Sarnia Road Environmental Assessment

City staff will be presenting their report to the Civic Works Committee on April 22 at 4:30 at City Hall in the Council Chambers.  This is a public participation meeting so anyone can attend to speak.  However, the City is asking for written submissions and requests for delegation status to be sent in by 9 am on April 15th to the attention of Jackie Martin, the committee secretary.  Her address is jmartin@london.ca

The report will be posted on the City’s web site, likely by April 18th or 19th.  See http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Meetings/Default/meetingpackages.htm

If approved by Committee and Council, the EA is posted on the public record for 30 days for comments to the Province.  The actual construction is not scheduled to take place prior to 2022 in the City’s current capital budget.

Medway Valley trails

The Planning Committee of London City Council voted to pave the rest of the trail in the Medway Valley north of Fanshawe Road except for a boardwalk in the section around the bend in the Creek.  This is shown on Option 4A of Page 40 of the Medway Valley Heritage Forest North Environmentally Significant Area Trail Master Planning Study (this is a large document) (with a boardwalk instead of asphalt around the bend).  This recommendation goes to the full Council on April 16th.

This decision will likely have implications for the area of the Medway which borders Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest during the upcoming Conservation Master Plan.

The neighbourhood association on the east side of the Creek, Old Masonville, spoke in favour of the more pavement option.  Sandy Levin, from the Orchard Park Sherwood Forest Ratepayers,  spoke in favour of 5B (a less pavement option, page 44 of the attached).   Both options included an additional bridge over the Medway just south of Sunningdale Road.

Student housing in Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest

The ratepayers are continuing to compile a list of addresses where the homes are rented out and not occupied by the owners.   The list goes to the rental licensing area of city hall which will check to see if there is a license for this use.  While it is currently a legal use, there are limits. 

If you would like to have a location reviewed, you can either the city’s call Residential Rental Units Licensing enquiries at 519-930-3515, or you can contact Sandy Levin with the address and he will  submit the information.  At least 5% of the homes in the area are being used as rentals.

Ratepayers Annual General Meeting scheduled for May 1

The Ratepayers Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be May 1 at Orchard Park Public School.  The formal meeting will start at 7 pm, but come a little early and meet some new friends and neighbours.  A flyer will be coming to your mailbox later this month.  On the agenda will be a report and recommendation from the Sherwood Forest School site group and an update on the Medway Valley Heritage Forest Conservation Master Plan.  A representative from the City’s by law enforcement staff will be in attendance for a presentation and Q and A about by law enforcement and student housing matters.

Medway Valley – Public Meeting on Apr 9

On  Tuesday, April 9th at 7:30 pm at city hall, there will be a public participation meeting about trail planning in the Medway Valley south of Sunningdale Road.  This is the first application of the City’s new trailing planning guidelines.  These same guidelines will be used in the Conservation Master Plan under way for the section of the Valley near Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest.  The guidelines deal where pavement can and cannot go.  The decision made by City Council on the Valley north of us may influence what happens next in our area. 

You can review the city staff’s recommendation on the Planning and Environment Committee agenda for April 9th, which can be found at: 
http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Meetings/Default/meetingpackages.htm