PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1980, WHITBY FREE PRESS Agreement to be signed after six years By MICHAEL KNELL Free Press Staff After six years of debate and controversy, the Whitby Town Council has decided the fate of the proposed ex- pansion of Brooklin. At a special meeting of council that was held Mon- day night, a development agreement and an official plan draft amendment has been approved and the way is now clear, should similiar blessings be given by Durham Regional Coun- cil and Ontario Minister of Housing Claude Bennett, for the village to grow to a town of 10,000 persons. Whitby Mayor Jim Gar- TYPEWRITERS, & SERVICE ALL MAKES DANFORTH TYPEWRITER. 0 Rentals, Sales& Service1 408 Dundas St reet WVest 2940 Danforth Ave Whitby Toronto 666-1131 est. 930 698-2589- tshore, a long time suppor- ter of the expansion scheme, described that process that led to Monday's decision as a "mammoth undertaking." However, if the region or the minister reject the proposal, Brooklin will become a dead issue. It has taken this long for "the developer to come up with an agreement that the council could accept," Gar- tshore said. The mayor said that ap- proval of these two items (the development agreement and the official plan amendment) will open, the door for negotiations to bring about a subdivision agreement prior to the ac- tual commencement of con- struction. $3 million for sewers Gartshore said that the agreement offers several advantages to the town and the region, they both stand to gain financially. A promise has been exac- ted from the developers, Gartshore said, that will see him pay to extend sewers and water lines into the existing'residential areas of Brooklin. The estimated cost for ex- tending the..water lines is $600,000 while the extension of sanitary sewers is expec- ted to cost $3 million. Gartshore said that the region would have to do this work through the issueing of debentures which would cost the regional taxpayer three times more. The developer will also pay for the reconstruction and repair of all roads that are torn up to put in these municipal services to the standards set for them by the local governments. During the period of con- struction, the developer will also pay 50 per cent of the costs on all other road projects that are undertaken by the town in the develop- ment area. Gartshore also said that the developer must provide the town with an "irrevokable" letter of credit to ensure that he fulfills his part of the agreement. Industry a must the developers, led by Consolidated Building Com- pany, must also have con- structed 350,000 square feet of industrial buildings (ex- cluding warehouses) by the end of the eight year of the ten year development period. This development will be stagged over the life of the agreement. Should the developer not fulfill the stagging of the agreement, Gartshore said that he will lose his right to build houses. "If he doesn't keep his agreement on that (the schedule industrial con- struction) then he can't build his houses," Gartshore said adding that the town will withhold all building permits until the situation is corrected. Lot levies The Town of Whitby will also receive $200 for each of the proposed 2,000 houses, above.and beyond the lot levies that the developer must pay. Lot levies imposed by the town are $2,350 for a single dwelling and $1,350 for every unit in an apartment building. The extra $200 will be used "to help defray any extra costs that may be incurred," Garshore said. He also said that the levies will be indexed starting next year and that the levies will come up with the Southam Construction Index. The SCI shows the ups and downs of construction costs. However, the developer must pay a minimum lot levy, equal to that which existed on May 1, no matter what happens to the index. "They are locked in, regardless of what happens, to at least what they pay now," Gartshore said. The town will also receive a good portion of its lot' levies "up front" according to the mayor. "He is committed to a minimum of 20 per cent of the total estimated lot levies" prior to the signing of a subdivision agreement, he said. "That's before we (the town) spent a cent," Gar- tshore said. The developer will also pay 50 per cent of the cost of repairing Columbus Road between Ashburn Road and Thickson Road where he has lands for development He will pay 25 per cent of the costs for repairing the rest of Columbus road as well as the repair of Ashburn Road. Parks Gartshore said that the town is still negotiating with the developer over the amount of park land that he must give to the town. The town wants four acres of land for every 1,000 people (which is what the Ontario Planning Act requires) plus 16 acres that the Brooklin Spring Fair is held on. The company wants that 16 acres to be included in the mandatory park allottment. Balanced growth Gartshore said that there will be on subdivision agreement that will be divided into as many as five areas,~each to be done one at a time. He also said that the developer must have 75 per cent of the first area com- pleted before he can start on the second. The agreement calls for 250 units to be built in the fir- st year of the development, 300 in the second year, 275 in the third and fourth year, and 200 to be built each year until the eight year period is completed. However, the developer cannot build more houses in Brooklin, in any given year, than have been built in the part of whitby south of 'Rossland Road. For example, if in the third year of the project, only 100 houses are built south of Rossland Road, then only 100 can be built in Brooklin regardless of the terms of the subdivision agreement. Gartshore said that this should give adequate protec- tion to development in the southern part of town. "No growth here, then you're going to · have problems up there", he said. Gartshore also said that the first 550 homes to be built in Brooklin must have a 70 foot frontage. (The town's current policy calls for a frontage of 50 feet.) This is to answer concerns that the Brooklin expansion will be in direct competition with development south of Rossland Road. "He's just not going to be in competition with the south," Gartshore said. "We're trying to eliminate. concerns about competition down here." 1982 start up The agreement also states that construction shall not begin before September 1, 1982 even if regional coun- cil's and the minister's ap- proval is given before then. Gartshore said that the town will not issue a building permit before that date and even before they do, the ser- vices must be installed. The developers "can't build unless he has all the servies installed," Gar- tshore said, adding that they must also pay for all engineering and legal fees the town incurs while working on the project. The agreement also gives a tight time schedule for the developer to adhere to, in- cluding one for the signing of a subdivision agreement. "The subdivision agreement shall be executed within two years of receiving the approval of the Minister of Housing," Gar- tshore said. Should approval not be given by the two higher levels of government either the town or the developer cont'd on pg. 10