GREENSTONE — Grass-cutting and lawn maintenance are going to be top priorities for residents of Greenstone this spring, if they weren't already.
During their regular council meeting on Dec. 11, 2023, Greenstone municipal officials approved three by-laws in principle — including a zoning, property standards, and clean yards by-law – for final approval at their next council meeting on Jan. 15.
These new by-laws mainly apply to the maintenance of residential property – including grass length in yards (less than 20 centimetres), appropriate drainage and watercourse where applicable, the proper storage and keeping of waste or compost, and the prohibition of storing derelict or inoperative motor vehicles.
The zoning by-law ties into property standards and clean yards, particularly when it comes to where vehicles can be kept and what is considered acceptable for a business versus a residential property.
Mayor Jamie McPherson said that the introduction of these by-laws is the municipality’s response to what residents have been asking for.
“When we did our service delivery reviews last spring, we went to six different meetings [across] the four major wards [and] everyone said to us, ‘we want to clean our town up, we want to make our ward look better.’ It was not something we had expected to hear as a number one concern [but] it was, so we went around, got the input, and then changed our… priorities, moved the zoning by-law, property standards by-law, and clean yards by-law all up,” McPherson said.
Appropriate storage of waste is an issue that came to a head for residents of Greenstone this past September with an influx of bear activity, making the introduction of these new by-laws all the more timely.
Councillor Matthew Donovan pointed out that the proposal for the by-law makes an exception for properties owned or occupied by the municipality itself, raising concerns.
“I know people bring forward the fact that, sometimes, our properties lead the municipality in untidiness. I would hope that, although it does not apply to us and we’re not bound by it, we’ll still do everything we can – everything within our budget, within our personnel power – to keep our properties [to standard] as well,” Donovan said.
Chief administrative officer Mark Wright made it clear that, although it would require a significant budgetary adjustment to attend to every property that they own, the municipality will focus on maintaining “green space, playgrounds, and the space around the facilities that [they] use.”
The new by-laws apply to all residents in the municipality.
Once final approval is reached, a property standards officer will be appointed to enforce the new property standards.
The clean yards by-law is just one of the many ways the municipality of Greenstone is making an effort to maintain the look of each ward and protect the environment, with considerations and exemptions for conservation, farming and business practices.
Council is set to review enforcement measures and how best to further educate the public about the clean yards by-law in February.
The review of enforcement measures brings with it direction from council to have municipal staff put together an all-encompassing beautification plan and budget for 2025, identifying municipal grants and funding that Greenstone could utilize next year for continued beautification efforts.