A new vision and goals for the township?

Hi All

A huge thank you to all who showed up Tuesday night 6th May, and all who wanted to but couldn't. 

What we did

We had 44 people at the workshop, two thirds of them first timers!. We worked in small groups to draft vision statements for the township and more specific policy statements on housing, business, agriculture and conservation.  This was all small group work  (7 groups). 

Outputs

We drafted a vion statement for the township and policy goals around housing, business, agriculture and conservation. Here's the result!

Vision

Middlesex township strives to be a thriving, peaceful and inclusive rural community that balances thoughtful growth with the preservation of its agricultural land, woodlands, wetlands and riparian zones. 

Rooted in its agrarian heritage and natural beauty, the township supports family oriented living, small farms and businesses, vibrant public spaces and environmental stewardship, ensuring a high quality of life and strong civic pride for generations to come. 

We will  continually examine our zoning, ordinances, governance and practices to ensure they best support our vision.

What do you think?

I've also taken the notes on the four policies and turned them into policy statements below. Again, what do you think?

Conservation Policy

Middlesex Township is committed to conserving its farmland,  woodlands, wetlands and riparian zones. We will adjust our ordinances to ensure that sensitive lands (steep slopes, riparian zones, wetlands and woodlands) are protected and preserved to the greatest extent possible during necessary infrastructure, business and housing developments.  We will enhance our ability to monitor and enforce compliance of land users and developers with our ordinances.

The township will actively seek out not-for-profits, universities and community groups to partner with in support of this goal. We will consult with like minded townships to learn from their successes and mistakes.

Business Policy

Middlesex Township seeks to attract and support small businesses that enhance the township's vision. We will consult with the business community to develop supportive infrastructure and to ensure that business developments are in turn supportive of, and not intrusive on, residential life and ecological conservation. The township will work with the business community to develop an inclusive independent association of township businesses who in turn will seek to support community activities and the attraction of new appropriate businesses to the township. Township practices around business taxation will be revised to better support the local economy.

Housing Policy

Middlesex Township fully supports housing developments which are in line with the township’s vision. The township strongly favors Conservation Development style housing projects and will also put in place conservation and community funds which all developers will be required to pay into.  Ordinances concerning PRDs and single lot developments will be revised to ensure that housing developments are in tune with our rural lifestyle and environment. Being aware of the aging nature of the region's population, we will encourage development aimed at the retired and semi retired population. 

Agricultural Policy

Middlesex Township will support the preservation of local farms and farm land through adjustments to its zoning ordinance and funding to support agricultural easements. The township will work with county organizations and local not-for-profits to promote local farms, farm to table activities, agrotourism, new entry farmers and other ways of diversifying farm incomes.

Next Steps

Community Development Association

Eight people signed up to help me set up our community association - thanks. I'll get in touch soon about how we get started on setting this up.

Community Activities

Once we get our community group set up, we need to prioritize the actions, events and activities the community group should focus on. Are you up for a workshop on this? If there's support I'll get going on planning this.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commision now needs to drill down from these policies to the actual changes needed in ordinances, zoning, practices etc. The hope is to set up commission working sessions where a small working group of residents can join and help draft the needed changes. No time line for this yet, but please email me to let me know which group you'd like to help with (Business, Housing, Conservation, Agriculture)