Mayor promises open discussion on Colborne Creek

Mayor Marc Coombs promised at the September 15 meeting of Cramahe Council that any discussions regarding the future of the Colborne Creek subdivision will be held in open meetings.

The question was asked during press question period when the mayor was asked if Council would be considering the future of the subdivision now that 75% of the lots are sold in Phase 1. The mayor was uncertain that there were that many sold, leaving him at least a day behind Cramahe Now readers who learned the fact on September 14. The mayor wondered where Cramahe Now had gotten the numbers which had been obtained from two sources.

Councillor Pat Westrope seemed to clarify the subject when she interjected that she and the mayor had done a "sold" count in the subdivision the week before. They had gotten different counts, one counting 8 left and the other counting 14. To reach the 75%, 30 of the 39 lots in Phase 1 had to be sold.

In November, 2008 Mayor Coombs advised the designated builders for Colborne Creek that Cramahe would have to make a decision at some point (about the second phase). He stated then that the township may decide the best approach would be to sell the second phase as a block and leave all development to the buyer of the lots.

Builder Jim Rutherford suggested in November, 2008 that council give the builders a chance to finish Phase 1 before looking at the second section.

Mayor Coombs wondered that the builders might want to service the second phase themselves.

Builder Mike Voskamp felt they could look at that when the first phase was farther along.

The township Director of Development in 2008, Becky Bonisteel predicted the second phase of 35 homes would begin sometime in 2010.

Several August, 2009 home sales have brought the first phase of the subdivision to the magic 75% sales mark. In the agreement which ended in January, 2009 the work on services for the second phase was to begin when 75% of the 39 homes in phase one were sold and 50% occupied. The builders must have met their quotas in the expiring agreement. In 2008 the builders and the township admitted the quotas for the builders were unrealistic.

There is no quota in the current agreement made in November, 2008 with the four builders involved and the 75% target number was dropped too. The new agreement came into force in January, 2009.