Official Plan Back Before South Frontenac Council

Wilma Kenny | Mar 26, 2025

The South Frontenac Official Plan renewal project began 6 years ago.

As Mayor Vandewal pointed out last Tuesday (March 18), the first public meetings about it took place before the COVID pandemic.

Much of Council’s lengthy discussion concerning the final draft of its Official Plan, centred around concerns on the part of Vandewal and Councillor Ron Sleeth, about limits on severances.

The forever limit of three severances from any single property that was identified in 2003, continues to be an issue of concern for Vandewal, and the impact of some proposed changes in land designation from “rural” to “agricultural”, on severance applications, was raised by Sleeth.

“Nobody’s saying we shouldn’t protect agricultural land, but we all know there are thousands of acres in South Frontenac that don’t grow anything but rocks and juniper,” said Vandewal.

Vandewal also raised a concern about requirements for studies, such as environmental assessment and drainage studies, in cases where they do not seem to be warranted. He referred to a proposal to build a house on a hill which was denied because it didn’t have a drainage plan.

CAO Fragnito agreed that “common sense is necessary in the application of any plan.” She cautioned about re-opening debates on specific issues in the plan, at this point. “It’s taken us a long time to get this far,” she said, “could we not approve it the way it is now, then we can ask the county to consider changes as they become necessary?” “The Official Plan is a living document,” said Director of Development Services Brad Wright, who has been working on the Official Plan since he was hired 2 1/2 years ago, “it is meant to be amended from time to time, as conditions change.”

One of the unusual features of this document is its inclusion of tracts of land identified as “secondary planning areas”. This will permit mixed use developments with small scale communal water and sewer systems under a communal servicing model, being developed in Frontenac County.

Councillors Pegrum and Trueman commented on the high degree of public participation throughout the development of this draft plan. Following Council review, the final draft version of the Official Plan will be posted to the Engage Frontenac website. A staff report will be brought to the April 8th council meet ing recommending that Council adopt the draft Official Plan. Comments from the public will be accepted and considered right up to that date. Once the plan is approved by South Frontenac, it will go to Frontenac County for final approval.

Fourteen Island Lake Dam - Delegate Mary Rae came to Council on behalf of the Fourteen Island and Mink Lakes Watershed Association (FIMLA) to thank the township for its assistance with the reconstruction of the Fourteen Island Lake Dam. The dam, which is not township-owned, was found to be in grave danger of disintegration, in 2020. FIMLA incorporated as a not-for-profit the following year, in order to widen their fund-raising efforts to include lotteries and similar fund-raising strategies. Aarde Construction was retained to upgrade the access road to the dam, and in October 2024 was contracted to do the rehabilitation of the dam itself. Total cost of the access road and dam reconstruction came to $335,099. FIMLA raised $135,100, and South Frontenac con tributed $200,000.