Imagine Meaford’s letter to Mayor Clumpus following the interview on CFOS 560 OpenLine with Claire McCormack.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2021
Dear Mayor Clumpus,
As you are aware, Imagine Meaford has a keen interest in the proposed SkyDev development of a waterfront section of land located in Special Policy Area #1 as set out in Meaford’s Official Plan. This parcel of land is subject to six principles that aim to ensure that any development of the site is pedestrian-oriented and has a mix of commercial and residential use. Imagine Meaford remains committed to these six principles, as we believe they provide a framework to guide good growth and to help us imagine what this jewel of a site could and should be for its citizens.
Part of a municipality’s responsibility to its citizens is to be transparent and to ensure that the development process includes appropriate and thorough public consultation. This is especially critical when a significant development such as the SkyDev proposal is being considered.
Last May, the Municipality and SkyDev agreed to consult further with citizens following a public meeting in which the original proposal was met with overwhelming opposition, for a variety of thoughtful reasons. SkyDev committed to reconsidering several elements of its proposed design and to come back with a revised proposal for public view. Imagine Meaford applauded this commitment to flexibility and transparency.
Imagine Meaford was therefore surprised by your public statements on CFOS 560 Radio on September 2, 2021 that indicated you had not only seen a new proposal, but that you feel SkyDev has “done a nice job of revising the original plan” to address “some of the concerns” of Meaford citizens. You also indicated that the development will be a “significant project for our community.”
Respectfully, your public comments about the latest SkyDev proposal could be construed as a tacit endorsement of the revised proposal BEFORE the public has had a chance to review and offer comments. This is not only inappropriate, but also disrespectful of your constituents – many of whom have serious and well-founded concerns about the development.
Accordingly, we believe it is incumbent upon the municipality and SkyDev to schedule a public meeting as soon as possible so that concerned citizens can see with their own eyes how the proposal has changed and whether it meets the needs of Meaford as outlined in the Official Plan.
Imagine Meaford remains committed to working with the Municipality and SkyDev to ensure that the public is kept informed about progress on this development, and that all citizens have an opportunity to comment on its elements before it reaches Council for a vote. We will encourage the friends of Imagine Meaford to reach out to you to ask the same.
Sincerely,
IMAGINE MEAFORD, Residents for good growth.
Response from Mayor Clumpus (September 7, 2021)
Dear Dianne,
I am in receipt of a letter from Imagine Meaford regarding comments I made on the Open Line Show last week, and I’m taking the liberty to address you as the point person for this group. I fully appreciate the keen interest you and your group have in the SkyDev development that is being proposed for the former Knight’s Flooring property. It truly is a wonderful location, and one we all have a deep respect for and interest in. My comments on the Open Line show were in response to a question about the development, and were intended to indicate that, in my opinion, the comments from the public were heard, and they contributed to some of the changes. This was not intended as “tacit approval” and I believe to suggest otherwise is disingenuous. I commented on the show that a second public meeting was planned for September 20, but in deference to the federal election being held that day, the meeting was postponed. A rescheduled date will be announced shortly for public participation, as promised, and following that, the staff report, which will include all of the comments from the public and impacted agencies, on the proposed amendment requested by the developer, will come before Council for our comments.
I hope this addresses the specific concerns expressed by your group.
With kind regards,
Barb Clumpus, Mayor, Municipality of Meaford
Response from an informed neighbour.
Bravo, Dianne and the Imagine Meaford team. Your letter is right on the mark.
I listened to a recording of Mayor Clumpus’ CFOS Interview thanks to Sue Johnston who forwarded the link. I was astonished to hear Mayor Clumpus acknowledge seeing SkyDev’s revised plan and saying she thought SkyDev had done a “nice job”. Moreover she went on to announce some of the changes incorporated in the revised plan.
It seems that in addition to more underground parking, there is now only 1 apartment block of 60 units (not 2 for 120 units), an increase to the number of stacked, townhouses to 88 (from 72) and an increase to the number of 2 storey townhouses from 14 to 21.
Another interesting thing she stated was that the stacked THs would be aligned perpendicular to the shoreline (incorporating an IM suggestion?). She also mentioned that 2 hoteliers may be (are?) interested. (BTW I support IM’s request that a hold be put on SkyDev’s application until a hotelier is guaranteed). All this before those who participated in the public Council meeting on May 17th and those who submitted written comments have had an opportunity to review and consider the changes. All of whom were assured at different times by the Mayor, Rob Armstrong, Matt Smith and Scott Taylor that they would be informed of any updates relating to this project.
I believe the Mayor made much too light of “folks’ consternation” and seemed to indicate that this only included those living nearby. Also she said that these residents had “been listened to”. Not only does this represent a disrespect for the input of “some of the folks“ who live in the area, but also it indicates she has not grasped the fact that Meaford citizens from all over are concerned about the SkyDev proposal for a dense development on the waterfront next to the Harbour.
Later statements confirm that she believes that this is a very exciting project that will be going ahead. When she talked about revisiting the “Harbour Master Plan” to integrate mixed uses, she again stated “the development that we know is coming in” and she seemed certain that the pieces to be integrated in the Harbour Master Plan would include “….some commercial and residential with the project on the former Knight’s property“.
Her opinion about SkyDev being an exciting development for Meaford was not a surprise to me. However, back on July 5th in a letter to a resident which was subsequently forwarded to you, she herself admonished Councillors not to make their position on the SkyDev proposal public before full discussion in a Council meeting. I quote, ”Council members should not pre-empt that fulsome discussion of all the facts, by publicly stating a personal opinion prematurely.“. Clearly this is a case of “do as I say and not what I do“!!
Please keep up the pressure for appropriate and thorough public consultation before a revised plan is brought to Council for a vote.
Thank you,
Ros Rossetti