The Township of North Glengarry has moved to close portions of two unused roads in Maxville, potentially paving the way for their future sale. Council unanimously declared the unopened portions of the King Street South Extension and Robertson Drive surplus to municipal needs on Monday, September 28.
According to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Michael Fawthrop, the Township reviewed the lands and found no current or anticipated need for them for transportation, servicing, utilities, or other municipal purposes.
Fawthrop stressed at the meeting that declaring the lands surplus does not authorize their sale. If council eventually chooses to sell them, the matter will return to council, and an appraisal would be conducted as part of the process.
The road sections date back decades, having been identified as future roads in an old subdivision plan but never opened for municipal use.
Fawthrop said properties have since been developed on both sides of the King Street South right-of-way, including an existing parking lot that sits over part of the road under an encroachment agreement, limiting the land’s future development potential.
“There is no real future marketability of these lands,” Fawthrop said, noting they could not be developed as individual residential units or incorporated into a future subdivision. Agricultural land is also located to the south.
Deputy Mayor Carma Williams questioned whether the lands had originally been intended as streets and whether subsequent development had effectively made that impossible.
Councillor Jacques Massie also raised the possibility of eventually considering another unused road, Joseph Street, which runs north-south through part of the village.
Fawthrop said Joseph Street would require a separate review because neighbouring properties may have legal rights over the unopened road for access, and some of the surrounding land could have future development potential.
“That’s kind of a bigger discussion than the two we have before us today,” he said.
Councillor Michael Madden pointed out that Maxville has another Robertson Drive on the east side of the village, between Katherine Street East and Peter Street. The Robertson Drive covered by the current motion is a separate, single-block section that does not appear on some maps.
The motion also provides for the lands to be formally closed as public highways, with staff authorized to complete any required surveys, legal work, registrations, and notices.
If council decides to sell the properties, the Township will obtain an appraisal and bring the proposed sale back to council for consideration. For now, the lands remain in Township ownership, but are no longer considered necessary for municipal purposes.
