Part 2: County Road 7 Resort, Winery Approval, and Severance Decisions – 11/22/2023

This part of the Planning and Development Committee report focuses on who spoke, how committee members voted, and where those decisions land for local residents, using only the official meeting record and minutes as the source. It follows the same order as the meeting itself and reflects the specific motions, amendments, and recorded votes taken that evening.

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2353 County Road 7 Rezoning (Z38-22)

This application generated the most discussion, amendments, and split votes of the night. Sam Grosso (Ameliasburgh), Chair, presided over the item and guided the procedural flow, calling on staff, the applicant’s agent, council members, and registered public speakers in sequence. Kelly Graham, planning consultant for the applicant, delivered the presentation in support of the proposal and answered questions related to environmental protection, guest capacity, event use, water and fire protection, and noise mitigation.

Multiple councillors raised questions during committee discussion. Roy Pennell (Ameliasburgh) questioned fire safety, water pumping capacity, and later expressed concerns about dock expansion and shoreline impacts. Janice Maynard (Ameliasburgh) focused on day-pass use, shoreline structures, and public notice visibility. Phil St-Jean (Picton) pressed for clarity on future expansion, public meeting notice requirements, and requested recorded votes on key amendments.

Kate MacNaughton (Picton) raised concerns about scale, compatibility with rural and agricultural uses, and the limits of council oversight due to provincial site plan delegation. John Hirsch (South Marysburgh) spoke to the shoreline designation, natural core mapping, and confirmed the property’s RU zoning, noting that tourist commercial uses are contemplated under the Official Plan. David Harrison (North Marysburgh) supported the application and later introduced a motion directing staff to consider relocating the driveway during site plan review.

Google Street View

Public speakers from the County Road 7 and Adolphus Reach area spoke in opposition. Andie McGeachie and Derek McGeachie, Bruce McMinn, Renee Hessian, Scott Marshall, David Fast, Brenda Hellyer, and Doug Calder all raised concerns about noise over water, traffic, event use, shoreline access, agricultural conflict, and long-term impacts on rural character.

Three key motions shaped the outcome:

1. A motion to prohibit day-pass use was moved by Sam Branderhorst (Athol) and seconded by Pennell, and carried.

   
   

2. A motion to remove the Interim Control By-Law provision was moved by Brad Nieman (Bloomfield/Hallowell) and seconded by Bill Roberts (Sophiasburgh). On a recorded vote, it carried 7–6, with Phil St-Jean, Harrison, Hirsch, Grosso, Nieman, Roberts, and Mayor Steve Ferguson voting in favour, and Pennell, Branderhorst, Corey Engelsdorfer, MacNaughton, Maynard, and Phil Prinzen voting opposed.

   
   

3. The final motion to approve the rezoning as amended was moved by Harrison and seconded by Nieman. On a recorded vote, the motion failed 7–6. Pennell, Branderhorst, Engelsdorfer, MacNaughton, Maynard, Prinzen, and Ferguson voted opposed, while St-Jean, Harrison, Hirsch, Grosso, Nieman, and Roberts voted in favour.

As a result, the committee did not recommend approval of the County Road 7 rezoning to Council.

Del Degan Winery, Loyalist Parkway (Z18-23)

The rezoning application for Bufflehead Holding Inc. (Del Degan Winery) drew limited discussion. Scott Pordham, Policy Planner, and the applicant’s agent answered questions regarding property-wide rezoning, building placement, and agricultural land use continuity. Pennell questioned whether rezoning the entire parcel could allow future non-agricultural expansion, while staff clarified that additional uses would still require further approvals.

The approval motion was moved by Engelsdorfer and seconded by Prinzen and was carried without a recorded vote.

323 Kelly Road Severances (B94-20, B95-20, Z80-20)

This item centred on water quality conditions, particularly sodium levels and the use of warning clauses on title.

St-Jean moved to remove conditions related to water treatment and sodium warnings, arguing they should be left to buyers. The motion was seconded by Harrison but failed.

Staff, including Michael Michaud and Emily Overholt, explained that the clauses are required when provincial thresholds are exceeded and serve as disclosure, not enforcement.

The main approval motion was moved by Branderhorst and seconded by Hirsch, and it carried, including the water-related conditions.

2876 County Road 10 Severance (B16-22, Z20-22)

A similar discussion occurred regarding sodium warning clauses. A motion to remove the condition was moved by Nieman and seconded by Harrison, but it failed. The final approval motion was moved by Hirsch and seconded by Engelsdorfer, and it carried with conditions intact.

What This Means for Local Residents

The committee’s decision means the 2353 County Road 7 resort proposal did not receive a recommendation for approval, keeping the current zoning in place unless Council later overturns that outcome. The split votes and multiple amendments show clear tension between economic development goals and local concerns about noise, events, traffic, and shoreline impacts.

For residents in Hillier, Athol, and South Marysburgh, the approved items reinforce how planning conditions are used to manage risk, particularly around water quality, while still allowing development to proceed. Across all wards, the meeting highlighted that who speaks, who votes, and how amendments are framed can materially affect outcomes, especially in areas where rural, agricultural, and shoreline uses intersect.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:04:41. 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.