150909 Development MINTOWN OF TILLSONBURG DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
MINUTES
DATE:
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
TIME:
7:30 AM
LOCATION:
10 Lisgar Ave – Board Room, Customer Service Centre
Committee Members in Attendance: Mike Bossy, Lisa Gilvesy, Councillor Jim Hayes, Kirby Heckford, Lindsay Morgan, Scott McLean, Mayor Stephen Molnar (Departed at 8:50 AM), Ashton Nembhard,
Randy Thornton, Cedric Tomico (Arrived 7:49 AM), John Veldman (Departed 8:13 AM)
Staff Present: David Calder (Departed at 8:50 AM), Cephas Panschow
Regrets: Andrew Burns, Jesse Goossens, Steve Spanjers,
Call to Order
Meeting was called to order at 7:32 AM.
Adoption of Agenda
Addition of Proposed Trail System Expansion added as item 8 (a)
L. Gilvesy – 1st
R. Thornton – 2nd
“Carried”
Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest
None
Adoption of Minutes of May 12, 2015
K. Heckford – 1st
L. Gilvesy – 2nd
“That the Minutes of August 11, 2015 be approved.”
“Carried”
Business Arising from the Minutes:
253 Broadway – A complete application has been received by the Town and circulated for comments, which are due by September 16, 2015. The ground floor will comprise commercial space,
while the remainder of the building will contain 20 residential apartment units. Construction will start once/if approvals are secured.
Standing Items
Community Strategic Plan
A public Town Hall session is being planned for this fall with the purpose of updating the community on action to date as well as solicit feedback.
Post-Secondary Education
Further to the draft analysis provided at the last meeting, staff has circulated the survey to agricultural contacts through SCOR as well as the Town’s internal distribution list. If
having trouble securing responses from agricultural producers, consider asking accountants and commercial bankers to complete on behalf of their agricultural clients. The final report
will be brought forward at the next meeting.
Suggestion to consider a repurposed Lion’s Den room at the Community Centre for a publically available training room. Also, being considered through the New Town Hall Task Force.
Tillsonburg Hydro Inc
Meetings were held at the recent AMO Conference and Tillsonburg’s concerns with were well received with recognition of the barriers Tillsonburg faces with respect to future demand and
implementing Conservation Demand Management (CDM) programs.
D. Calder to circulate presentation and letter provided to minister.
Highway 3 Business Park development issue was also brought forward at AMO and the Town now has a direct conduit through the Minister of Transportation.
New Business
Review of Draft Community Improvement Plan
Planner reviewed the draft elements of the Financial Incentive Programs. The document was requested to be as comprehensive as possible to start with the one exception being for Development
Charge rebates, which were removed from this document as applicability was not clear in the previous program and rebates would impact the Town/County’s ability to invest in needed infrastructure.
Also, as Town’s portion of the development charge is relatively small, the impact of a rebate of the Town’s portion would be lessened.
It was confirmed that there has been no consideration so far regarding a change in the boundaries. Suggestion to make the entire Town subject to the program and restrict applicability
to industrial, commercial and multi-residential uses through zoning.
Some concern about impact of development charges on multi-use residential as per one example given, these charges were approaching $100,000 for a $500,000 investment. Is this competitive
in the marketplace?
Plan is to finalize internally and then circulate to the Ontario government by the end of September with a final version being brought back to Council in October.
Planning to circulate map of existing or potential brownfield sites.
Economic Development Update
Trail Expansion
A.Nembhard provided overview of proposed trail expansion between Tillsonburg and Springford and Tillsonburg and Delhi. There are economic and tourism benefits associated with trails
and committee may want to consider supporting this expansion.
An update was provided that Norwich had reconsidered their commitment and had voted to not partner with the County and Town.
The total cost of the trail extension is an estimated $870,000, with $510,000 in funding being secured in the form of grants from the Trans Canada Trail and Pan Am Games Legacy Funding
of $310,000 and $200,000 respectively. Budgeting maintenance cost of $2,000 per kilometer or $45,000/year.
No further action required.
9) Liaison Updates
Departmental Reports
None.
Tillsonburg District Chamber of Commerce
No update.
Downtown Business Improvement Association
Two façade applications have been approved (Pedlar’s Quay, Sunnyside Kitchens) for grant funding under the Façade Improvement Program. Prior to approvals there was $73,000 in funding
available and with these approvals factored in there is $53,000 remaining.
Christmas Crawl is the next promotion planned for Friday, December 4. Santa Claus parade is planned for November 21, 2015.
Tillsonburg District Real Estate Board
Market has been strong in July and August.
Physician Recruitment/Oxford Physician Recruitment
Committee for county has been established as the region needs an estimated 26 physicians. www.PracticeinOxford.ca will be available shortly and is tied into www.WorkinOxford.ca and
Tourism Oxford so provides a comprehensive selling presence online.
Roundtable
J. Veldman - Request to discuss the opportunity for a future Town Hall facility to be multi-use at a future meeting.
A.Nembard – Requested an overview of Town budget process as part of Economic Development budget update in the future.
L. Gilvesy indicated that they are now a fibre customer through the RapidFibre/PacketWorks service.
Staff advised that, as recommended by this committee, an online targeted marketing campaign had been initiated for the residential attraction/Discover Tillsonburg and should be active
shortly.
Date of Next meeting – Poll Committee on either October 6 or 14
Adjournment
K. Heckford moved that the meeting be adjourned at 9:13 AM.