive serving allocation policy” was a “procedural barrier” that prevented the developer from working to meet provincial housing objectives.

Howson’s report said Bridgebrook’s proposals "are not in keeping with the direction outlined in the policy . . . and are not recommended."

“This policy has been developed in conjunction with the Region of Durham,” says the report, “and is to be used as a basis for the reservation of wastewater treatment and water servicing capacity by the township for residential development to best meet the objectives of the township, as determined by township council, and to implement provincial, regional and township policies to manage development in a manner which efficiently uses land, existing resources, infrastructure and public service facilities.”

Howson told council that the revised policy prioritizes allocation for the downtown area as part of the Uxbridge revitalization project and for the new Long-term can home and hospital to be built in the near future. She also noted that servicing capacity for waste water in town is in very short supply and allocations should go to projects that support township objectives.

In reply to a question from the Cosmos, Howson said this does not mean an end to Bridgebrook's application. She said the official plan amendment, zoning amendment and draft plan have all been approved, but put on hold. She said allocation of waste water service must be in place before the development can proceed.

Bridgebrook has proposed building approximately 540 units in the area north of Quaker Village. These units would be a combination of single homes, semis, row housing, and apartments.