The Built-In BBQ Affect

I've just read an interesting on-line book review, 'Gentrification and Its Discontents' (click to view).

The reviewer comments on - what I feel - are important issues related to Seguin's on-going cultural transition. In the following excerpt, I sense the cottager/resident dynamic in our rural setting partially described in terms of classic urban village gentrification...

'[H]ow the working class was driven out of the West Village, as gentrifiers like Jacobs drove up assessed values and rents. Progressive, reformist city planners, supported by seemingly most of the Village’s blue-collar residents, favored a relatively low-impact urban-renewal scheme to build hundreds of below-market-rate homes in the neighborhood—a plan Jacobs and a group of largely affluent residents successfully fought on the grounds that it would destroy the area’s character. Whatever the merits of the opposing positions, one of the proponents of renewal was surely prophetic in arguing in 1961, “If the Village area is left alone … eventually the Village will consist solely of luxury housing This trend is already quite obvious and would itself destroy any semblance of the Village that [Jacobs and her allies] seem so anxious to preserve.”'

It's a case of opposites, certainly: New York vs. Seguin. Fundamental change is the common feature.

This leads to a thought: the Seguin transitional zone, in close orbit to supernova Muskoka, may see a progressive destruction of the cultural heritage which status quo advocates profess to adore. Fundamental economic forces (increasing real estate turnover) will alter the way things are. If the population level remains the same - low tolerance for land severance, steep new building costs - the cost of property ownership and assessments rise and rise.

It comes down to the draw of attractive North Muskoka (aka Sequin) as a relatively low entry to cottage country and resultant, rising assessment values. Objectively, Seguin is a good investment for future appreciation in land value. Case in point: someone purchases a WWII era bungalow lot, renovate up and over the original structure with a faux timber frame look, add a great room, and a backyard kitchen with built-in BBQ. Then flip it for a big profits. Repeat.

Such is the way of real estate things. It's a heavenly or hellish vision of the future of Seguin depending on your perspective. Rising property values is good as an investment if you can handle the high entry costs. Or, it's bad if you're a young working family that wants to get on the property ladder. Like the working class of certain New York neighbourhoods, the inflow of moneyed property redecorators may slowly drive out local working families.

I'm just tossing ideas around. Though it's important to consider.

Surely, the road to hell is paved with built-in BBQs.

The Municipal Councillor's Guide & Offical Plan Analysis

To better understand the duties of a municipal councillor, I downloaded an on-line version of the Ontario provincial government's publication, The Municipal Councillor's Guide (click for link).

It's a good 76 page read containing an overview of what a councillor should know and points to further readings.

My recent interest in the content of Seguin's Official Plan and the Questionnaire used as an input to its development (see previous post) is touched on in the guide. I discovered that a municipal council and planning department is not required to do exhaustive public consultation in either developing or reviewing official plans.

Here's an excerpt from The Municipal Councillor's Guide (p. 51):

When preparing an official plan, municipalities must inform the public and give people an opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions. For example, council must hold at least one public meeting before the plan is adopted. A special meeting open to the public, prior to the public meeting, is also required for a five year official plan review.

In effect, nothing even close to a mail-in questionnaire is required by the province for Seguin official plan development or review. Taking this to an absurd level of compliance, councillors could be listening to their iPods, playing video games while constituents "voice their concerns and opinions" during the single, proscribed public meeting.

So, my brief analysis of Seguin's Official Plan Questionnaire is that it was more than what the Province of Ontario requires of council to consider as public input for creating an official plan. I leave it to the reader to judge the merits of the Questionnaire.

Seguin's Official Plan: The Questionnaire

Here's the scan (as promised) of Seguin's Official Plan Questionnaire sent to Seguin landowners in 2004. The Questionnaire is eight pages in total. Click the images for a larger view (so you can actually read it).

After the questionnaire, I include scans of the 'Official Plan Survey Overview' (four pages) dated Jan. 2005 as provided to me by the Seguin planning department on March 17th, 2010.

My next post will include my brief analysis of both the Questionaire and the Results Overview.


SEGUIN'S OFFICIAL PLAN QUESTIONNAIRE:

page 1

page 2

page 3

page 4

page 5

page 6

page 7

page 8

SEGUIN'S OFFICIAL PLAN SURVEY OVERVIEW:

page 1

page 2

page 3

page 4

Seguin's Official Plan: The Vision

After reading Seguin's Official Plan - the document which guides council on policy decision - two important points struck me:

(1) The 'vision' which determined the content of the Official Plan was based on a questionnaire presented by Seguin's planning department to Seguin landowners for plan input. This is a quote from the first section, A.1, of the Official Plan:

The residents of the Township were given the opportunity to provide their input into the planning process by completing a questionnaire covering a broad range of issues from water quality to future development. The Township’s residents responded in incredible fashion, with a return rate of over 31%. The Vision for the Township of Seguin and for this Plan is a result of that input [emphasis mine. The next Seguin One blog post will display Seguin's 'Official Plan Questionnaire' in full with results included -BP].

(2) The final requirement of the Official Plan is section F.8 entitled, 'Official Plan Review Process'. Here's section F.8 in its entirety:

F.8 OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW PROCESS

The assumptions, objectives and policies of this Plan shall be reviewed at least
once every five years at a meeting of Council, which shall be advertised in
accordance with the Planning Act, as amended.

The five-year review shall consist of an assessment of:

a) the effectiveness of the Plan in protecting water quality, natural and
cultural heritage resources, natural resources and habitat and the general environment within the Township;

b) the continuing relevance of the vision that forms the basis of all policies found in this Plan [emphasis mine -BP];

c) the degree to which the objectives of this Plan have been met; Township of Seguin Official Plan F-16 October 22, 2007

d) the amount and location of lands available for urban development;

e) whether the Township has realized a desirable balance of commercial and industrial assessment in relation to residential assessment;

f) the Township's role within the District and its relationship with other municipalities;

g) development trends in the District and their effect on development in the Township; and,

h) the nature of any Province-wide planning initiatives and their implications
on the Township of Seguin.

i) regard to provincial interests under Section 2 of the Planning Act, as
amended from time to time, and, consistency with the Provincial Policy
Statement, 2005, as amended or revised from time to time.

So, contained within Seguin's Official Plan is (A.1) the source of the Official Plan, and (F.8) the requirement for its review of the relevance of the founding vision as determined by the questionnaire.