Aurora residents battle for 2 years, save Henderson Forest

Group's concerns didn't fall on deaf ears

Teresa Latchford
May 16, 2019
Yorkregion.com

It took a village to save a forest.

For two years a group of Aurora residents have been meeting endlessly in living rooms, pouring through town documents, official plans and bylaws, collecting signatures on a petition and rallying to save the Henderson Forest from two development applications.

The group, now known as the Henderson Forest Ratepayer Association, first banded together when they received notification of minor variance applications for two properties, 672 and 684 Henderson Drive that would require alterations to the forest to accommodate renovations to the existing buildings and driveways on the properties.

Members of the group were organized and vocal, sending their concerns for the removal of trees, protection of at-risk or endangered species living in the green space, watercourse and the impact it would have on the wooded area as a whole in writing to council members and town staff.

Aurora residents band together to save the Henderson Drive Forest from development
It took an abundance of time and dedication but their concerns didn’t fall on deaf ears.

“It’s not too often residents come out on top when fighting development,” Henderson Forest Ratepayer Association President George Skoulikas said. “Once it’s gone it’s gone and it is easier to preserve it than restore it.”

He recently took to the podium, along with many other concerned residents, to tell members of the town’s committee of adjustment why these proposed variances didn’t fit with the Oak Ridges Moraine Act nor the town’s official plan and development bylaws in the sensitive green space.

The committee sided with the residents and denied both applications, saying they felt they weren’t minor variances and that the proposals didn’t quite fit the town’s current zoning nor the environmental protections on the properties.

Weston Consulting’s Ryan Guetter was first up to present the case for why the variances on both properties should be approved.

“It has been two years since we were last before the committee and there have been a number of changes because of the feedback we have received through the process,” he said.

The proposed driveway for one of the properties was moved to the western side to avoid environmental lands, grading was reduced and replaced with the use of retaining walls in an effort to minimize impact on the building and driveway envelopes and a number of technical studies were completed including a tree inventory and a natural heritage evaluation study.

The Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority has set conditions to be met before approval, York Region didn’t respond with any concerns and the town has set conditions to be met for approval as well, Guetter said.

“In my opinion both applications have merit as the lands have been well studied and the ecological integrity has been maintained,” Guetter added. “Both the applications have met the test of minor variances.”

But Skoulikas disagreed.

“We believe the applications should not be permitted nor considered minor variances,” he rebutted. “Much has been made of these being private property and that the owners have the right to build but this isn’t the case.”

While the information around this case is complex, Skoulikas boiled it down to the Oak Ridges Moraine Act prohibiting all development and side alterations with a key natural heritage feature and a grandfather clause can only be granted to buildings existing before 2001 if it could be proved that the alterations would have no impact on the ecological integrity of the lands.

“An environmental firm hired by the town concluded an impact to the woodlands would be unavoidable given its fully wooded nature,” Skoulikas said. “While the developer has said they would do everything possible to minimize the impact, the town’s bylaw clear states it must have no impact on this type of land.”

His final statement was a request for the committee to reject the applications to preserve the lands not only for the residents living here now but for the generations to come.

It was a plea that resulted in cheers and clapping from those sitting in the gallery.