As London moves to open land for development, landowners want in

As the City of London moves to open up more than 3,700 acres of land for new development, landowners are lining up to have their parcels included.

Council voted in December to move 1,476 hectares of land inside the city's urban growth boundary. The boundary, located inside the city limits but outside its core, is intended to help manage growth by constraining sprawl while preserving farmland.

With the overall amount of land to be added to the development area now decided, city staff are moving on to identify which areas of the city should be opened up. The process also allows individual landowners to apply to have their properties moved inside the urban growth boundary (UGB).

An update coming to council on Monday shows the city has received submissions from 96 property owners.

Among those who've applied to have their property moved into the growth area is Tommy Faulkner, a dairy farmer who owns a handful of properties on Wilton Grove Road and Victoria Road in south London.

He said moving land into the UGB can increase its value but also give land owners more options.

"It will make it easier to make decisions down the road," he said. "It's inevitable that these properties will eventually get developed, so it might as well be zoned now as later."

And while he would like to have his land moved into the UGB, maps show that the area of London south of Highway 401 isn't being marked for immediate development. The report points to a lack of wastewater servicing as a key reason.

Other applicants to move their properties inside the growth area include developers such as Sifton Properties, Auburn Developments, Southside Group and Farhi Holding Corporation.

The proposed changes to the growth boundary are in draft form as public feedback is gathered.

There are 13 written submissions to Monday's council meeting opposing the UGB expansion, including a letter by Chippewas of the Thames First Nation Chief Joe Miskokomon.

Miskokomon said he's concerned growth in the southwest edge of the city will have a negative effect on the Thames River, which flows south through his community.

"The cumulative impacts of urban sprawl — including increased wastewater discharge — pose serious risks to our Nation's health, rights, and sustainability," he wrote.

Coun. Skylar Franke is opposed to expanding the UGB, in part because of the costs the city could face in extending services toward city limits instead of encouraging growth closer to the core.

"We have plenty of opportunity for infill within the city," she said. "Once we pave over agricultural land, there's no coming back."

Another voice opposed to the process is the Middlesex Federation of Agriculture. In a letter to council, federation president Peter Verkley said the blocks of proposed growth at the city's northwest corner are a particular concern.

"[These lands] are some of the most productive land in Ontario and Canada," he wrote.

Jared Zaifman of the London Homebuilders' Association said London's core is filling in quickly and that it's important to set aside land for future growth.

"We want to ensure that as the growth continues to come to our community that we're ready for it," he said.

The draft changes to the urban growth boundary will undergo more consultation before final approval is slated for later this year.