Crane Lake Marina - March 2021 Update
Dear Crane Lake Association Members,
As everyone is aware, the destiny of the Crane Lake Marina has been a prevalent topic of discussion for the past several years. So, it is exciting news that Ned McLellan has received an offer to purchase the marina lands! The offer is, however, conditional upon a required amendment to the current site-specific zoning by-law. To better understand the request for the amendment, the following is a recap of the background to the marina zoning situation.
In 2017, the Township of the Archipelago (TOA) adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 62 to facilitate the conversion of the commercial Crane Lake Resort to a residential condominium, and to enable the severance of the marina lands from the rest of the resort property. Concerns were raised at that time that the viability of the marina could be jeopardized if it turned into a residential property only. The TOA responded by applying a site-specific zoning – MC-3 – Marina Commercial Exception 3 - to the Crane Lake marina lands. This site-specific zoning restricted the establishment of any dwelling on the property. Over the next several years there was some indication (and hope) that Mike Steele would purchase the marina from Ned McLellan. Mike lived close by, and this restriction was not considered to be onerous.
The importance of a marina, including availability of a gas pump, was very evident in 2018 when, with the recently zoned residential condominium property, it became a legal requirement that the existing commercial old gas tank and pump be removed. With Mike still considering the purchase of the marina, the added cost to also purchase and install a new underground gas tank and pump on the severed marina land was overwhelming. The threat of no gas pump on Crane Lake resulted in a public community funding drive through a Go-Fund-Me campaign which raised sufficient funds for the purchase and installation of the new gas tank and pump to the benefit of the community. The community requested that the Crane Lake Association (CLA) manage the funds collected from the campaign which it did by setting up a stand-alone bank account, separate from the CLA operations. All invoices related to the purchase and installation of the gas tank and pump were provided to the CLA Treasurer who then provided the necessary funds to Mike Steele to pay the invoices accordingly. Leftover funds, as directed by the community, were used to build a store on the marina lands. It was a remarkable outpouring of community support to ensure Crane Lake continued to have an operating marina with a gas pump!
Unexpectedly, at the end of August 2020, Mike Steele closed his business operations at Crane Lake Marina, deciding not to purchase the marina property. Ned continued the gas, parking and docking services as best as possible until Thanksgiving and the marina was placed for sale in the real estate market.
As we all know, for water access property owners on Crane Lake, the marina has always provided necessary docking and parking facilities. And, of course, there is no doubt that the availability of the gas pump for all cottagers on the lake has become an integral part of cottage ownership. To the benefit of many, it is obvious that an operating marina on Crane Lake is critical.
The Offer to purchase the marina, which Ned would like to accept, is conditional upon an amendment to the site-specific zoning, requesting permission for the establishment of a dwelling as an accessory use to the Marina. The intent of the amendment is to allow the Buyer to run the marina while living on the property. To enable the sale to proceed, Ned’s agent, John Jackson, prepared an application and submitted it to the TOA on Ned’s behalf to request the existing zoning by-law be amended accordingly.
The CLA was invited by the TOA to submit a letter regarding this application for the zoning by-law amendment. To ensure the Association understood the situation at hand, the CLA Board reviewed the Preliminary Report prepared by Mr. Cale Henderson, Manager of Development & Environmental Studies for the TOA, which provided a review of the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law No. A2000-07, with specific references to Sections of the By-Law that relate directly to this application. With a quick turnaround required prior to the Public Hearing for this amendment, the Board held an urgent virtual meeting to which Councillor Ian Mead attended to answer questions from the Board. The facts we considered:
With respect to the application to allow the establishment of a single accessory dwelling on the marina lands:
The standard TOA zoning for Marina Commercial properties allows for up to 2 accessory residences on the property
An Accessory residence is defined as:
Accessory – uses, buildings and structures accessory to a Main or Secondary Use (Marina)
Single detached dwelling or a dwelling unit in a commercial building
We were reminded that since 2017 Crane Lake Marina is subject to a site-specific zoning (MC-3) that prohibits the establishment of any accessory residence.
Crane Lake Marina is currently the only marina in the TOA restricting an accessory dwelling
With respect to Section 17 of the TOA’s Official Plan - Section: Marina Policy, all commercially zoned lands and their docks are subject to site plan control. This control continues even if the proposed amendment is accepted.
Should Council approve the requested amendment, the TOA has the power to design a site-specific zoning by-law amendment for the marina lands with specific restrictions related to the accessory dwelling to ensure the best result for the community, including suggested defined criteria:
Only one accessory dwelling
Total square footage of the dwelling
# of stories
Placement of the dwelling footprint
Distance from the shoreline
Septic / environmental requirements
The TOA confirmed that this application for a single accessory residence is well within the environmental controls already in place for this site
The TOA confirmed that the Forested Area to the southeast of the operating area of the marina remains protected and will not be available for expansion or the placement of the accessory dwelling regardless of this amendment
The application for this zoning amendment clearly identifies that the construction of the dwelling will be immediately adjacent to the existing marina commercial office building off the left side of the road as you enter the property. The dwelling has a footprint of 30’ x 40’.
Based on the information above, and through the Board’s careful consideration and discussions, the CLA wrote a letter of support for the approval of the proposed amendment to the TOA (inserted below and available for download by clicking this link), referencing the need for continued site plan controls and adherence to all environmental regulations. An operating marina on Crane Lake is extremely important. We are reasonably confident that all appropriate restraints and controls will be put in place by the TOA should they decide to approve the application. And we believe it is not unreasonable to consider that an Owner-operator residing on the marina premises could be beneficial to the viability of the marina.
On March 12th, 2021, a virtual Public Hearing was conducted by the TOA via Zoom, after sending out Notices to a geographical area ten times greater than is required by the Ontario Planning Act. Five CLA Board members attended. Cale Henderson gave an exemplary presentation of the facts at hand. The Council heard from those in attendance that wished to comment on the application. The Council also received several letters from area residents that the TOA will take into consideration as they finalize their decision. It was made known that the purchase date for the marina is set for mid-April 2021 – with the Buyer hoping to establish themselves early in the Spring to be ready to help cottagers as they arrive for the 2021 summer season. The TOA is working diligently to respond to the application as soon as reasonably possible.
Your CLA Board is continuing to monitor this situation and diligently act under our mandate to represent the best interests of our Association members. Please feel free to contact the CLA Board at contactus@cranelakeassociation.ca if you have any questions regarding this matter. Questions regarding the proposed zoning by-law amendment itself should be directed to Mr. Cale Henderson at the TOA Planning Department – chenderson@thearchipelago.on.ca
Crane Lake Association
Board of Directors
