Collingwood Council is reviewing proposed site plan deviations at the Fram Shipyard Development. Originally, Council was to hear and see a presentation by the Fram Group at the June 18th meeting, but the presentation was rescheduled. Without Fram Group representatives present, Collus Executive Director Ed Houghton walked through the proposed revisions in a presentation to act as an introduction of the issues for council members to consider and discuss when they meet with the developers.

Houghton told council that in preparing for a Development Committee meeting, originally scheduled for March 7th, the review team noticed that there were several departures from the original design. Houghton said that some of these departures were a concern to the review team because a great deal of time had been spent not only speaking to Council about the design but as well to the public at several public meetings. “We felt that the departures were of enough of a significant nature that we should pull the projects known as Mackinaw Village and Sidelaunch 1 & 2 projects off of the Development Committee agenda and hold a meeting of the entire review team” Houghton told Council. He said the meeting was held and the departures were discussed along with other items that had arisen over the past few months. “We then asked Fram to put together some more information for us because a lot of the questions that we had were based on the fact that their consultants hadn’t given our review team all of the information. In fact, we found that coming to that March 7th meeting was probably premature in any event. There were many information gaps, and those information gaps even added more questions and more concerns to the review team” Houghton added. Houghton said the Fram Group then went away and with their consultants and did a great deal of work to provide the review team with additional information. “After that, the review team still determined that there were a number of departures that were of a nature where we felt that we should have another meeting, and that meeting was specific and only specific to the changes. We didn’t want them (Fram Group) to think that we were married to the actual designs that were given earlier, but we wanted them to know that because we had gone through such a public process that we needed to fully understand and appreciated what the changes were” Houghton added. The review team asked the Fram Group to put together a listing of what all of the changes were and to provide the list to Town Staff. “I’m very pleased to say that of a list of 11 changes, there are probably only two that are of a non-technical nature that could be considered by Council to be a departure” Houghton said.

Council learned that the departures focus on view or vista lines and green space. For example, one issue to be dealt with is parking. Originally, the majority of the parking at the Shipyards development was going to be underground parking. Through the redesign and costing process, the Fram Group now feels that while some parking will be underground, some surface parking will be necessary. Mr. Houghton told Council that a number of technical details such as the supply of a reservoir sized sufficient for the 100 year storm event, redundant pumps, water proofing the concrete slabs and walls and electricity back-up have been resolved. As a result of the reduced green space and from the aesthetics perspective, this is a departure that needs to be discussed by Fram with Council. Other issues include Landscape Open Space/Private Amenity Space, Pedestrian and Bicycle Path Connectivity, Views and Vistas, Fire Access Routes, Addition of Laneways, Road Widths, Location of Ramps, Sightlines from Ramps, Sightlines from Ramps, On-Street Parking and Technical/Engineering of Condo C and D.

The Conclusions portion of the Staff Report read as follows:

Back in March there were a number of design changes that Staff considered significant departures from the original design. This opinion was not necessarily shared by the Developer but they were willing to work with the Town to either resolve or better understand the change and the rationale. Town staff is pleased with the resolve that we have made to date and now look to Council for direction on two primary areas. The first area is the change from underground parking to surface/depressed parking and the resultant loss of green space and the aesthetics of surface/depressed parking. The second change is the relocation of a building that now removes a perceived north-south view and vista through the centre of the development and the associated disconnect of a minor private north-south path.

This process although long and tedious has assisted Town Staff to exert our opinions that the development as originally perceived is good and one that the Town wishes to come to fruition.

Mr. Houghton concluded his presentation to council by saying that he views this process as the last hurdle that will help bring the Shipyards Development to fruition. Mayor Chris Carrier commented that this development is one that the community has been looking forward to for years. Councilor Sonny Foley stated that he would like to see the roads within the development as safe as possible but also as narrow as possible as opposed to freeway type of roads.

Deputy Mayor Sandra Cooper said that she was looking forward to seeing the complete Fram Group presentation.

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