CF Council Wants To Increase Severances To Stimulate Growth

Jeff Green | Apr 16, 2025

Sonya Bolton, Manager of Community Planning for Frontenac County, appeared before Central Frontenac County at their regular meeting last Tuesday (April 8).

Bolton was there because her department not only oversees county level planning operations, but is also under contract to provide planning services for Central Frontenac Township. A few months ago, Central Frontenac Council asked Bolton and her department to provide a background  study in order to enable Council to consider changing a rule that has been in place since the adoption of the first Central Frontenac Official Plan in 2008.

Since that time, any lot of record, in the rural or waterfront areas, in the township as of 2008, has been allowed to be severed to create no more than two new lots, in addition to what is called the “retained” lot. In order to stimulate development on rural lands within the township, Council is looking to increase that two lot limit.

On October 10th, a motion was passed asking the planning department to “prepare a report to amend the Official Plan to allow for an increase of lots to be severed from two to three or four or as many as allowed per the Planning Act.”

On October 22nd, County Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan sent a report to Council outlining that the exercise the township was asking to be completed would be expensive (100 to 150 hours of work to be billed to the township) and would not  likely result in a significant increase in development with in the township.

Nonetheless, Council asked that the first steps be tak en on the matter. Bolton came to Council last week with the results from those first efforts, a detailed look at severance and build ing activity in the township, over the last five years. She presented Council with a series of maps, which plotted the location of over 2,000 existing vacant lots in the township, the locations where the approximately 200 new permanent and seasonal dwellings have been con structed since 2020, and the locations of the 110 lots that have been created through severances over that time. Based on the work done so far, Bolton concluded that creating new lots through severance had not resulted in a significant amount of new growth in the township.  “Over the last five years, you have had over 100 new lots created, but only 11 of them have resulted in new homes being constructed. So, what that shows to me is there is a very slow uptake in terms of the need for hous ing. So, based on this preliminary research, it is Staff's opinion, both county and township, that to do the rest of the exercise is not something that is the best use of staff time and resources, at this current time.”

The estimated staffing cost to complete the project is $13,000 - $15,000. Councillor Dan Meeks said he “thinks we should go ahead with the program”. Bolton pointed out that in order for e an increase in severances in rural areas to be approved, it is necessary to demonstrate that the growth pattern in the township is being hindered by a lack of severances. “The preliminary data does not support this,” she said. “I'd like to proceed with the project,” said Councillor Duncan McGregor, “may be not to the end, but for now. . I think of the vacant lots that we have in the township, very few of them are actually accessible by road.” Councillors Philip Smith and Nicki Gowdy both said that they are not willing to let go of the project just yet. 

Planning staff taking a further look at the existing vacant lots in the township to determine how many of them are viable as building lots is a next step that interested members of council.  Mayor Frances Smith suggested that a decision on cutting the project off be deferred until that work is done, and Council agreed. Bolton is expected to return in June or July. 

Public Works - A contract with Gemmill Sand and Grav el for the supply of gravel, and has been extended for a second year. “This full-service package includes the provision of gravel, as well as the use of supporting equipment such as a water truck, roller, packer, and grader. The total cost for the package is $475,260.46 (ex cluding HST), and it includes an additional kilometre of gravel haul compared to the previous year,” said Public Works Manager Steve Gould, in his report on the contract extension. The contract went to tender last year, and a contract extension option was in cluded in that tender agreement. “It will have to go back to tender next year, no matter what,” said Gould.

Construction Report Building permits have recovered some what from a slow start in January and February. The value of construction, as of the end of March, was $2.2 million in 2025. It was $3 million at the same point last year, and $2.9 million in 2023. Speed bylaw A motion to defer the speed bylaw by Counicllor Everett was defeated and the bylaw was approved as presented. The default speed llimit on gravel roads in the township is 50,km/hr Budget Bylaw The budget was formally approved, as presented in a special meeting a week earlier. Councillor McGregor voted against the budget, citing the size of the tax increase. ■