Attainable housing in West Parry Sound (MZO)

Thank you for your interest in this issue. The cost of any potential new servicing, water, roads, etc. will be covered by development fees.

Thank you for your inquiry. The report you mention, from Hutchinson Environmental, was preliminary and general to the entire MZO area. Before any specific subdivision/ developer plans are approved, more in-depth environmental assessment will be required. These studies will evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed plans on the acreage of land they want to develop within the MZO area. The findings of these assessments must align with the Official Plan and our ‘environment-first’ approach in order to be implemented.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important conversation.  Seguin Township is committed to our “environment-first” principle and innovative ways to put this principle into action. We will explore green building and work with developers to ensure we are creating future-ready housing solutions that are attainable and as low-impact as possible.

Thank you for your comments.  Seguin's Official Plan has minimum lot sizes in the Rural area to preserve and maintain the rural character. The intent is to avoid lot creation which transforms the rural landscape. The MZO proposes to provide housing with higher densities, removing the pressure to significantly alter the rural landscape while still providing necessary, affordable housing opportunities.

We would suggest you provide comments on the rural lot creation policies through the Official Plan Review: www.seguinOPR.com website. This would be the most suitable place to address the rural lot size policy. Thank you again and take care.

Thank you for your questions, Mario. Local municipalities have indeed been discussing portions of this land for more than a decade. We are pleased to be making inroads and are working with our neighbours to forge a bright, vibrant future for West Parry Sound.

Our existing Council cannot speak in detail to decisions made, or ideas held, by previous mayors and Councils. Our current Seguin Township Council and staff agree with you that responsible development is essential for our region. The path we are taking is in line with this philosophy. Please see the Environmental Constraints Analysis completed by Hutchinson Environmental for details on protecting the natural features of this area.

Seguin Township is committed to maintaining its record of exceptional fiscal responsibility and accountability throughout this process. There are several viable options for servicing the proposed lands, including private services, communal services or alternatively through a servicing agreement with the Town of Parry Sound. Any and all costs and risks associated with any of the options outlined are the responsibility of Seguin Township and would be borne by the development through development charges and local service improvements. Please review the Preliminary Functional Servicing Report completed by Tatham Engineering for details.

We have seen ample evidence that municipalities across West Parry Sound share our commitment to creating more affordable and attainable housing options that will support sustainable coordinated, well-planned, properly-serviced and managed economic growth. We are optimistic about the future.

Lastly, to your point about consultation. West Parry Sound constituents have been very vocal about the urgent need for housing in the area. We encourage you to read our letters of support for examples.  The status quo is not working. Those who want relocate to the area, those who want to move out of rental housing, hospital leaders looking for professionals to join their teams, business owners who want to hire staff and grow, housing advocates – they have all been clear about what they need. West Parry Sound has a dire shortage of attainable housing solutions. This MZO application is the Township’s response to these urgent calls for change.

Thank you for sharing your concerns, va04584.   Please keep in mind that applying for an MZO is the first step in the multi-step process required to expand attainable housing options in our region. Homes will be built incrementally over the course of several years. This gradual process will allow emergency services departments to grow and expand as the population grows. Similarly, plans for waste management and road maintenance will be an integral part of the development process, including the incremental expansion of these Seguin departments in step with population growth.

The lifestyles we all cherish in the West Parry Sound region will be preserved and likely improved thanks to the influx of much needed members of the workforce to support local businesses and our healthcare system.

We understand that many residents are drawn to Seguin Township and the West Parry Sound area because we do not have suburban sprawl. Seguin Council is not inviting sprawl. This 700-acre area will be developed in harmony with our local natural heritage features while heeding the urgent calls for more housing in our region.  Much of the 700 acres is environmentally protected as a result of the application process (prior to this, these areas had no designation). The natural terrain also makes much of this 700 acres inappropriate for development so the actual acreage for development at this stage of the process is closer to 540 acres, and this smaller acreage requires further environmental analysis at the time of plans of subdivision being submitted.

