While the term ministerial zoning orders (MZOs) might leave a sour taste for some given its association with the Greenbelt scandal, its use for a proposed 455-unit development locally has Midland council 'excited'.
Developers Delbrook Group, represented by Jamie Robinson of MHBC Planning at the recent committee of the whole meeting, had proposed the residential development on Balm Beach Road in 2021 and multiple requests were made to the county and province for a policy addition to Simcoe County’s Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 7.
However, with no decision by the province on OPA 7 as time progressed, Delbrook was left hanging.
According to CEO Mehdi Shafiei, various requisite studies (environmental, archaeological, et cetera) were done on the property in anticipation of development approval, including a partnership with Habitat for Humanity who would potentially receive donated lands for affordable housing.
“(We) request that a report be brought back to staff in the future that considers these lands, and considers a request for (an MZO),” said Robinson, providing details and explaining “why this is a unique situation” worth consideration.
The proposed 455-unit development, located on the south side of Balm Beach Road near the Salvation Army location, was pitched by Robinson as a residential usage mix of apartment townhouses, semi-detached and single-detached units.
“Delbrook is ready to build… and bring homes to Midland,” Robinson summarized.
When asked by council how a municipality played into MZO requests, Robinson said that following the Greenbelt scandal, the province had revisited how MZO approvals were explored.
“The idea is if you have a willing municipality and willing developer – either a residential or employment user come to bring jobs to your community – that everybody's sees there's a clear public interest in the proposal,” said Robinson, “(and) demonstrated that there's no environmental impact associated with it… and there's a clear reason why an MZO was necessary… to advance development and advance housing quickly, I think there's a good prospect of success.”
Members of the committee of the whole expressed support for the request to send the presentation back to staff for a future report.
“I'm excited to see this thing move forward for a whole bunch of reasons and I personally believe – for what that's worth – that your company has the integrity to follow through on what it’s saying," Mayor Bill Gordon said. "And you’re not sending any of the traditional signals of land bankers, or people that have no interest on moving forward on development.”
Following the meeting, Gordon told MidlandToday that the request “checked all the boxes” for MZO approval, including adhering to the province’s growth plan and providing affordable housing.
“It is a good intent, and like any tool you can't pull it out of your toolbox and use it indiscriminately,” said Gordon.
The MZO request and presentation for 565 Balm Beach Road, including slides and correspondence, is available in the council agenda on the town of Midland website.
Council meetings are held every third Wednesday, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53 when available, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.