Niagara Region’s Gr Greenbelt eenbelt Plan an Revie iew Community Consultation Round Two April 2013 Welcome! 1
Niagara Region’s Greenbelt Gr eenbelt Plan an Revie iew Community Consultation Round Two April 2013 An OVERVIEW: Intent Process What We Heard Benefits Challenges/Obstacles Opportunities for Change Hearing From You Did we capture your perspectives? Expanding on Opportunities for Change 2
Niagara Region’s Greenbelt Gr eenbelt Plan an Revie iew Community Consultation Forum #2 April 2013 Agenda Welcome and Introductions (10 minutes) Overview Presentation (30 minutes) Roundtable Discussions (90 minutes) 2 x 40 minute discussions focussed on “Opportunity” areas Reporting Back (30 minutes) Next Steps (10 minutes) 3
Project oject Intent ent Goal: Go l: Through ough community munity consultation ultation and engagement agement with h a diverse se range ge of Niagara gara stak akeh eholder olders, s, esta tabli lish sh an inform rmed ed perspecti spective e of the Gr Greenb eenbelt elt Plan an as applied lied to the Region ion of Ni Niagara gara Out utcom ome: e: A comprehensive report that articulates Niagara’s current issues and oppor ortuniti tunities es relat ated ed to Greenbelt enbelt Plan n implemen lementa tation tion that at will l inf nform rm the 2015 Provincial vincial review 4
Host sting ing a Di Dialog alogue ue Niagara Ni ara Stak akeholder holders Region ion Urban Ur n Work rkin ing g The Elect cted ed Strat rategies egies Group Public ic Officials cials Inc. 5
Key Stu tudy y Compon ponents ents • Understand current Greenbelt Plan issues and challenges Prepare for the 2015 Provincial review of the Greenbelt Plan • • Consult stakeholder groups, elected officials and the public using a broad set of engagement techniques • Engage with the Greenbelt Working Group throughout the study process Produce a summary document with clear recommendations and • opportunities 6
Round und On One: e: Who we e met met Over r 200 p people ple parti ticipat cipated ed Focus us Gr Groups ups: Agricultur culture (2), Planni ning ng, , Natural ral Herita tage ge, , Developm pment nt and Natural ural Resour urces, es, Economi mic Developm pment/ ent/Touri urism Comm mmun unit ity y Meetin eting Green enbelt elt Elect cted d Officials ials Over r 25 W Work rkbooks books returned/ eturned/em email ail comments ments receiv eived ed 0ver 60 respon ponses ses were also o receiv ived ed throug ugh h an online ine survey Lett etter ers: : Onta tario o Grape Growers, s, Tender erfr frui uit Producer cers, s, NOTL TL Agricu cultu tural al Ad Advisor isory Commi mmitt ttee ee and ot other ers 7
Places aces We Vi e Visi sited: ed: Mar arch ch 12 si site e tour urs Places aces We Vi e Visi sited ed Lake e Gibson on, , Fonth onthill l Ka Kame me, , Rice e Road, d, NOTL TL farm farm draina inage ge sy syst stem em, , farm farm on Thirty ty Road, d, West st Grimsb msby, , First st Stree eet t Sit ite Tour ur of March 20, 2013 Lake e Gibson son, , Thor orold old Fon onth thill ill Ka Kame Rice e Road, d, Pelham am NOTL TL fa farm rm drain/ n/irr irrig igat ation ion system em West st Grimsb msby Farm rm on Thirty ty Road d out utsi side de Smith thville ville First st Stree reet, t, St Catha harine ines 8
Ob Obse servations ations In n Ni Niagar ara, , there ere are a br broad ad range nge of perspectiv spectives es Many commo mon n messa ssages ges and Some me differing ering opinion nions We have tried ied to capture ture the range ge of ideas, s, input ut and perspec spectiv tives es to creat ate an overall rall picture ture of the Greenbelt enbelt Plan n in Niagara Ni gara 9
Ob Obse servations ations Some me issue ues s are relat ated ed to bu but are br broader der than n the Gr Greenbe enbelt lt: : • ret etiremen ment t lot ots, s, setb etback ack provisi sions ons , agricul ultu tural viability ility, resp spec ect t for privat ate e property ty, taxat ation ion BUT Can Greenbelt enbelt be a pilot/ t/inn innovat ator? or? Can the dist stin inct ct nature ure of the Tender der Fruit it and Grape pe Area a be furth ther er dist stingu inguished ished as an irre replac placeable eable agric icult ultural ural resour ource e and dist stinc inct t in its s charact acter? er? 10
