Development, Development Application Review Process, General Topics, Stonebridge Golf Course

We are pleased to announce that we have reached a major milestone on the Mattamy / Stonebridge Golf Course file and would like to provide you with updates on the Stonebridge Levy and the Mattamy Phase 16 development application. 

In April [SCA Email Apr 7, 2020] we communicated that we would reach out when we had something to share, and we’ve finally reached that point. After many additional meetings, consultations and COVID-19 related delays, the elements of the proposed solution presented at the July 30th and September 30th 2019 community meetings last year have been captured in two legal draft agreements: the Stonebridge Tripartite Agreement and the Two Party Legal Agreement. 

  1. The Tripartite Agreement (the “Tripartite Agreement”) is a legal agreement based on the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed by Mattamy and the Stonebridge Community Association (SCA). This agreement also contains the Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the golf course lands. In order to enable the special levy, the City of Ottawa must have entered into an Agreement of Purchase and Sale.  This Agreement, drafted by Mattamy similarly to the LOI, is the result of collaboration between all parties through the legal representation for Mattamy, the City, and the SCA that started early in 2020. 
  2. The Two Party Agreement (the “Two Party Agreement”) is a legal agreement, drafted by the City, that covers the terms agreed to between the City of Ottawa and the SCA that do not involve Mattamy directly. The current wording in the agreement is the result of extensive collaboration in recent weeks between both parties through their legal representation. Most importantly, this Agreement covers terms related to management, ownership and control of the golf course lands after acquisition, the potential conversion of the land to open space / greenspace  and the City’s support to ensure that no future development occurs beyond the scope of these agreements.

These two Agreements have been prepared, in draft, for consideration by the City’s Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCO) at the next FEDCO meeting on October 6, 2020, where FEDCO will vote on the approval and implementation of the Stonebridge Levy.  At this meeting, FEDCO will also approve the execution of the two draft Agreements, in the general form attached to this update. Delegated authority will be given to the General Manager of Planning to finalize, and make any required changes, prior to the signing of these Agreements.

These agreements have now been reviewed by all parties, and their legal counsel, and have reached a state that we are sharing with you today. On behalf of the SCA, our legal counsel Kristi Ross, and the Stonebridge Working Group (SWG), we are confident that these legal agreements cover the key elements of the solution agreed upon and communicated to the community last year. These documents are being shared with Stonebridge residents for your perusal and to provide assurance of the work required to finalize the solution mandated as a result of the vote in favour of the Stonebridge Levy last November 2019.

Key Document Links

A reference guide is being provided to assist your review and understanding of the legal agreements. Of course, some elements of the solution are covered in various clauses throughout, but we hope this guide helps you to navigate these documents. We have included links below to the two legal agreements, accompanying schedules, the reference guide, along with a detailed report prepared by City Staff for FEDCO recommending the approval of the Stonebridge Levy:

We ask that while reading the agreements, please keep in mind that, common to most legal agreements, much consideration has been given to numerous possible scenarios, and you will see legal protections for these throughout.

The Tripartite and Two Party legal agreements are in draft form, and are required for the approval and implementation of the Stonebridge Levy.  The “general form” of the Agreements will be approved by FEDCO, and authority delegated to the General Manager of Planning to finalize and execute the Agreements. Although these agreements may be subject to some change through this process, there are limits on the extent of changes given the extensive consultation that has already occurred between the parties through their legal representation. The timing of the signing of these documents is under discussion with legal counsel as each party has conditions to be satisfied before this occurs. For example, in the case of the SCA, we were clear that we were not in a position to sign until these agreements had been shared with the community. Further information on the timing of the signing of these agreements will be shared as it becomes available.

However, notwithstanding the above, if you have substantive concerns on the contents of the agreements we ask that you direct these concerns to the SCA (info@stonebridgeCA.com) by no later than October 11th. We will consolidate comments and consult SCA legal counsel if required before anything is signed. We will not be fielding questions regarding the legal agreements on our SCA social media channels (Facebook, Twitter) given the technical nature and complexity of the material, so please use the email address above to reach the SCA and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. For expediency, this response may be in the form of a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page for common themes.

Stonebridge Levy Approval

On February 4th, 2020, the results of the Stonebridge Levy vote administered by the City of Ottawa were officially reported to FEDCO [FEDCO Agenda Feb 4, 2020]. In order for the Stonebridge Levy to be approved by FEDCO, an agreement of Purchase & Sale is required. The Tripartite Agreement between Mattamy, the City, and the SCA satisfies this requirement and is now ready for submission to FEDCO for approval. The Stonebridge Levy will be tabled at the October 6th meeting of this committee [FEDCO Agenda Oct 6, 2020]. 

Once considered at FEDCO, this committee will make a recommendation to Council. This recommendation will be included at the October 14th City Council meeting. If approved by Council, the implementation of the Stonebridge Levy will be initiated and will be applied to the 2021 property tax roll for all residents residing in the catchment area for the Stonebridge community. For more information on the Stonebridge Levy please visit the City of Ottawa’s website.

Mattamy Phase 16 – 2701 Longfields

Mattamy filed the development application for the Mattamy Phase 16 subdivision at 2701 Longfields in late 2019, after the community voted strongly in favour of the Stonebridge Levy. Mattamy has submitted updates to its original application documents, in some cases to address discrepancies that the SCA reported to the City in January 2020 during the official comment period [SCA Email Jan 16, 2020]. The application documentation for the two files related to this subdivision are posted on the City’s DevApps website: 

The City has been processing Mattamy’s application as per their obligations under the Planning Act and the statutory public meeting for the subdivision is the next step in the process. In cooperation with Mattamy and the City, the statutory public meeting will not occur until after the Stonebridge Levy has been tabled at FEDCO on October 6th. The statutory public meeting is planned for October 20th, and notice of this meeting will be issued by the City this week, by mail to those residing within 120m of the subject lands, and by email to anyone registered with the City on this application. We’ve included a link to the meeting notice below for your convenience. 

Please note that this is the statutory public meeting hosted by the City’s planning department for purposes of discussing the planning of the proposed subdivision. This statutory public meeting is not related in any way to the Tripartite and Two Party legal agreements, or the Stonebridge Levy.

For those that have registered with the City on this file, you will receive notice 10 days before the Zoning By-law Amendment (D02-02-19-0134) is heard at the City’s Planning Committee, further into the development application process.

Summary of Key Upcoming Dates

  • October 6th, 2020 – Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCO) Meeting where the Stonebridge Levy will be tabled for approval. 
  • October 14th, 2020 – City Council meeting and the recommendation from FEDCO to approve the Stonebridge Levy. 
  • October 20th, 2020 – Statutory public meeting for Mattamy’s Phase 16 development (2701 Longfields) hosted virtually by the City of Ottawa.

For new residents and/or anyone that wants to review previously released files concerning the future of the Stonebridge Golf Course here are some key links:

Thank you to all Stonebridge residents for sharing your feedback, being passionate about your community, and the appreciation you have shown to the volunteers who have done this work on behalf of the Stonebridge community.

About Mike

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