Hawkesbury CIP Draft Report6
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Socio-Economic Benefits Study Hawkesbury CIP Lagoons Remediation Town of Hawkesbury December PLANNING & URBAN DESIGN 2007 Socio-Economic Benefits Study Hawkesbury CIP Lagoons Remediation Prepared for: Town of Hawkesbury Prepared by: McSweeney & Associates 900 Greenbank Road, Suite 201 Ottawa, Ontario K2J 1S8 FoTenn Consultants Inc. 223 McLeod Street Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0Z8 T: 613.730.5709 F: 613.730.1136 December www.FoTenn.com 2007 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 1.1.Background ...........................................................................................1 1.2.Purpose ..................................................................................................1 1.3.Approach ................................................................................................1 2. ASSUMPTIONS ..............................................................................3 3. EXISTING CONDITIONS ...............................................................5 3.1. Community Context ..............................................................................5 3.2. Site Context ...........................................................................................8 3.3. Policy and Regulatory Context ...............................................................9 4. MARKET ASSESSMENT ................................................................ 13 4.1. Market Supply .....................................................................................13 4.2. Market Demand ..................................................................................13 4.3. Estimated Demand and Absorption Rates .............................................17 5. OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS ...................................... 21 6. SITE REDEVELOPMENT - CONCEPTUAL PLAN ...........................25 6.1. LEED for Neighbourhood Development ...............................................26 6.2. Summary of Conceptual Plan Components ..........................................29 6.3. Parks and Open Space .........................................................................29 6.4. Street and Trail Network ......................................................................30 6.5. Commercial Development ...................................................................30 6.6. Institutional Development ....................................................................30 6.7. Residential Development .....................................................................30 7. SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS ................................................... 33 7.1. Detailed Analysis of Socio-Economic Benefits ......................................33 7.2. Summary of Socio-Economic Benefits ..................................................40 8. NEXT STEPS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION ...............................41 8.1. Commitment to Implementation from Key Stakeholders ......................41 8.2. Tools for Implementation .....................................................................41 9. CONCLUSION .............................................................................47 ENDNOTES ...................................................................................... 48 APPENDICES .................................................................................... 49 TOWN OF HAWKESBURY - CIP LAGOON SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFIT STUDY 11 DECEMBER 2007 I II 11 DECEMBER 2007 TOWN OF HAWKESBURY - CIP LAGOON SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFIT STUDY 1.0 - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Canadian International Paper (CIP) operated a cellulose manufacturing plant in the Town of Hawkesbury for over 60 years. The CIP mill site closed in the mid-1980s and the buildings on the site were demolished. However, the operations left behind an environmental legacy of waste building materials, woodchips, and sludge. The subject lands are now owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and two private landowners. MNR is the owner of the site known as the “wet lagoon” which has been designated as a Waste Disposal Site by the Ministry of Environment. The MNR’s objective for its property is to initiate a cost-effective clean-up and work towards the closure and naturalization of the site. A number of closure options for the Waste Disposal Site on the MNR lands have recently been considered and the public consultation for the Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process will begin shortly. The “dry lagoons”, owned by private landowners, are considered brownfield sites. 1.2 Purpose The purpose of this Socio-Economic Benefits Study is to complement the Class Environmental Assessment by addressing the other two pillars of community sustainability – the economic and social pillars. Despite the challenges of site remediation and the site’s current poor aesthetics, the site presents compelling and exciting opportunities for community growth, enhancement, and sustainability. There are many benefits that can emerge from the remediation and redevelopment of these lands and most are community-wide benefits that all residents and visitors will be able to appreciate. 1.3 Approach The Consulting Team has taken a six-step approach to the preparation of the Socio-Economic Study, as follows: • Extensive research and consultation was conducted in order to identify and understand existing conditions in the context of the community, the policy and regulatory framework and the economic market place. • A workshop was held with members of the City Council and project Working Group to develop a vision for the site and identify potential opportunities and constraints. TOWN OF HAWKESBURY - CIP LAGOON SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFIT STUDY 11 DECEMBER 2007 1 • Information gathered regarding existing conditions and future development opportunities was combined with the results of the Working Group workshop to prepare a Conceptual Development Plan, which illustrates land uses, natural features, recreational pathways, roads and property fabric. • The Conceptual Plan was used to estimate unit and floor area calculations. These estimates are realistic and were made based on current zoning in the Town of Hawkesbury and on similar types of development in other communities. • The floor area and unit totals were applied to estimate/calculate future municipal tax revenues. Also, based on a subjective review of the Conceptual Plan, other socio-economic benefits were identified. • Next steps for project realization, including partnerships, tools for brownfield redevelopment, policy and regulatory amendments and fundraising are explored to provide the Town with direction for future efforts. 2 11 DECEMBER 2007 TOWN OF HAWKESBURY - CIP LAGOON SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFIT STUDY 2.0 - ASSUMPTIONS In conducting this study and in preparing the Conceptual Plan, a number or assumptions were made regarding the roles and cooperation of the stakeholders involved, the site conditions, and the accuracy of the data provided to / used by the Consulting Team. The key assumptions for this project are the following: • That the Province (Ministry of Natural Resources) proceeds with remediation “Alternative C”, which involves partial excavation and landfill on site. This option is driving the proposed marina development. • That the Province (Ministry of Natural Resources) successfully completes the process required to conduct a partial remediation of the MNR lands, including securing necessary funds from federal and local partners • That the Corporation of the Town of Hawkesbury agrees to accept ownership of the provincially-owned lands (following the remediation) and develop the lands for a marina / recreational use. • That the Town Council is amenable to amending the Official Plan and Zoning By-law, as appropriate, to permit the proposed land uses. • That the proposed Conceptual Plan “works” from a geotechnical, hydrogeological, servicing, transportation, environmental (e.g. contamination) and cultural (e.g. archaeological resources) perspective. It is important to note that engineering and environmental studies were not conducted as part of this analysis. • That the marina and recreational trails proposed on the provincially owned lands are feasible land uses from a structural perspective. This will be determined once the property has been partially remediated and the dyke has been removed. • That the private landowners will want to sell/redevelop their lands, and will be successful in obtaining the funding and other resources required to remediate their lands to a level acceptable for redevelopment. • That the privately-owned “dry-lagoons” would qualify as brownfields based on the MMAH definition for brownfields1 and on information from the Ministry of Natural Resources, and that the funding and incentives available for the revitalization of brownfields would therefore be accessible. • That the floodplain for the lands in the Township of Champlain is consistent with the floodplain illustrated on the UCPR’s Geographic Information System, versus the floodplain zone illustrated in the Town of Champlain Zoning By-law. • That over time, the portion of the site situated in the Town of Champlain will be brought into the Urban Policy Area (UCPR Official Plan). It is assumed, TOWN OF HAWKESBURY - CIP LAGOON SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFIT STUDY 11 DECEMBER 2007 3 for the purposes of this study, that the policies and regulations applicable to this parcel of property would be similar to those that apply to the lands situated in the Town of Hawkesbury. • That the timeframe for the full