From Airbnbs to cannabis, how did Georgina do in 2020?

The COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on many projects

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2021
Amanda Persico

How did Georgina do in 2020?

While COVID-19 threw a wrench in most all plans, the town still made movement on a number of projects.

Here’s an update on the major issues in 2019 and how these projects panned out in 2020:

Vacation Mode -- Airbnbs
Under the many stop orders from the province, Airbnb hosts were prohibited from opening, then later permitted and now restricted again.

That said, the town issued 15 short-term rental agreement (STRA) licensees as of October, 74 properties were under investigation, 49 legal orders issued, three tickets issued by bylaw enforcement and one summons order.

In order to collect more data on the efficiency of the STRA program, no changes will be made the current program.

Get the cluck out -- urban chickens
In late spring, the town approved 12 urban hen licenses: two in Ward 1, one in Ward 2, six in Ward 3, three in Ward 4 and no approved chicken coops in Ward 5.

Under the initial chicken-and-egg pilot project, only three were permitted per ward for a maximum of 15 total in town.

Since the chicken coops in Ward 3 were fanned out further than the prescribed minimum setbacks, the town allowed the additional three hen licenses.

Let us play -- Waterfront Parks Master Plan
This year was supposed to be year of the water, with Phase 1 of the town’s waterfront parks master plan completed by the end of 2020.

Due to COVID-19 closures, the town’s consultant, the Planning Partnership, hosted a number of virtual public consultations in the fall -- one on each of the waterfront’s top public beaches.

The big reveal -- the MURC and Civic Centre
Late 2019, the town revealed the design for the new multi-use recreation complex (MURC) and plans to continue with the project into 2021.

Meanwhile, construction plans for the new Civic Centre were put on hold and the focus will be on the immediate and long-term impacts of COVID-19. A final analysis on the project is expected in 2021 with next steps.

All lit up -- Cannabis production
While the town’s interim control bylaw prohibiting cannabis production in rural areas was extended until April, council did approve cannabis production zoning in August.

The holdup now is assessing the setbacks from cannabis crops.

Town staff are also looking at how other municipalities are handling pot shops in the region as research for a potential brick-and-mortar pot shop in Georgina.