Odessa West infrastructure upgrades to include 5 new lots

Municipal building in background with two township workers working on grounds
The Odessa Municipal Office where Loyalist Township Council Meetings are held. Photo by Ted Evans.
Ted Evans - CJAI - StellaON | 17-08-2023
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Loyalist Township is entering into a servicing agreement with a developer to create and connect water and sewage services to 5 new parcels of land on Emma Street.

The developer owns three separate parcels of land on the south side of Emma Street, and has proposed to create five new lots.

Emma Street in Odessa West will already be under construction beginning in late August, including the installation of water and sewer infrastructure along the street. Council agreed at their Aug. 14 meeting that adding the development of five extra lots into the already ongoing project would be beneficial in the long-run.

Typically, lots being created through Planning Act applications are not serviced with water and sewer connections until approved. Due to the timing of Planning Act applications, a decision on the five new lots will not be made until after the Emma Street works are complete.

To avoid digging up a newly-constructed road next summer to make the connections, council agreed to the servicing agreement with the developer to get them connected now. The agreement will outline the works to be completed, the fees required to be paid by the developer, and outline that the service connections do not constitute Planning Act approvals.

If the applications are not approved, there will be conditions in the agreement for the removal of the services. The cost of making the connections, and potentially removing the connections, will be solely on the developer.

Planning Supervisor James Griffin noted it was too early to tell what exact costs would look like for the service connections.

"We don't have a figure right now that has been sorted out, but once, through the agreement, that figure will be in the agreement. But at this point, we don't have a solid cost for putting in the services." said Griffin.

In order to create the five new lots, four separate applications will be required.

  • Part Lot Control Lift
  • Consent for Severance
  • Consent for Lot Addition
  • Zoning By-law Amendment

On March 17, 2022 Loyalist Township received a petition for a Local Improvement Charge project on Emma Street. The petition called for upgrades to the street including municipal water and sewer services. On Nov. 28, 2022, council directed staff to move forward with the project and to include the works as part of the Odessa West Drainage Project, scheduled for summer of 2023.

Staff noted they now have clear direction on how to proceed with adding the extra development. Applications will be submitted in the coming weeks.

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