Wilmot councillor talks development

Coun. Kris Wilkinson said Wilmot Township is ready to grow responsibly as the new official plan is in the works. Areas eight and nine on the map have been approved for development. Image courtesy of Wilmot Township

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wilmot Township is in the midst of public consultations on a new official plan and Wilmot Ward 2 Coun. Kris Wilkinson wants residents to be assured council will use a responsible lens for future growth.

Next up in the process is a special meeting of council on Nov. 17 where the public is invited to listen to the feedback provided on the work behind the scenes.

“Right now, the process is to gather information from individuals to look at housing, commercial and employment needs, wastewater servicing, and so forth, which is great,” said Wilkinson. “Council has been involved in two direct meetings where we have been able to give feedback.”

The township must follow the most recent planning guidelines from the province which means there is a real potential for growth in the near future.

“We have looked at areas we want to see potential development, and we put together a map where we would like to see growth. We planned to have roughly another 10,000 people in this area which would cap our population at 32,000. That coincides directly with what we have available in our wastewater treatment plant available to us.”

Growth in the township is projected to occur over the next 25 years and the approved sections (as seen on the attached map) could include residential areas along with light commercial opportunities and some industrial areas. Wilkinson explained the plan is to bridge the area between Baden and New Hamburg.

“It will allow us to grow without adding too much density. I’m not necessarily opposed to growth, but I want to make sure we do it the right way. What I am hearing from residents is they want to see single-family home opportunities that allow people to own property. That aligns with areas that are going to be high-density housing.”

Wilkinson added putting a high-rise apartment building in downtown Baden or New Hamburg wouldn’t be a good fit.

“We are trying to keep in line with what a small community is and what our rural agricultural community is but knowing that we have a lightly populated urban area. We are trying to keep in the spirit of that. Part of what we are trying to do is make sure we have employment opportunities.”

He said it is important to note residential development will occur north of the rail line, while industrial is slated for south of the rail line.

“This is pretty traditional in the way we have developed in the past. Because it’s happening south of Snyders Road and north of the highway, we already have a lot of existing infrastructure in the area. We’ve got sewers, gas lines, electrical and water hookups. There is an opportunity for us to build up these neighbourhoods and build massive infrastructure to service some of these areas.”

The councillor agreed it is hard to predict when any type of residential building could begin in the area with the current state of the homebuilding industry, and the township may not see much residential development in the near future.

“One of the things we need to see is the financing costs for builders come down. That’s not the business I’m in, unfortunately, but as interest rates continue to drop, we might see that happen. We also have to see what the economic factors are.”

Wilkinson alluded to the current trade war and tariffs as a barrier to development that is having a direct impact on the cost of the goods needed to build.

“That’s on the developers. We can approve it, but we have to give them time and the opportunity before we look into ways to incentivize them. We don’t want to heavily incentivize them to build because we might be overrun in a very short period of time. I’d rather have it slow and controlled, moving at a pace that is controllable for us.”

He added outlying areas such as Petersburg and St. Agatha aren’t currently on the development radar because they don’t have the needed infrastructure. He also said it isn’t easy to say no to a developer, but what’s best for the township comes first.

“My philosophy is let’s work with developers in a way that’s going to make our township happy and plan desirable neighbourhoods. Let’s not overwhelm anyone with buildings no one wants to see. If we were to turn down a neighbourhood, there is a good chance they are going to go to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), and I would hazard to guess 95 per cent of the developments that go there get approved in their original form.”

Wilkinson said he’d rather work with developers to make sure Wilmot is building things that are appropriate and within the township’s control.

“Instead of wasting tax dollars on legal fees and fighting at the OLT, we are going to make sure we do it appropriately from that side. That’s the way I am looking at it. It’s a reasonable plan that is going to be cost-effective.”