Seguin Township and Council are confident that this tool provides the best solution to address  years of urgent calls from constituents to create more opportunities for housing and help our community and economy thrive. Please see the letters for support in the MZO application for examples of community support.

Thank you for your patience, Nicky. We have now uploaded the entire MZO application document to this website. Please see the report for Hutchinson Environmental Science Ltd. for details about species at risk and other environmental findings that will limit development in the area. 

 As mentioned throughout this webpage, the decision to use the MZO tool was made in response to urgent calls for solutions from constituents and the province to remove barriers to solving the housing crisis. We invite you to review the application package, in particular the letters of support for this initiative, for evidence that this decision is in step with local concerns and priorities. 

Thank you for your questions, Howie.  At this early stage, we are unable to estimate the number of homes that will be built. We will have a better sense of this when it is time to review plan of subdivision applications. We do know that the terrain and environmental regulations will create unique limitations, but also opportunities for innovative development in step with our "environment first" approach. 

We understand there is a shortage of healthcare professionals in the region - unfortunately this is a crisis across the country. In the West Parry Sound region, however, this shortage is compounded by an exceptionally low supply of attainable housing.  This makes it a challenge to attract nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals who might otherwise relocate to the area to join our local healthcare team. Therefore, creating housing solutions has the potential to help to bolster the existing healthcare system, rather than drain it. This is demonstrated by the letter of support included in the MZO submission from the West Parry Sound Health Center Board.

Homes will be built in this region incrementally over the course of several years. Seguin Township will continue to work with our partners at the school board and the Ministry of Education to ensure that education plans and resources reflect community growth.

Expanding housing options using this MZO process is the first step in a long-term plan. Growth will be incremental. This will allow emergency services departments to grow and expand as the population grows. These homes will be serviced by Seguin Township Fire services. 

We can predict with confidence that new residents will certainly become patrons of local businesses, shops and restaurants year-round, which will benefit the economy. However, it will be a gradual and controlled process. It is important to recognize that applying for an MZO is the first step of several that are required to increase the availability of attainable housing in our region. There will not be a sudden or unforeseeable influx of people to the area.

Seguin Township agrees that growth must be slow and measured. We are currently completing a Development Charges Background Study which will inform how the Township will fund any growth-related capital expenditures that occur as a result of providing municipal services to new residential development.

The decision to apply for an MZO was not made lightly. However, Seguin Township and Council are confident that this tool provides the best solution to address  years of urgent calls from constituents to create more opportunities for housing and help our community thrive. Please see the letters for support in the MZO application for examples of community support.

Lastly, this approach is in step with rallying calls from the Province of Ontario that “everyone has a role to play in fixing Ontario’s housing crisis.” The supply of housing in Ontario has not kept up with demand over the past decade and Seguin Township is keen to part of the solution.

The general area associated with this MZO application abuts the southern border of the Town of Parry Sound. Oastler Park Drive forms the eastern boundary; Rose Park Road is the Western boundary; the southern-most boundary is located between Concession 10 and 11.

Thank you for your inquiry. At this time, the geographical area associated with this MZO has some limited environmental protection zones. These can be viewed by visiting https://www.wpsgn.ca . The Township has engaged an environmental consultant who has undertaken an assessment of the entire area (approx. 300 hectares) as part of the MZO application. This review has identified a number of new areas that we will seek approval to re-zone to EP (Environmental protection).  It is being proposed that approximately 80 hectares (of the 300 hectares) should be zoned EP . 

While the review does identify a number of the species at risk, this first review is high level and the detailed species at risk assessments will be undertaken when a plan of subdivision is being considered. When the detailed assessments are completed, any species at risk,  bodies of water and other natural heritage features will be protected and or enhanced to meet Seguin's environment first policies and will be subject to the strict development regulations.