The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has approved a development application to build a subdivision of 400 units on the Oak Ridges Moraine, near Bayview Avenue and Bethesda Road. It is a move that local naturalist groups say has raised concerns about the welfare of a threatened species and a loss of biodiversity.
“One of the reasons we protect the moraine in the first place is because of the Jefferson salamander,” said Marianne Yake, president of the Richmond Hill Naturalists. “Out of the 42 acres, they’re allowing the destruction of 14 acres of their habitat,” she said.
Submitted by Casa Developments Inc., the new subdivision plan was previously approved by the Town of Richmond Hill but went to the OMB to have a zoning bylaw amended to facilitate their plans, said Coun. Greg Beros.
“We’re going to build houses as environmentally sensitive as possible,” Beros said. “So when it came to the OMB, except for some residents asking questions, everyone was satisfied with the application.”
According to Yake, the Richmond Hill Naturalists fought hard to ensure a safe passageway for the Jefferson salamanders to move to a safer habitat, by implementing five underground tunnels, which cost $100,000 apiece, three of which belong to Casa Developments.
“Some say the salamanders aren’t using the tunnels,” she said. “We haven’t seen studies to prove or disprove that.… I guess we’ll have to see.”
Yake is also concerned that Lake Wilcox will not be able to handle the sewage and storm water management of a new subdivision.
But Beros said, “With more development, we’ve added curbs on the roads so that, in most areas, more rain is directed to a storm water management pond so we can filter that water before it goes into the lake.”
All she wants, Yake said, is transparency from the developers. “We don’t know what is going to be lost,” she said. “Our concern is that all the habitat loss we’re experiencing now is due to development.”
