Open letter re Pebble Beach - Glen Watford Forest

Dear Mayor Cleveland,

I am writing to express concern with the lands I will call the Pebble Beach - Glen Watford Forest. The area is bordered by Glen Watford Road to the east, Canadian National Railway to the north, a private roadway to the west, and Lake Ontario to the south. This natural area contains a mix of seasonally flooded forest, a creek that drains into Lake Ontario, two meadows, some dry forest, and the remains of the house and outbuildings of the Tracy Estate.

To date:

• a petition has been presented to the Cobourg Town Council asking for the protection of the area as green space/parkland
• a presentation was made to the Committee of the Whole in September, 2023 by Adam Yahn to represent the petition signatories
• a presentation was made to the Public Works, Planning, and Development Standing Committee on April 3, 2024 by Adam Yahn requesting that the properties still owned by the Town of Cobourg within the area be donated to the Northumberland Land Trust

It is my opinion that the entire Pebble Beach - Glen Watford Forest area be protected as green space and no further development or damage to the lands be allowed. The area can become part of the Northumberland Land Trust or be kept as a natural area within the Town of Cobourg's parks/green space system. This will require an amendment to the Official Plan from Rural Holding to Conservation lands. Our Town Plan is very out of date, thus this amendment may not be forthcoming in 2024! What must be done immediately is to prevent changes to the lands by developers, specifically Stalwood Homes and their partners. You must do so for the conservation, educational, and recreational options to be available to the future residents of Cobourg and area!

All planning decisions in Cobourg should be directed by an up-to-date Official Plan. Cobourg is still using a Plan from 2010. Since that time, the Province of Ontario has implemented the Provincial Policy Statement 2020 (PPS) and A Place to Grow-Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area 2020 (GGHA). I will list a few points from the documents that support my desire for the protection of the Pebble Beach-Glen Watford Forest as parkland or land trust.

1. The PPS states in section 1.5.1 Healthy, active communities should be promoted by:
     b) planning and providing for full range and equitable distribution of publicly accessible built and natural settings for recreation, including facilities, parkland, public spaces, open space areas, trails, linkages, and where practical, water based resources
     c) providing opportunities for public access to shorelines
2. The PPS states in section 1.7.1 Long term economic prosperity should be supported by:
     k) minimizing negative impacts from a changing climate and considering the ecological benefits provided by nature
3. The PPS states in section 1.8.1 Planning authorities shall support energy conservation and efficiency, improved air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and preparing for the impacts of a changing climate through land use and development patterns which:
     g) maximize vegetation within settlement areas
4. The PPS states in section 2.1.7 that Development and site alteration shall not be permitted in habitat of endangered species and threatened species
5. The guiding principles of the GGHA states that development is to protect and enhance natural heritage, hydrologic, and landform systems, features, and functions.
6. The GGHA states in section 4 that Applying the policies of this Plan will support the achievement of complete communities that expand convenient access to safe, publicly accessible open spaces, parks, trails, and other recreational facilities.

My immediate concern is that Stalwood Homes owns 18 acres in the Pebble Beach - Glen Watford Forest area and they have circumvented proper planning procedure and process to ready this acreage for residential development. Town Council must put an immediate stop to Stalwood's efforts until a new Official Plan has outlined how the whole Pebble Beach - Glen Watford Forest area will be zoned. These are the actions Stalwood Homes has already taken:

1. July, 2023 - Public Works staff removed a guardrail at the end of Ravensdale Road. This allowed vehicle access to the creek on the eastern boundary of the Forest area. The only party that benefited from this action is Stalwood Homes.
2. On the Civic Holiday weekend, 2023 - an excavation crew arrived at the creek to install a culvert and construct a level crossing of the creek. There was no permit for the work from the GRCA and work was halted after people living in the area complained to authorities.
3. On March 11, 2024 - Skratt Trees began removing trees across Stalwood's 18 acre property to the west side of the creek. They cleared a path that is about 4 metres wide and about 500 metres in length. To gain access to Stalwood's property by Skratt’s machinery, trees were damaged on Town of Cobourg property and across forested lands all the way west to Bob Carr Road!
4. A representative from Stalwood Homes has informed me and others in the community that they plan to install a culvert immediately after July 15, 2024 to allow them to cross the creek and have driveway access to their property.

I fear that once the culvert is in place, further damage will be done by developers to the forest area. Stalwood Homes has not acted in good faith over the past year and should not be allowed to do anything further on their property or surrounding properties until a new Cobourg Official Plan is drawn up to guide development in the area.

The forest and lakeshore in this area have been a source of great enjoyment to myself and my family in the 24 years we have lived in Cobourg. I have witnessed masses of Monarch butterflies each fall as they stage in the area to prepare to cross Lake Ontario on their yearly migration south. I listen to the haunting calls of the Barred Owls, spring mating songs of the Wood Frogs, and the drumming of the Grouse who live in the forest. It is my hope that future residents of Cobourg can enjoy the wildlife and the peacefulness of the lake and trees for many more years.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Oster