If Habitat for Humanity takes Espanola council to the Ontario Municipal Board over a zoning issue, it indirectly has a powerful ally. That ally is the town hall staff. Habitat’s executive director says staff have no problem with its request to build a semi-detached home on Adelaide Street. Some neighbours raised issues like snow removal to block the zoning buy Habitat’s Lise Rheault says municipal staff don’t agree. Rheault says staff don’t have a problem with the snow removal objection because it can be worked around and the fire department had no objections with the semi-detached proposal. Rheault also finds it puzzling that town council won’t consider alternatives to its build project. When she was told the house is too big for the size of the lot, she tried suggesting a smaller home but was consistently told no. The Habitat board will decide sometime next month whether to appeal council’s decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.
