Part 1: Roblin Lake, Rural Consents, and Picton Zoning– 02/04/2026
- PECConnect
- Feb 4
- 5 min read
The County’s Planning & Development Committee met on February 4, 2026, in a hybrid session at Shire Hall and over Zoom.
The evening moved from relatively routine severances to a lengthy and emotional statutory public meeting about the future of a lakeside retreat on Roblin Lake. By the end of the night, Council had also approved multiple rural consent applications, deferred a winery condominium file, supported a key zoning change in downtown Picton, and endorsed an Official Plan amendment required by the province.
Here’s how the meeting unfolded.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.
Roblin Lake Retreat Draws Strong Public Response
The most significant item of the night was Rezoning File Z65-20 for the County Lakeside Retreat Inc., located at 467 County Road 19 in Ameliasburgh.
The application seeks to rezone the property to allow year-round use of an existing tourist establishment and operate it on a for-profit basis. Representatives for the owner explained that the site currently includes 22 buildings and that no new buildings are proposed under the existing site plan. They discussed water consumption, septic capacity, traffic patterns, and source water protection concerns identified by Quinte Conservation .
Committee members questioned how the proposed use compares to its historical operation as a children’s camp, whether water demand would change, the caretaker’s residence now merged on title, and how water control systems operated by Quinte Conservation factor into the proposal.
Community Concerns
Public comments dominated this portion of the meeting. Residents raised concerns about: water demand and wastewater capacity, impacts on Roblin Lake, including phosphorus loading and algae blooms, traffic increases and boating activity, noise, light pollution, and garbage, fire protection capacity, the risk of invasive species, the possibility of resale and alternative future uses, the need for a hydrogeological assessment and disaster planning if lake levels decline.
Several speakers emphasized that many homeowners rely on Roblin Lake for shore wells and drinking water. Others questioned whether long-term drought conditions and climate change were being fully considered.
A member of the Source Water Protection Committee spoke about the groundwater-fed nature of Roblin Lake and referenced past provincial reporting on its limited capacity .
Councillor Kate MacNaughton raised concerns about public access to water control infrastructure, proximity to environmentally protected lands, potential noise and nuisance impacts, and the importance of protecting source water in light of possible sustained droughts.
Mayor Ferguson asked about next steps. Staff explained that the file will proceed through technical circulation and further submissions before returning to Committee. No timeline was provided.
Council formally received the oral submissions, and the statutory public meeting concluded at 8:22 p.m.
Technical Consents Amended Before Approval
Council considered Technical Consent & Rezoning Files B20-25, B21-25 & Z12-25 for lands on County Road 23 and Spencer Road in Ameliasburgh .
The agent raised concerns about two proposed conditions: a drainage review requirement and a requirement to obtain an entrance permit
Staff explained these were standard best practices to ensure drainage does not affect municipal rights-of-way and that entrances meet current standards. Before the final vote, Councillor Phil Prinzen introduced an amending motion to remove the drainage and entrance conditions from both consent files. That amendment carried .
Council then approved the main motion as amended, meaning the consents moved forward without those specific conditions .
Burr Road Consent Approved With Entrance Condition Removed
Council considered Consent & Rezoning Files B5-23 & Z4-23 for 1004 Burr Road in Hillier. The owner had expressed concern about a condition requiring the decommissioning of one of two existing entrances.
An amending motion was introduced to remove that decommissioning requirement. The amendment carried. Council then approved the consent and rezoning file as amended .
Redtail Winery Condominium File Deferred
The draft plan of condominium application for Blocknote Canada Inc., operating as Redtail Winery on Loyalist Parkway, was scheduled for decision under File 13-T-24-506 .
Staff advised that the applicant requested additional time to compile information before a decision. Council approved a motion to defer the file to a future meeting .
Downtown Picton Zoning Reset Approved
Council also approved Zoning By-law Amendment File Z21-25 for 81–91 Picton Main Street and 15 Washburn Street .
This amendment removes a site-specific zoning exception and aligns the property with the general urban commercial zoning for the Picton urban centre. Staff explained that this change reflects the broader intent of the new comprehensive zoning by-law and opens the property to standard downtown commercial and residential uses .
An email from residents Christina Croft and Michael Croft, who were unable to stay for the meeting, asked Council to consider heritage character, traffic impacts on Washburn Street, and privacy buffers between commercial and residential properties .
Council approved the zoning amendment.
Official Plan Amendment Endorsed
Finally, Council considered Official Plan Amendment File OPA-02-25, a municipally initiated amendment affecting all lands in the County .
Staff explained that provincial legislation now requires that complete application requirements and study lists be included directly in the Official Plan rather than in a separate by-law. The amendment moves the existing list into the Official Plan and requires approval from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing .
Council endorsed the amendment and directed staff to forward it to the Minister for approval .
Key Takeaways
The Roblin Lake retreat file is far from decided. The public meeting has concluded, but no decision has been made. The application will return after further technical review and submissions.
Council showed flexibility on rural consent conditions. In two separate files, councillors removed proposed drainage and entrance conditions before approving the consents.
Downtown Picton zoning is being streamlined. The Main Street amendment resets a site-specific zone back to standard urban commercial zoning, potentially opening the door for mixed-use development in the core.
The meeting adjourned at 9:12 p.m.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:14:03. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.
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