Ob Obse servations ations For Niagara Region’s Greenbelt Review process we propose to focus on Comm mmen ents ts/Op Oppor portunities tunities that at fall into o 3 c categories: egories: es to Greenbelt eenbelt Pl Plan an Policies licies • Chang nges n interpre pretat tation ion or • Chang nges es to Green enbelt elt Plan ap application lication (inclu ncluding ding na natural ural heritage itage mapping) ping) at of the 2015 5 Pr Provin vincial cial • S Structu ructure/f re/form ormat Green enbelt belt Pl Plan an Revie view w process cess 11
What t we he e heard Benef Be nefits ts • Prot otects ects and d is a s symb mbol ol of green en space e prot otecti ection on • Places es the e great atest est form rm of prot otecti ection on on speci cialty alty crop lands • Provide ides policy cy su suppor ort t to limit t outw utward d growth wth/w /whe here re growth wth shou ould ld not t take e place • Impr mproves es mana nagem gement nt of growth wth and devel elopme opment/en nt/encourages courages infill ill and highe her r densit nsity y developme elopment nt to growth wth areas as 12
What t we he e heard d Benef Be nefits ts • Increa crease ses s awarene reness ss of issues ues affecti cting ng rur ural and agricultura ultural l comm mmuni niti ties es • Increa crease sed d pub ublic c sup uppor ort t for fa farmer mers s mark rkets ts and local l food od initiativ iatives es • Increase creased d tour urism and econo onomic mic developme elopment nt oppor ortu tunities nities 13
What t we he e heard Obsta Ob tacl cles/C es/Challenges hallenges TH THEMES EMES FAILURE URE TO ADDRES RESS S AGRI RICU CULTURAL TURAL VIABILI BILITY LACK OF FLEXIBI BILITY CONFLI FLICT T BETWEEN EN OBJECTIV ECTIVES LACK OF TRANSPARE ARENCY CY MAPPI PING NG ISSUES UES LACK OF AWARENES ENESS TOO O MANY LAYERS RS INEQU QUIT ITY Y AND LA LACK OF FAIRNES RNESS IMPACT CT ON GROWTH TH 14
What t we he e heard d - Ob Obst stacles/Challeng cles/Challenges es FAILURE E TO ADDRES RESS AGRICUL ICULTURAL TURAL VIABILIT LITY Does s not ot suppo port t the viability ability of fa farming ing. Setback etback requir quireme ement nts have limited ed the abilit ity of fa farmer mers s to expand and fa farming ing operati tions ons or make e best st use of agricu cultu tural al land. . Need for additi tion onal al oppor ortu tunit itie ies s for value ue added ed agricul ultu ture. Failure e to promot ote e and /or underst stand nd agricul cultu ture e as a busin iness ess and industr ustry. Loss of infrastr struct ucture e like CanGr Gro is a signal al of lack of Provinci ncial al commi mmitme tment nt. 15
What t we he e heard d - Ob Obst stacles/Challeng cles/Challenges es LACK K OF F FL FLEXIBILIT ITY Applie ies s a “One size fits all” approach. ch. Need for r more re flexib xibilit ity to re reflect ect place e specif cific ic conditi ditions ons. Negat ativ ive e conseq seque uences nces of the mappin ing g of the natural ural heritage age systems ems. Inabil ility ty to expan and fa farmin ing g operat ations ons. Lack of flexib xibilit ity in dealin ing g with h legal non-co conf nformin orming g commer mercia cial uses s that are re no longer ger in use. Limited ed flexib xibil ilit ity in severi ering ng and creati ting ng new fa farm m parcel els. Inabi abilit ity to accommod ommodat ate communi munity ty services ices. Lack of recour urse se for polici cies es or an appeals s process. ess. 16
What t we he e heard d - Ob Obst stacles/Challeng cles/Challenges es CONFL FLICT ICT BETWE WEEN N OBJECTI TIVES VES Natural ural heritage age prot otecti ection n takes es precedence dence over agricul cultu tural al obje jecti ctives. es. Confl flict ict bet etween een agricu cultu ture e and tourism ism. Conflict nflict bet etween een natura ural herita tage ge and natural al resour urce ce (aggr gregat egates) es) objecti ectives. es. Envir iron onmen menta tal restrict iction ions are eroding ng the agricu cultu tural al land base se and agricultural cultural viabi abilit ity. 17
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