There will be another chance for the public to speak up on three neighbourhood plans for the Brookswood-Fernridge area after 91原创 Township council decided to move forward with some significant changes last week.

At the June 26 council meeting, the council voted to approve a number of major revisions to density, land use, developer contributions, and the addition of a plan for a new community police office. The plans cover the Booth, Rinn, and Fernridge neighbourhood plans, three of the four areas of South Brookswood that have not yet been fully developed.

If all the changes are approved by council, it would reduce the projected population for the three neighbourhoods, once full built out, from 63,000 people in the last version, down to 46,000 in the new, modified version.

It restores some lot sizes for single family homes back to 10,000 square feet, after most lost of that size had been eliminated in the previous version of the neighbourhood plans.

鈥淛ust to clarify, this does trigger another public hearing?鈥� asked Councillor Misty Van Popta.

Township administrator Mark Bakken confirmed that another public meeting would be held. The report about the changes suggests it could take place on Monday, July 10 at 7 p.m.

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Van Popta also suggested making sure people can see renderings and land-use maps showing the previous and new versions of the plan so they have context for the new version.

鈥淚 just want to say I support very much taking this to another public hearing,鈥� said Coun. Kim Richter. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 necessarily support what鈥檚 come back here.鈥�

Richter said she was opposed to the revised plans.

If three of the four neighbourhood plans are approved this summer, it will be among the last phases of a lengthy process to update Brookswood鈥檚 Official Community Plan (OCP).

Brookswood鈥檚 existing suburban neighbourhood was developed in the 1970s and early 1980s, before focus shifted to Walnut Grove, and then Willoughby.

In the 2010s, it took two tries and many contentious public meetings before the council passed a new OCP in 2017.

It wasn鈥檛 until after the pandemic waned that the Township returned to considering the neighbourhood plans.

Mayor Eric Woodward and his Contract with 91原创 council majority, elected last fall, quickly called for a revamp of the neighbourhood plans. The draft plans weren鈥檛 economically viable for developers, Woodward said.

鈥淭he relatively large minimum lot sizes, inflated land prices, high construction material costs, and high interest rates have resulted in conditions where lower density development is uneconomical,鈥� a report to council earlier this year said. 鈥淪maller minimum lot sizes for single family housing forms would assist in creating more financially viable opportunities.鈥�

After a public hearing on revised, denser neighbourhood plans in May, the council asked for nine major revisions, which are significant enough that the new public hearing will be called.