First look at McNeely Landing 

At the Carleton Place council committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday June 21, councillors got a first detailed looked at plans for a new 431 residential unit subdivision on the east side of Hwy 15, just south of Hwy 7. Uniform Urban Development and town staff started the long process to construction with a public meeting. The proposal includes single detached homes as well as townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings. They have set aside almost 3.5 ha of the property for a future school and parkland. Uniform Urban is a relatively young company at 30 years of age, but has plenty of experience in developing properties in Ottawa. They stand out due to their association and work with renowned architect Barry Hobin. Mayor Doug Black took exception to the heavy numbers of townhomes saying they take away from the small-town charm Carleton Place values highly. The proposal will go through a number of legislated steps and applications in the months to come with the start of construction several years away.

Ice and pool rates set to rise 

Staff brought forward a proposal to raise the user fees and rental rates for the town’s indoor pool and arena ice pads by roughly 6% starting this September. It brought discussion on the risks of raising rates too high and causing a reduction in demand due to affordability. Joanne Henderson, the town’s manager for recreation and culture reminded council that inflation and an increasing consumer price index was putting extreme pressure on their budgets. In addition, since the last rate change, the town has faced minimum wage increases and a drastic decrease in users over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end the committee approved sending the rate increase package to council for a final vote.

Article by Brian Turner