HAGERSVILLE—Haldimand County has agreed to a settlement with the proponent behind a proposed 42-unit townhouse development on a 1.6-hectare parcel of land located at 99 Main Street North in Hagersville.
The proposal drew heavy public criticism when it was first discussed at a Council meeting last year on August 25, 2025.
At the time, County staff recommended approving proponent Joe Archer’s application for a zoning bylaw amendment to facilitate residential development on the land, with a holding provision in place to ensure proper servicing capacity and to study possible impacts related to the nearby CN Rail tracks.
Despite assurances from urban planner Mack Farrant that studies had shown the development would cause minimal impact on traffic, many residents shared concerns at the meeting related to traffic, parking, safety, and privacy.
Following the discussion, Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley put forth a motion to defer the application, asking Archer to “come back with a bit better of an application perhaps.”
Instead, Archer took his proposal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), bypassing Council and seeking the needed zoning amendment there. In a document dated August 13, 2026, the OLT approved a settlement between Haldimand County and Archer.
The OLT wrote the proposal has “regard for matters of provincial interest as defined in section 2 of the Planning Act, is consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement, conforms with Haldimand County’s Official Plan, aligns with the County’s Zoning By-law, and the holding provisions are attainable.”
The OLT document said the proposed development utilizes an underdeveloped parcel while contributing to “diversifying the range of housing at an appropriate scale and density within Hagersville.”
Asked why the County agreed to the settlement, spokesperson Kyra Hayes replied, “The County took a position to not oppose the appeal before the OLT.”
She said that while the approval gives the proponent the needed zoning to permit townhouse development, “the applicant will need to work with Haldimand to clear the Conditions of Draft Plan Approval and receive approvals for the technical components, including engineering approvals.”
As for the public concerns related to the development’s potential impact on traffic, Hayes replied, “Traffic assessment and measures continue to be reviewed and implemented as needed…. The OLT decision had regard for neighbour concerns.”
Asked if Haldimand had concerns about other developers opting to bypass Haldimand and present their proposals directly to the OLT, Hayes replied, “The OLT and appeal process has always been available to all applicants, and Haldimand County remains committed to completing comprehensive assessments for all Planning Act applications.”
Outgoing Ward 4 Councillor Brad Adams was far more outspoken on the topic, calling the settlement a “clear indication to me and the residents of Haldimand that developers don’t care about what we want. What they do care about is making as much money as they possibly can by crowding lots and building taller and faster. They’ve been successful on some with their sales pitches, advertising all the wonderful things their developments will bring to the community such as schools, restaurants, trails, long-term care. But the truth is, these amenities are quickly filled by the people moving into these new builds.”
Adams said the current pace of development in Haldimand is “irreversibly changing the landscape of our small towns. I’ve said before in Council, directly to developers, that they first need to lobby the Provincial government to get infrastructure in place before doing these builds,” listing a bypass around Hagersville as an example.
“I believe the community and Council and other municipalities need to stand united against these tactics,” Adams said. “I hear some councillors say over and over, ‘If we don’t agree and it goes to the OLT and we fight, we’ll ultimately lose and it will just cost us money.’ In response to that I question, then do we just roll over and take it? Do we not stand up for ourselves? Do we not fight and demonstrate our frustration with this government’s steamrolling over Haldimand?”
With the settlement in place, the townhouse development will now move forward with required approvals to begin construction.
