The City of Peterborough has been notified by the township that is hosting Kawartha Downs that it received no official contact regarding the Peterborough city council planning committee public meeting on May 9 when the rezoning of the proposed site for a new casino was held.

Scott McFadden, mayor of the Township of Cavan Monaghan, sent a letter to City Clerk John Kennedy stating that he and his colleagues had not received a notice regarding the rezoning of 1400 Crawford Dr. and 586 Harper Rd. as is customary as neighbors to those properties. In the letter, McFadden states, “The reduced notice period has adversely affected the Township’s ability to thoroughly review the supporting documentation and provide comprehensive comments on the Applications,” and, “The Township does, however, have a number of preliminary comments and questions regarding the Applications for your consideration,” according to mykawartha.com.

McFadden’s questions for the city council planning committee revolved around sufficient serviced industrial land and the Council and City Staff stating previously that the City was lacking in that area but still continues to promote planning applications there. He goes on to state that if the zoning by-law amendment and proposed official plan are approved, the land at 1400 Crawford Drive, which is currently designated for prestige industrial and light industrial uses, won’t be allowed anymore.

He says that either a parking lot or parking garage or both will be permitted on the Harper Road property in order to facilitate the proposed casino development, which could adversely affect the possibility for industrial development there. In addition, there are concerns that the new Shorelines Casino will bring about the need for additional demand for commercial use on the remaining industrial land. There is also the issue of technical matters related to the proposed rezoning and the fact that a peer review of the Traffic Impact Study has yet to be completed and neither have all of the associated studies and plans supporting the Site Plan application. Those items should be available for the public to review prior to the Council’s decision on the Zoning By-law amendment and the Official Plan applications. Lastly, McFadden “respectfully requests” that a notice of the Council’s decision be provided to the Township by the City.

Tonight’s list of speakers for the council meeting being held this evening includes Mayor McFadden.

A report released on Friday by the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) suggests that that the proposed site located in downtown Peterborough in Ontario, Canada would be hurt by a new casino on the outskirts of town. The city and the Ontario Gaming East Limited Partnership (OGELP) are planning to develop and operate a new, multi-faceted entertainment property at The Parkway at 1400 Crawford Drive, relocating Kawartha Downs to Peterborough.