Neighbourhood complaints spurred town action as Marianneville Stonehaven Limited got hit with a town order over its property maintenance at 600 Stonehaven Ave.
The town said it served the owner with an order to comply under its property standards bylaw on June 6 for tall grass and weeds at the site at Stonehaven and Bayview Avenue.
The developer has begun to comply at the site of a future residential neighbourhood and indicated that the work would be finished by the end of the week.
Area resident John Birchall said residents had higher expectations for the property upkeep at the site previously owned by the York Regional Police Association.
“It’s disappointing. We expected the developer would keep the property looking clean,” Birchall said. “What we can do is keep pressure on it."
The site is slated for residential housing, with a proposal for approximately 200 homes. The application is still in progress, however the developer demolishing the association headquarters building earlier this year.
Last week, portions of the property appeared overgrown with grass and weeds.
Marianneville vice-president Joanne Barnett said the developer met with a town bylaw officer regarding upkeep.
“We are meeting Newmarket’s property standards bylaw and will happily continue to maintain that standard on this and all our other properties in Newmarket,” she said.
The town said a bylaw officer will investigate a property if a complaint is received. If found in contravention of town bylaw, the property owner is notified and encouraged to voluntarily remediate the issue. A fine may be imposed for further noncompliance, or an officer may have it remediated by a third-party contractor. The town said property owners are responsible for upkeep of all parts of their property.
“The town always prefers voluntary compliance over ticketing," the municipality said. "The issuance of fines is a last resort for gaining compliance."
The property is often used by residents as a natural area in the neighbourhood, though it is technically private property at this point, Birchall said.
A review of the development application is ongoing, and Birchall said residents engaged in that process are awaiting further updates. The developer made a second submission in August 2021, with the town posting a package of responses from commenting agencies like the conservation authority April 25.
