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c economist sunlstouffville tribune the environment saturday march 112000 3 is kings future full of development while residents fear unbridled development mayor margaret black says the plan is in place for controlled growth critics say pipe is no answer to septic woes byjoanransberry staff writer king city is asking questions now that the path is clear for the big pipe to come to the little town residents are asking will it mean unbridled growth since king city sits on the oak ridges moraine will it eventually spell disaster for the much cherished moraine will it solve the towns healththreatening sewage prob lem or will the pipe have little effect on anyone in king city one thing is certain king city took note tuesday when the ontario municipal board omb ruled in favour of the township over the controversial secondary plan for the king city lands the decision to approve the plan means the yorkdurham sewage system known as the big pipe is on its way and could be in town in two years margaret black mayor says the omb decision helps community control growth mayor margaret black is thrilled with the ombs 28page ruling delivered by omb chair person ronald emo its taken 11 years said black the medical officer of health reported a terrible prob lem this looks after it the issue has been all the talk in king city its been hashed over in restaurants in donut shops hair salons and of course in local garages jerry goliszek owns king city service centre on keele street he knows king city its his place of business and its been home for 30 years goliszek doesnt mind admitting at this stage in life he wants a small quiet place to live the hookup to the system may be better for the environ ment but i worry that king city will end up like maple or richmond hill said goliszek under the government process explosive and immedi ate development is simply not possible a developer cant pull into town and start digging holes in the ground for houses stressed township planner stephen kitchen king city is not about to resemble maple the mayor said king citys current population of about 5000 is set to climb to 10000 over 20 years and to 12000 in 25 years as set out in the secondary plan this is not outofcontrol growth said black who was raised in king township when i was a little girl about 300 people lived in king city today there are 5000 thats a far larger percentage of increase than what is being proposed for the next 25 years she added while some continue to argue the point the pipe size itself will restrict the number of users fur ther protecting king city from massive growth said black gord orr knows king city inside out and backwards hes called the town home since 1949 orr acknowledges that a contam ination problem was identified by regional health officials some areas of king city need this sewer system said orr but not everyone needs it its got its pros but its got its cons too with this big pipe kingcity will open up like maple that could happen if the elected representatives go against the people the omb decision noted opponents to the plan fear urban sprawl creeping inexorably toward king city from the abut ting communities of maple in vaughan and oak ridges in richmond hill elizabeth howson a profes- sional landuse planner told the hearing that the plan contains appropriate policies to protect the unique character of king city the valleys of the east humber river and its tributaries create king citys unique natural environment said howson this significant natural heritage fea ture is augmented by lowdensity development featuring large detached homes howson fur ther pointed out king city is now free to accept low- and mediumdensity devel opment in its environmentally first plan some 37 per cent of lands are classified environmen tal giving the further protection staff photorob alary jerry goliszek who owns king city service centre says he wants a small and quiet place to live from overdevelopment king city resident jill robin is not laying out the welcome mat for the big pipe this is going to destroy the village said robin a resident for 18 years im moving out were going to turn out like maple richmond hill and newmarket council is letting it happen king city is represented by ward 1 councillor jane underhill while not surprised with the omb ruling underhill is very dis appointed this was politically manipulated in my opinion said underhill once the pipe amves it will open up the flood gates to devel opment underhill insists underhill fought long and hard against the move to have the big pipe come to king city with virtually no support from her col leagues on council underhill fought alone my hands were tied i am only one voice said underhill it was frustrating throughout the win ners are the developers the losers are the environment and this township hookup to the big pipe will cost the average homeowner in king city between 9800 and 13600 black plans to send a let ter to all king city homeowners explaining the process including its cost as well residents will be informed that help will be avail able for hardship cases black added one of the duties of a local council is to look after planning matters black pointed out establishing a plan which includes approving the big pipe is about guiding king city toward a rational way of handling growth away from an inconsis tent jumble of sporadic and not always inspired residential and commercial development that has occurred in both king township and our surrounding municipalities the mayor said living in one of the quaintest parts of king city burton grove residents prefer the status quo you couldnt find a better place to live than here said verdi venchiarutti once the big pipe arrives development will follow venchiarutti said i have no doubt there will be development i think big money controls councils today the developers not us have the money the democratic process was served well throughout the handling ofthis issue said ward 2 councillor alf budweth local ratepayers including environmentalists formed the coalition group king city preserve the village and appealed to the omb to reverse the council decision approving the planning document the hearing got under way in midnovember and dragged on until the end of january it cost the town 350000 the citizens group 150000 bymikeadler staff writer king city has leaking septic systems but hooking the village to the big pipe is not the answer some king township resi dents argued this week a local stand alone sewage system can solve the septic problem and control growth for the community on the oak ridges moraine say critics of this weeks ontario municipal board decision autho rizing an extension of the pipe to king city omb member ronald emo who released the 28page ruling told partici pants early in the hearing that he consid ered arguments about alternative systems beyond the boards jurisdiction and later added they were essentially hearsay developers on the moraine in places such as richmond hill and uxbridge have argued replacing aging septics with a trunk sewer brings a net environmental benefit to the area most residents believed something had to be done about leaking septics said nola burbidge chairperson of concerned citizens of king township but we want ed it to be a communal system in 1997 york region medical officer of health dr helena jaczek said 146 king city septics had malfunctioned since 1988 and speculated many more had been repaired secretly by residents the region also noted unacceptable levels of ecoli bacte ria in the east humber river dorothy izzard a resident who repre sented save the oak ridges moraine at the hearing doubted a sewage hookup would improve the quality of the east humber any sewage leakage to the river was minimal if there was any in his decision emo noted a some what grudging acceptance that there is a problem with septic systems in the older part of the community and that hydroge- ological experts agreed that some 17 per cent of king citys septic systems were malfunctioning no list of failing septic systems was produced at the hearing said bob martin ofkettleby mary bromley of nobleton alert noted the community of nobleton unlike king city has been promised a local system theres a terrible lack of imagination around these days she said the record is that unfettered development follows the yorkdurham pipe a ffl 1 ntnrmmrmrifm wmmim chrysler jeep j 8280 w oodbine ave markham s 0 c e c hi r highway 7 south of hwy 7 west side 9054152260 407 401 to all stou peace of mind driving inspection i tjre rotation y suspension inspectioj i brake inspection electrical system cooling system inspection check levels exhaust system inspection- plus much more plus road test bmmm