Author: opsfr

Orchard Park Sherwood Forest Neighbourhood Association is a London, Ontario, Canada based neighbourhood organization serving the Orchard Park and Sherwood Forest areas of London. The area is approximately bounded on the west by Wonderland Road, Sarnia Road on the South, Gainsborough Road to the North, the University of Western Ontario and the Medway Valley.

Analysis of park space for Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest neighborhood

As a follow-up to a meeting between the Orchard Park Sherwood Forest Ratepayers Executive, Councillor Nancy Branscombe, and Ross Fair, Executive Director, Community Services Department for the City of London, regarding the potential loss of the green space adjacent to Sherwood Forest Public School, the Ratepayers received an analysis of park space for the entire neighborhood. Highlights are:

Taken as a whole, the Orchard Park-Sherwood Forest community (bounded by Gainsborough, Wonderland, Sarnia Roads and the Medway Valley/Ramsey Road/Brescia Lane) meets the established standards for parkland….

There is an argument to be made for the addition of active park infrastructure (e.g. pathways, play structure) in this community. Currently, no investments dollars are on the horizon for at least the next 5 years. Although current city properties are not ideal locations, such investments are possible, provided consent of local neighbours. Acquisition of new lands, is not necessarily required for these purposes.

The full analysis is available here.

Brescia is applying for a land use change and rezoning

Brescia is applying for a land use change and rezoning of the south side of Ramsay Road for parking! The application includes all of Brescia’s land on the west side of Brescia Lane from Ramsay Road to Sarnia Road, although it appears at this time that only the treed area between Ramsay and Brescia’s maintenance building is proposed to be paved and lighted for parking.

The process is that the planner will gather comments and write a report to City Council`s Built and Natural Environment Committee. A date for the public meeting where the application will be considered will be advertised in the Living in London section of the Free Press and the City’s web site.

Concerns and questions should be addressed by September 30th to the city planner, Michael Tomazincic, whose contact information appears below.

1285 Western Road (southwest portion) on the lands immediately to the west of Brescia Lane, south of Ramsay Road. The purpose and effect of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments is to permit the relocation of the existing parking lot, currently located on the north side of Ramsay Road, to the subject site and to recognize the existing Physical Plant, Administration Offices, and ESL School Administration Offices as conforming land uses. Possible amendment to the Official Plan by amending Schedule A – Land Use – FROM Low Density Residential TO Regional Facility. Possible amendment to the Zoning By-law Z.-1 FROM a Residential R1 (R1-10) Zone which permits one Single Detached dwelling TO a Regional Facility (RF) Zone which permits: Adult secondary schools; Churches; Commercial parking structures and/or lots; Commercial schools; Community colleges; Day care centres; Elementary schools; Emergency care establishments; Group Home Type 2; Hospitals; Institutional uses; Libraries; Nursing homes; Private schools; Recreational buildings; Secondary schools; Stadia; Supervised residences; and, Ancillary residential and/or hostels and accommodations, together with permitted uses in this zone.
File: OZ-7955 Planner: Michael Tomazincic, mtomazin@london.ca, 519-661-2500 ext 4693

Please note: Comments and opinions submitted on these matters, including the originator’s name and address, become part of the public record, may be viewed by the general public and may be published in a Planning Report and Council Agenda. If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the City of London before the application is adopted or approved, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision of the Municipal Council or the Approval Authority of the City of London to the Ontario Municipal Board. If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the City of London before the proposed amendment is adopted or approved, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Municipal Board unless, in the opinion of the Board, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you wish to view additional information or material relating to these applications, the files are available to the public at the Planning Division, 206 Dundas Street, Monday to Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. Key maps for the lands described in these applications are not provided as they are available for review at the offices noted above.
*Please ensure you reference the File Number or address in all communications.

Update on new Brescia residence

We have received from the city a copy of Brescia’s plans for its new residence and dining pavilion. There are three documents: the site plan, a close-up of the site plan, and the comments from the city to date.

The present plan does not call for a change to the use of the treed area on the south side of Ramsay Road. There will be additional parking on the east side of Brescia Lane and next to Brescia’s existing “lower” parking lot towards Western Road. There will be a lighted bike and pedestrian pathway built that will start from the new service entrance off Ramsay Road and wrap around the north side of the Brescia property to link up with Brescia’s driveway on the east side. Pedestrian access straight through the campus will still be possible.

