Q: Is Summer Village a "subdivision"?

A: No. Unlike a subdivision, there will be no public streets or municipal services. Summer Village will be a self-contained resort.

As a seasonal tourist commercial establishment with recreational amenities, Summer Village will provide lodging for both the vacationing public and the "second home" market as a cottage resort establishment.

Summer Village will operate from April 1st to October 31st. There will be no full-time residents, only visitors.

The PEC Official Plan encourages the resort's ownership structure. See Part III General Development, Section 3.3.4.b).

Q: You refer to the Official Plan in your presentation, but there are many, many sections in the Official Plan that are very strongly against this type of sub-division development. And, of course, there are many sections that support development for tourist accommodation. We are suggesting that what is meant by 'tourist accommodation' in the Official Plan is not the type of sub-division density and blight on the tourist corridor that Cottage Advisors has proposed.

A: Our proposal is for a development of a resort and not a residential development. The Official Plan's comments on a subdivision are in reference to residential developments. This is a commercial resort, and as such, will follow the commercial guidelines as defined by the Zoning by-laws. In addition, the resort's ownership structure is encouraged in the PEC Official Plan. See Part III General Development Strategies.

Q: What does the cottage come with (pool access, etc.)?

A: Resort guests and visitors will have access to many amenities, including:

• Family pool
• Adult pool
• Hot tub
• Fitness center
• Computer room
• Bocce
• Basketball
• Tennis courts
• Walking paths
• Kayaking, canoeing, sailing
• An outdoor pavilion
• The Lodge

Q: Is this resort a time-share?

A: No, our resort is not a time-share. Cottage owners can make their units available to the vacationing public through a rental program. The resort management company will provide the resort services, such as advertising the resort, reservation services, resort operations and maintenance.

Q: Can you provide information on cost of purchase, condo fees, and rental management?

A: We are too early in the process to provide this information. We will provide this information at a later date.

Q: When will these cottages be built?

A: Once Council approves the project, we hope to begin construction in fall 2009. The construction will take place in stages over a period of 3 years. We hope to have first occupancy for summer 2010.

Q: What is the limitation on owner occupancy each year, and why?

A: To ensure that our resort is for the vacationing public, guests may only visit the resort for a total of 179 days per calendar year. This requirement will be part of the Site Plan Agreement.

Q: What is the policy for motorboats?

A: Summer Village on East Lake has a very specific boating policy. We advocate and promote non-motorized watercrafts, including kayaks, canoes and sail boats. We will not allow personal motorized watercraft (i.e. jet-skis, Sea-Do's) to be stored, launched or docked on the property.

We will allow and reserve the right to provide up to 8 small, motorized fishing boats (these will not include sports boats). We may also provide a touring boat for our resort.
This limitation will be part of the Site Plan Agreement.

Q: Will there be a policy regarding the maximum occupancy per unit? If yes, then how will this rule be enforced?

A: Yes, there will be a policy. We have set limits on our other properties. Currently we are considering a limit of 6 occupants with a surcharge for rentals with over 4 people. The policy will be enforced at check-in and monitored by security staff.

Q: Why do you need a gatehouse at the entrance?

A: Like many seasonal commercial establishments in the County, the gatehouse is set back from the road. It is there for the safety of our guests. In addition to security and/or rule enforcement, this gate prevents access while the resort is closed and serves a variety of administrative functions, including tracking guest visits.

Q: Will we be able to hear, to see the wind turbine project on Royal Road?

A: We received this question and do not have an answer for it at this time.

Q: How/why did you determine that 18 inches diameter was the default for removing a tree? Is this a development industry standard or an arbitrary measurement?

A: We wanted to identify and protect the large trees on the property. To help us with that initiative we felt that an 18 inch diameter met that criterion. Once these trees were identified, we GPS mapped their locations and revised our site plan to minimize loss. In addition, the site plan was optimized to leverage existing roads and logging trails to minimize impact.

This is not a default for removing a tree. The only trees that will be removed are ones that are in the building envelope, which include structures, roads and or land improvements. It is our intent to minimize the removal of trees in general, not just based on if they are 18 inches or greater.

The number one amenity in our community in Westford is the nature trail. We see the woods as a natural amenity and a positive value to our customers.

Q: Can we have a public tour of the woodlot before it is destroyed?

A: Our development will not destroy the woodlot. We very much value the woods, the water, animals and natural wetlands. These are treasured assets that are doing everything in our power to protect. Interested residents are encouraged to tour the property with us. A tour will be scheduled in the near future.

Q: Was the marsh previously a dump?

A: No. There was a dump site located on our neighbor's property. The site has been closed for more than 25 years. A Phase 1 Environmental Study was conducted and concluded that this site is a non-issue for our proposed resort.
Environmental Issues.

Q: How will you treat wastewater?

A: We plan to install a Zenon Membrane Wastewater Treatment System (WWTP), the best sewage technology in the world. The Zenon waste water system produces crystal clear effluent that meets the most stringent discharge and water recycling standards. For more information, please refer to http://www.zenon.com

Q: Will the water supply for neighbouring properties be affected if a drilled well is used at Summer Village on East Lake?

A: Our goal is to avoid any impact on the water supply for our neighbours. We believe this goal can be reached because of the unique conditions at the site. The unique sand and gravel formation on this site adjacent to the lake allows indirect access to the water in East Lake. The wells will not be installed into the bedrock or shallow overburden that supplies the majority of the wells in this area. Additional testing is planned to confirm this outcome. Residents should also take comfort in the fact that the MOE will not issue a Permit to Take Water unless we can quantify and demonstrate no impact on neighboring wells.

