| School zoning goes to public |
| By Morgan Ian Adams |
| Enterprise-Bulletin (Tue, February 13, 2000) |
| COLLINGWOOD - Admiral Collingwood's replacement will have
to jump a number of hurdles before residents in the area of the new
school's location will be satisfied. |
| On Monday night, a delegation of Krista Court, Dey Drive
and Lockhart Road residents were expected to be in attendance at a public
meeting to consider a zoning change to a property at the end of Dey Drive. |
| Results of the public meeting were unavailable for the
Enterprise-Bulletin press time. |
| The proposed zoning for the five-acre parcel would rezone
the property Community Facility and allow for the construction of a new
public elementary school. |
| Councillors received a memo last week from a committee
representing the residents, outlining a number of concerns for the impact
the school will have on the area. |
| While the residents indicated they supported the location,
there "are a number of issues to address with the board (of
education) and the town to ensure placement and access to this school will
maintain the quality and safety of our neighbourhood for our children and
the value of our homes." |
| The concerns of the residents include access to the
property through Lockhart and Dey, traffic flow through the area, and
off-hour use of the property. |
| The residents also raised a concern about the new
subdivision to the south, and if Dey Drive would be the main access for
this subdivision. |
| In terms of the property itself, residents are concerned
with the proposed placement of the school on the northern portion of the
property, loss of existing mature trees, lighting, an a buffer between the
school property and neighbouring properties. |
| Deputy Mayor Tim McNabb says the residents are a
"pretty reasonable group," and he as is anxious as they are to
see what the school board is proposing. |
| "A lot of the stuff (the residents are asking) is just
standard questions," McNabb said. "It's not out-of-line on
what they're asking." |
| McNabb is hoping the school development will spur
residential development on the neighbour properties - with an eye to
creating access off County 124 or the Poplar Side Road, which would
alleviate at least one of the residents' concerns. He said if
residential development isn't forthcoming, an attempt should be made to
negotiate access with the neighbouring landowner to the south. |
| "We're not going to negate all of the impact, but we
should be able to come up with something acceptable," McNabb
said. "We do want the school - the school will happen, it's
just a question of how, when, and what impact it will have. |
| "It's a good site for the long-term, it's a great
location," he said. "It's just an access question." |
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