Wednesday, April 4, 2007 · Page 6 Need for affordable housing in Lakeshore reviewed BY DANIEL SCHWAB As the local economy continues to struggle with the country's highest unemployment rate, Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex made a presentation in Lakeshore last week calling for the development of more affordable housing. The organization teamed up with Lakeshore Community Services to hold a public information session to voice concerns that if trends continue, manufacturing workers in the area may be forced to migrate to Windsor for lowcost housing. Lakeshore's economic development officer David Genik said as the industry continues to be "in transition," with global outsourcing causing more and more layoffs, many jobs replacing those in manufacturing will not be as high paying. "The pain we'll feel will cause displacement and probably migration," Genik said. "It's important to understand we will be seeing changes. People will be moving to be closer to their jobs." However, Genik added that the region's 10 per cent unemployment rate is a "powerful attractor for companies." Lakeshore has grown in population from 28,000 to 35,000 in the past seven years, and local workers have been "drunk" on the booming automotive industry for the past decade, Genik said. But as the jobs that come to replace those in the manufacturing industry won't be paying as much, more affordable housing will be necessary, said Derrick Smith, executive director for Habitat for Humanity. Lakeshore's proposed draft official plan, which if passed in June will direct residential and commercial development over the coming years, has outlined that 25 per cent of new housing will be affordable. As a result, development trends in the area will have to drastically change, Smith said. "The first question you have to ask is, if you have to supply for commercial investor prosperity, how do you supply for the employees?" Smith said. "Can workers afford to own homes in the Lakeshore community? If the answer is no or maybe, the reality is, you have a problem." Smith said the town has to get involved and decide to change the commercial and residential environment in order to prevent worker migration. While the official draft plan states that Lakeshore will direct employment and commercial growth in the town, the statements are over-arching and fail to address important questions, Smith said. Some suggestions from the crowd attending the session included making lot Derrick Smith, executive director for Habitat for Humanity, speaks last Thursday during a public information session about the need for affordable housing in Lakeshore. TOWN OF LAKESHORE NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT File Number ZBA-4-2007 (Affecting a Portion of Part of Lots 11 and 12, South Middle Road Concession - 1640 County Road No. 23) TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Lakeshore will hold a public meeting on Monday, April 23rd, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Office in the former Town of Belle River, at 419 Notre Dame Street, to consider a proposed zoning by-law amendment under the provisions of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990. The purpose of the public meeting is to consider an application to amend the Zoning By-law for the former Township of Maidstone, now a portion of the Town of Lakeshore. The subject land is a 25.3 ha (62.67 acre) farm parcel located between Puce Road and County Road No. 23, just south of County Road No. 46. The applicant has received an offer to purchase the farm parcel from R. Willis Ltd., who owns approximately an additional 62.7 ha (155 acres) in the surrounding area. There are two existing dwellings located side by side on the farm along the County Road No. 23 frontage. These dwellings are surplus to the purchaser's farm operation. The applicant was granted a provisional consent (B/002/2007) in January of 2007 to sever both of these dwellings on a 0.24 ha (0.6 acre) lot and 0.4ha (0.98 acre) lot, respectively, which would accommodate the current area of occupation of the residential use. Under the new Provincial Policy Statement it is required that the remaining farmland be rezoned to prohibit any future dwellings. This requirement was added as a condition of the consent and the applicant has subsequently applied for a zoning by-law amendment to satisfy that condition. The effect of the requested amendment is to rezone the retained farm to a special "A, Agricultural"zone to prohibit any future dwellings. ANY PERSON may attend the public meeting and/ or make written or verbal representation either in support of or in opposition to the proposed Zoning By-law amendment. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision of the Council of the Town of Lakeshore in respect of the proposed Zoning By- law amendment does not make oral submission at a public meeting or written submission to the Town of Lakeshore before the proposed Zoning By-law amendment is adopted, then the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board and may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal. If you wish to be notified of the adoption of the proposed Zoning By-law amendment, you must make a written request to the Clerk of the Town of Lakeshore, at the mailing address listed below. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION relating to this matter is available for review at the Municipal Office during regular office hours. We cannot guarantee the exact time the application will be considered by Council as the time varies depending on the number of items on the agenda and the complexity of each application brought forward. sizes smaller or bringing a public transportation system to the town. Converting property of the former Puce Public School into affordable housing units was also an option. "In the end, you can drive this, it doesn't have to be market driven," Smith said. Town of Lakeshore manager of strategic services James Snyder agreed that the next step would be for Habitat for Humanity and Lakeshore Community Services to take their presentation to council. ERCA outlines plans for '07 Six weeks after approving its $13.5 million budget, the Essex Region Conservation Authority's plans for the upcoming year were outlined to Essex town council March 19. Key priorities include protecting and restoring water quality and natural areas, protecting property and lives from flood and erosion, and educating the public about conservation. The province is putting forward 100 per cent of the funding for source water protection projects. After the Walkerton, Ont. crisis of 2000, which resulted in seven deaths and more than 2,300 illnesses caused by the outbreak of waterborne E-coli, the province is now putting more of a focus on protecting water at its source, said ERCA general manager Ken Schmidt. "Source water protection is a crucial priority for us," he said. Schmidt said most local watersheds received an `A' for water quality on ERCA's report card last year. He said efforts will continue to improve surface and groundwater. Schmidt also made the connection between healthy watersheds and healthy Great Lakes, saying ERCA plans to approach the federal government for more funding to be put toward enhancing the quality of those water systems. "The benefits to this region are very important because we've got 102 miles of shoreline," he said. ERCA will also continue to work toward its goal of turning Essex County's 7.5 per cent of forest cover and watersheds into 12 per cent by 2020. The tree planting program, which put 205,000 trees into the ground last year and made ERCA's project one of the most accomplished in the province, will continue in 2007. This year, there are plans for 22 planting projects and ERCA recently approved $100,000 in incentive grants to work with landowners. A regional trails strategy is also in the works, and ERCA will be working with all local municipalities to complete the project by the end of the year. "Partnerships with municipalities, provincial and federal governments and landowners are what helped us be successful," Schmidt told councillors. "Rehab With A Personal Touch." DATED AT THE TOWN OF LAKESHORE THIS 23rd DAY OF MARCH, 2007. MEET THE STAFF __________________________ Mary Masse, Clerk Town of Lakeshore 419 Notre Dame Street BELLE RIVER, Ontario N0R 1A0 (519) 728-2700 ROBERTA WESTON Certified Kinesiologist Roberta graduated with a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education from the University of Toronto. She also has a Sports Injury Management diploma from Sheridan College. Roberta works at the Kingsville clinic, Royal Oak Nursing Home and Harrowood Retirement Home. 375 MAIN STREET EAST, KINGSVILLE 519.733.4008 35 VICTORIA AVENUE, ESSEX 519.776.7222