Page 4, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, June 30. 1993 Limits recoinml i-rended for group homes By Mike Kowalski Town council wants to ensure that no neighbourhood receives an unfair share of group homes or boarding and Iodging houses. Council was expected to have Hotner Flowers homegrown flowers'- nursery quality'- wide selection HANGING...... ..... BASKET... SPECIAL... BOX PLANTS .99 PERENNIALS 1,29 Hwy. 12 North of Brooklin OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 9 arn - 7 pm '- Ample Parking 655-5866 lA M: Whwty7 We won't be knowingly 'g'~ »UNDERSOLDI Our Prices Are As Shown! SNO SURPRISES! endorsed Monday a series of bylaw amendments aimed at regulating the number of group homes and boarding/lodging houses in Whitby. The measures had been appro- ved by council's planning and development committee the pre- vious week. Chief among the recommenda- tions was a stipulation that the minimum distance between group homes and bonrçling/lodg- ing houses be at ieast 120 metres (390 ft.). This wilI provide sufficient opportunity for more of these facilities to be developed in Whitby, while at the samne time ensuring they are not "clustered» in any one area, comrmittee feit. Limits have aIse been placed on the number of persons permit- ted to live in group homes and boarding/lodginghouses. .A review of the 'oylaw govern- ing group homo-s was ordered last Septemb2r after council received a 30-name petition fromn residents in the Reynolds Street area opposed to t he establish- ment of a home for mentally disabled aduits at 501 Dundas St. E. Residents claimed that their neighbourhood was becoming home to too many of these facili- ties, and while most did not object to the concept of group homes, opponents feit restric- tions were needed on the number allowed in one area. Although planning staff were intially directed te examine only group homes, committee expan- ded the revîew in April to in- clude boarding and lodging houses. A group home is dwelling unit accomodating up to 10 persons (exclusive of staff) who live under suervised conditions and is licensedaproved or funded under provincial or federal sta- tute. J3oarding and lodging houses are not regulated by the province or federal government and resi- dents do not necessarily have a common need, as is the situation with group homes. Although not advertised as an officiai public meeting, councillor Ross Batten, committee chair, allowed comments from the audience. Reynolds Street resident Sharon Power noted that in its original proposai, staff recom- mended a 25 0-metre separation between group homes but was now proposmng 60 metres. Planning director Bob Short replied that upon further review staff feit the 250-metre figure was excessive and not necessary te provide adequate distance bet- ween homes. "I disagree, we have two . now on the block and could have three, said Power. Weobjeet because we don't want it clustered,» she said. Power also pointed out that while staff specified a 60-metre distance between two group homes and 60 metres etween twe, boarding/lodging houses, there was no similar require- ment separating a group home from a boarding/lodginghouse. This prompted councillor John Dolstra te propose an amend- ment making the distance at least 200 metres between al three types of facilities. '«Tey shouldn'tbe side by side but separated and put ail over town,» said Doîstra. However Short warned that requiring distanoes greater than 60 metres ma y result in the bylaw being challenged before tie Ontario Municipal-Board. Town policy permits -ou homes and boardinggogingp houses in any properr zoneâ residential area, Short explained. But te put in too severe dis- tance restrictions could limit where «providers of that type of housing can go," Short said. "If you're going te make changes I suggest y ou up it to something quantifiable,» hoe said. "If 250 can be challenged, 60 can ho challenged," said council- lor Dennis Fox. "Why not recognize that and say if it's iring te ho challenged, let's go with 250?» Fox asked. Short said 120 metres would ho a more reasonable distance te, prevent clustering while ensur- ing that new facilities can ho established in areas where -they are now permitted. Councillor Marcel Brunelle said that when the. Ontario government hogan moving people eut of institutions and inte the community in the early 1980s there were not enough homes te adequately house them. «It's taken 10 years for this situation te sort itself eut te, somne sense of normalcy,»hle said. But it.could happen again as the province continues moving in this direction, Brunelle warned. «We have an obligation te, pro- vide housing for these people but we also have te make sure they're not resented by their neighbours," he said. «Sixty metres is net enough, 120 may ho, but there's ne ques- tion that over the next while we will re-visit the problem we had in «83-84. "It's a good bylaw as arnended. We should pass it." HISTORICAL FEATURE in the Whitby Free Press i .What Whitby residonce was floodlit with gas lights on tho first Canada Day. July 1, 1867? 2.Whoro was Whitby's f irst Town hall? 3.Whero are the unmarked graves of fivo victims of a railway crash at Whitby in 1867? 4. Wh en was Wh itby's Leglo n Hall built? 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