No public meeting before any committee of City Council is required for this project. Any questions should be sent to the following:

Sheila Blagrave
Director of Communications, Marketing and External Relations
519-432-8353 ext. 28293
sblagrav@uwo.ca

July 2011 Updates

Seniors Community Association invitation

Adults 55 and older in our neighbourhood are invited to discussion groups hosted by the Seniors Community Association and to learn about the Connecting London Seniors project. All are welcome to attend at the Sherwood Forest Library on either Thursday, July 28th at 10 a.m. or Wednesday, Aug. 3rd at 1:30 p.m. Space is limited, so you must register in advance by contacting Jean Knight, 519-963-4567.

Jean Knight – Project Coordinator
Seniors Community Association
Office: 519.963.4567
Cell: 519.615.9366
http://www.scalondon.ca

Update on widening of Sarnia Road from Wonderland to Sleightholme

Although this project has been pushed off to 2019 by the city for financial reasons, the city council decided it best to complete the Environmental Assessment. The Ratepayers have yet to receive notification as to when the final report will be filed on the public record as required under Provincial legislation. Usually, we receive a letter from the city. Notice is also given in the Living in the City section of the city’s web site. My guess is it will be the fall at the earliest before any information is available.

Medway Valley Heritage Forest Conservation Master Plan Update

The city budget for this year included funds for an update of the Medway Valley Conservation Master Plan. No notice has been received as to when this project will commence. When it starts, it is anticipated to take at least 12 to 18 months to complete. It is suppose to include all parts of the Valley, including the parts north of Fanshawe Park Road.

New student residences at UWO and Brescia College

UWO will start building the new residence on the south west side of Sarnia and Western Road starting this fall. Brescia College has been in contact with the city about its plans for a new residence at Brescia Lane and Ramsey Road, but have not yet filed for formal site plan approval or a change in zoning which would be required to change the use of the land south of Ramsey. There is a web page with some information and contact information as well at http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/about/new_residence/index.html

Tennis Courts

Thanks to the diligence of a resident, the City will be taking the following actions as soon as possible.

  • Trim Apple Trees that drop fruit onto the court surfaces
  • Power-wash all areas of the courts.
  • Replace torn nets.
  • Repair cracks in the surface with a new fiberglass compound.
  • Safe-proof the protrusions on the outsides of the steel tennis posts.

End of an Era – Sherwood Forest P.S. to Close

An update from Sandy Levin –

END OF AN ERA – SHERWOOD FOREST P.S. TO CLOSE
A BOUNDARY REVIEW FOR ORCHARD PARK P.S.

Before I start, I wanted to thank everyone who has been involved in this process. That includes those who toughed it out at the Board meeting this week (we didn’t get a decision until almost 11 pm), those who made presentations to the Board and to the ARC and of course, to the members of the ARC who spent a lot of time and effort on a good solution, only to have most of it disregarded by school board staff.

At the school board meeting of June 28th, the Board voted to close Sherwood Forest Public School as of June 30, 2013. It also agreed not to declare the site surplus any earlier than June 30, 2013 which gives the community the two years to try and find a way to keep the site as an important part of our neighbourhood.

(As an aside, this week, a couple of members of the ratepayers executive met with a representative from the city’s Community Services Department to point out that there is no city owned playground equipment in the entire area. This helped her to understand why the District Park on the other side of Wonderland Road is not our community park space.)

In addition to voting to close Sherwood Forest P.S., the school board agreed to do a boundary review prior to the closing that would look at the school boundaries for Orchard Park P.S. This was because the projected enrollment for Orchard Park after 2013 is still under the school’s capacity. This review is a good thing. For one reason, an enrollment near to or even slightly over capacity would avoid having another school closure hanging over the community’s head. The other reason is that it may lead to better gym facilities being provided for Orchard Park, something the parents there have asked for. The only odd thing about the boundary review is that this idea was raised by the ARC during the process (as a means to keep Sherwood Forest P.S. open), but it was rejected by the administrative representative from the Board to the ARC.

Another strange moment at the Board meeting was when the senior superintendent presenting the report argued against giving the community more than two years to find an alternative to keep public access to the space. She stated that the Administration already gave one more year due to public input. This is simply not the case. The Board’s administrative recommendation at the start of the ARC was to close the school in June 2012, but during the ARC process (the October, 2010 meeting which I attended), the administrative representative indicated to the ARC that due to time lines required for design, tender and build, it would be June 2013 before Sherwood Forest would be closed. Unfortunately, due to Board processes, none of us in the audience could correct the record, and it is likely this “misstatement” kept some of the trustees from pursing the idea of retaining the site longer.

Councillor Branscombe has already given assurances that she will work with city staff to see what can be done to keep the space the school board currently owns; available for public access. I will keep you informed as this plays out.