Agreeing with the concerns of anxious neighbours, Wellesley council this week turned down a request to allow horses to be kept in Linwood.
Township planners had recommended council approve a zoning bylaw amendment to permit Ervin Albrecht at 5209 Ament Line to keep two horses on his property in the settlement area. The animals serve as his primary means of transportation.
But the proposal was rejected 4-1, with Mayor Ross Kelterborn the lone member in favour at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Coun. Herb Neher wondered if a similar proposal would even be considered for other parts of Wellesley Township.
“This is my board, and there hasn’t been a single person that has been in favour of this. People do not want to get into a situation where there are horses right in the middle of the settlement area. I noticed in (the planning report) you pointed out that of course in St. Clements or Wellesley, we wouldn’t allow that. I am not really sure what the difference is. This is right in the middle of town. So Linwood may not have six stores, it only has three, but still it is in the centre of town. If this was in the outskirts of town I might be a little bit more flexible, but right in the middle of town, I have a problem with that personally… I don’t think there is much of a difference between whether this happens in Linwood or in Wellesley or St. Clements, I think you would probably get the same response from those other communities as well.”
He continued, more forcefully, “Something we all have to consider is how would you like it?” He looked around the table, “How would you, or you like it?”
Mayor Kelterborn took issue with the suggestion, asking, “Is he asking me a question? Are you asking me a question?
He wasn’t.
Township planning staff had recommended a three-year trial period, with a number of regulations regarding the horse shelter and the storage of manure.
But it wasn’t enough to quell the concerns of neighbours.
“I’ve had some time to observe what is going on next door and I am concerned that if the owners are allowed to have a horse or horses, that they will be taken care of properly,” wrote Blaine Hergott, of 5205 Ament Line in a submission to council. “Will the owners dispose the manure off the property on a regular basis? Will there be problems with smell, flies etc.?”
He continued, “I honestly cannot believe we are having to deal with this issue. I live in town, livestock should live outside of town. The owners should have made an inquiry before they purchased the property to see what is and what is not allowed in the downtown community of Linwood.”
Sherie Thoman lives across the street on Ament Line. She called the decision to oppose the bylaw amendment a “no brainer.”
“There are some things that (township staff’s) recommendation didn’t acknowledge, and that certainly is the depreciation of real estate values in our area, especially around there,” said Thoman. “It will definitely take the number of people who might be interested in my home (down) because there is horse there. It’s just another problem when you’re selling your home.”
It will also add costs to taxpayers in Wellesley, Thoman added.
“I’m concerned about the monitoring of this if it does go through. Who will monitor it, and what is the cost to the taxpayers … and how often will it be monitored?”
Neighbor Hellen Gunn agreed.
“The future of Linwood is at jeopardy if this trend is allowed,” she told council. “What, if any of the concerns of the neighbouring properties have been addressed? Was there any consideration at the time this property was purchased that the zoning bylaw does not allow horses?”
