Brock council hears impact of interim housing control bylaw

DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard

BROCK: The Township of Brock is looking at its options after hearing the impact of their supportive and modular housing interim control bylaw, which was passed last month. At a meeting on Monday, November 23rd, councillors voted to pass an interim control bylaw “to prohibit the establishment of Supportive Housing and Modular Construction, including Manufactured Dwelling Houses, for a period of twelve months, in order to allow for the appropriate completion of further research and consultation.” Despite being intended to slow down and allow for more time to study the Region of Durham’s 50 unit supportive housing development in Beaverton, councillors heard the bylaw has halted progress on David and Ruby Lancaster’s new modular home. The Lancaster’s daughters Sheila DeShane and Heather VonZuben provided council a letter, and also spoke in a deputation on Monday, December 7th about their parents situation. “The building of a home can put stress on anyone’s life. Imagine what it does to an elderly couple having to go through the ordeal of delaying the building of their dream home. This will put a mental and physical strain on their health. They will have no place to live as their living conditions in their home have deteriorated. An infestation with rodents, bee’s nest in the walls and poor insulation are examples of what they have dealt with this year. Their excitement of moving into their new dream home in Spring of 2021 helps them to move forward. To top off everything this COVID-19 pandemic has isolated them from family and friends,” the letter read. Mrs. DeShane talked about learning the news of the family’s project being delayed. “We were all heartbroken to hear the devastating news that our parents’ dream home had come to a crashing halt, due to the events that have taken place regarding 133 Main Street, Beaverton,” she stated. She then said she feels her parents are being punished “for something that does not involve them.” The Lancasters have been Brock Township residents for over 60 years. They started the process of planning for their new home in 2018, and they hired the building company of Royal Homes for the project. “The big issue is, blueprints and contracts were already signed,” Mrs. DeShane said. Mrs. VonZuben stressed the importance of fairness for every single resident. “The one is just as important as the many,” she said. The deputants asked council to grandfather in their parents’ development, due to the planning timeline. Council later voted to refer their requests to municipal staff to look at possible options and get legal advice. Council is expected to discuss the matter in a closed session next week. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

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