SWOX council moving forward with a Mt. Elgin settlement area boundary review and secondary plan study

Debbie Kasman, Tillsonburg Post Correspondent

SWOX council is moving forward with a Village of Mount Elgin settlement area boundary review and secondary plan study. Oxford County planning staff are currently working with the SWOX CAO to finalize draft terms of reference and begin the steps necessary to formally initiate the process, including issuing the Request for Proposals (RFP) and retaining necessary consultants.

Mt. Elgin is experiencing, and expected to continue experiencing, higher levels of growth and development, resulting in significant change. SWOX currently has less than a 15-year supply of designated residential land (i.e. excluding existing Future Urban Growth lands).

Mt. Elgin is designated as a ‘Serviced Village’ in the county official plan and is the only settlement in the township serviced by both municipal water and wastewater infrastructure. Therefore, Mt. Elgin is intended to be the township’s primary growth centre and will need to accommodate the majority of the residential and employment growth forecast for the township over the next two to three decades.

The purpose of the terms of reference is to identify and define the various expectations, requirements and deliverables of the project to ensure the project is accurately and clearly defined and scoped, and that bids received from consultants are based on a clear understanding of the project and are comprehensive and comparable.

The overall intent of the study is to develop a well-considered, forward-thinking, and comprehensive vision and community specific land use policy direction for the Village of Mount Elgin to help guide and inform public and private investment and further development in the village over the next 20-30 years.

Key components of the draft terms of reference include the need to evaluate existing land uses and development within and adjacent to the village, revisit existing land use designations, identify and explain the rationale for recommended settlement area boundaries, create policies to guide future public investment and development in a coordinated way, engage community members, property owners, developers, and other interested parties, and prepare a secondary plan that is easy to interpret and implement.

Opportunities and issues identified by the township include access and transportation, affordable housing, business retention, expansion and attraction, a desire to create a unique sense of place and identity, industrial lands, new investment, new development, and population growth.

The following studies will be needed to support the project: planning justification, cultural heritage and archaeological resources, natural heritage and natural hazards, agricultural impact assessment, assessment of infrastructure and public service facilities, servicing strategy, and a financial impact assessment.

Planning staff anticipate that the final RFP for the project will be issued in the coming months.