The Municipality of the District of Guysborough’s council includes (back, from the left): Councillor Neil DeCoff (District 3); Councillor Rickey McLaren (District 7); Councillor Fin Armsworthy (District 8); and Councillor Miles MacDonald (District 1). (Front row, from the left): Councillor Blair George (District 4); Warden Vernon Pitts (District 6); Deputy Warden Janet Peitzsche (District 5); and Councillor Sheila Pelly (District 2).
GUYSBOROUGH: Following requests from a number of property owners, council has decided to release restrictive covenants on properties in the Fox Island Main area.
Municipal officials approved the request for release during the regular monthly meeting of council for the Municipality of the District of Guysborough last Wednesday at the municipal office in Guysborough.
Municipal solicitor Bruce MacKeen said those properties in the Three Mile Lake development were initially created by the municipality.
“In the early 1980s, some of the properties, though not all were restrictive covenants imposed on them,” he said. “That the lots would not be sub-divided and that there would be no commercial enterprises on them.”
MacKeen said there was no zoning in the area at the time of the development.
“Since that time, some of the lots are quite large, some into eight-acres which would normally be a couple of building lots, if not three,” he said. “It was sort of an ad hoc arrangement apparently then in the early 1980s.”
MacKeen said he doesn’t know the exact rationale but he suspect it was because there was no zoning, which obviously there is now.
“A number of property owners have requested the release, which leaves us no choice.”
