On March 22, 2022 at 9:00 am, the Township of Muskoka Lakes will hold a Special Planning Committee Meeting as part of the Official Plan Review. Planning Staff and Consultants will be providing a report and suggesting revisions to the draft Official Plan, based on public feedback received last fall (e-mails, letters, open house meetings, online survey). After deliberation, the Planning Committee will provide direction to the planners for a further draft of the Official Plan to be prepared.
In terms of our campaign to oppose the Lippa quarry application, it is very important that key policies in the current Official Plan, that place restrictions on the siting of new quarries, must be retained or strengthened. Two policies are particularly important, the first being that new quarries must be located more than 2 km from waterfront areas, and the second being that new quarries must be located in close proximity to major highways. If either of these policies has been removed, or weakened, then we must make it clear that this is not acceptable. According to Jeff Crocker, the president of the Skeleton Lake Cottagers Organization, a representative of the SLCO will delegate if necessary at the meeting on March 22, to argue that these two policies should be included in the next draft of the revised OP.
If the Special Planning Committee meeting on March 22 runs short of time, then further meetings have been scheduled for March 23 and 24. After the completion of the meeting(s), the next draft of the Official Plan will be prepared and presented to the Planning Committee this spring, followed by another Open House and Public Meeting during the summer. This is a very long and drawn out process, but this Official Plan will guide development in the Township of Muskoka Lakes for the next 10-15 years. So let's do our best to protect the natural environment of Muskoka for today and tomorrow!
Tom
tom.smp@icloud.com
stopmuskokapit.ca
facebook.com/stopmuskokapit
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About Stop Muskoka Pit
We are a group of concerned residents and supporters working together to stop the proposed Lippa Pit and Quarry in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.
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