Q: Will the water for the cottages and amenities come from East Lake or a drilled well?

A: We're considering both potential sources. We would prefer to use groundwater, and preliminary testing indicates that the sand and gravel aquifer on site is suitable. Additional testing is required to confirm that the quality and quantity of water is sufficient for our needs.

Q: What are the plans for disposal of the biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant?

A: Our consultants, including our planner, are very familiar with the moratorium on land spreading of sludge and the dialog about this subject within the community. All of the options we are looking into involve hauling the product outside of the County. We will dispose of the biosolids in the same manner as the municipality does.

Q: What are the safety and environmental issues regarding Zenon WWTP effluent drainage over land near wetlands, and for salt entering the lake and wetlands?

A: We are not utilizing surface distribution of the Zenon effluent. While we had the option, we decided to design a subsurface discharge through a tile bed system. Although more expensive, it is the better solution for the environment, neighbours and our guests.

Q: Will Cottage Advisors support a Shoreland Management Plan?

A: Yes, we would support a Shoreland Management Plan for East Lake. Our property represents 2.3% of the shoreline on East Lake. If our resort receives approval, we would support an initiative like a Shoreline Management Plan and ongoing monitoring and testing of East Lake. We have partnered with the lake association in Westford, MA, where another Cottage Advisors cottage resort is located, and we contribute funds and support on an annual basis. We believe, based on this common interest, our organization can work together with FOEL.

Q: Will Summer Village on East Lake stress environmental matters such as geothermal solar/wind power, water management, and sustainable development?

A: Our focus has not been alternative energy, since that requires a scale much larger that we are. We focus on energy and resource conservation through best managed construction techniques i.e. energy saving lights, HVAC fixtures and water saving appliances.
 

Q: Are you informing potential owners that East Lake is polluted?

A: East Lake is not polluted. There are some elevated levels of E.coli bacteria within some of the streams flowing into the lake, which may be reflective of agricultural uses within those sub-watersheds, but which do not represent a concern for body contact recreation in the lake itself. The water quality data demonstrates E. coli levels are relatively low within East Lake. Note that E.coli and other bacteria from warm-blooded animals do not reproduce in lake environments, and generally survive for only short periods of time.

In addition to E. coli bacteria, the metal cadmium was detected above Provincial Water Quality Objectives in many samples, albeit at low concentrations. These results appear to reflect natural contributions from rock and soil rather than anthropogenic sources. Levels of iron and aluminum were above the provincial objectives in some stream samples, but not from the lake itself. None of these metal results suggest the lake is polluted.

Q: Does the traffic analysis indicate that a stoplight will be necessary at Cherry Valley?

A: Traffic signals will not be required to accommodate future resort traffic at the intersection of County Road 10 and County Road 18 in Cherry Valley. County Road 10 and County Road 18 are not busy roadways and there is a lot of spare capacity at the intersection. Also, there will not be a lot of resort traffic. During the busiest hour on a summer weekend (around noon on Saturday), there will be an estimated average of one resort trip every 46 seconds through the intersection. The future traffic can easily be accommodated with no change to the existing roadways or the existing three-way stop at the intersection in Cherry Valley.

The resort will have a convenience store and small restaurant as a service for the guests. With these amenities on-site, there is a reduced need for guests to drive elsewhere.

Q: The declining accommodation figures, presented at the Public Meeting (October 9, 2008), is inaccurate because it does not show a large number of B&B's picking up the slack.

A: Agreed. We did not include B&Bs in our analysis because they do not have a commercial designation. Since this request, we did engage in analyzing how many additional B&B rooms have been added to the County. We are awaiting the results.

Q: Where will the estimated income benefit come from if the development has its own restaurants, store, etc.?

A: The results from the Economic Analysis Study show an estimated $34 million in tourism spending in the County over a nine-year period. By having a small general store and restaurant, we are looking for our guest to have conveniences available to them, not "shopping" opportunities. The added benefit of this convenience is that it will help reduce/control automobile and bicycle traffic on County Rd. 18.

Q: Who is responsible for maintenance of the resort if Cottage Advisors defaults during or after development? What is the taxpayer's risk?

A: The taxpayer has no risk, as there are no municipal services. The owners will pay all services and maintenance with their monthly common expenses. If Cottage Advisors does a poor job of management, the cottage owners will replace the company with a new management team and the resort will continue to operate. If default occurs prior to the opening of the resort, Cottage Advisors will lose its investment but the taxpayer will never be at risk. This is a privately funded and operated resort - the general public will have no financial risk.

Q: What will you do with the other homes on the property? Will you consider donating unused materials to Habitat for Humanity - PEC Branch?

A: We are unsure at this time which, if any, of the homes will be removed. We would be happy to discuss working with the local Habitat for Humanity (HFH) organization.

Our development partner at Summer Village at the Pond in Westford, MA donated labor and materials for the most recent HFH house in Westford. We will be glad to have local representatives contact us directly to discuss.

Q: How will you select local business partners for the construction phase?

A: Once we gain approval, we will look to partner with a local construction company to act as the general contractor. Through this process, local businesses are encouraged to bid on work within their respective areas of discipline.

The majority of the work on our other projects has been completed through the use of subcontractors.