Newmarket Mayor, Tony Van Bynen, has cautioned Regional Councillor, John Taylor, not to put a motion before the Council to cap the height of new buildings at 15 storeys.

Taylor wants a vote on building height restrictions as it would indirectly provide direction to current proposals such as Slessor Square as to what the Council feels is appropriate.

In his blog, the Mayor counters:

I do not believe it is appropriate to pass a resolution that sets notional height restrictions for buildings without due process.

He goes on to raise the spectre of the OMB

To pass a resolution at this time, as has been proposed, may well put our municipality in front of the Ontario Municipal Board.

The consequences of an OMB hearing would mean a cost to our municipality of upwards of a hundred thousand dollars in legal fees.

Seems to me the OMB casts a long shadow over our councillors.

Every time I talk to a councillor and mention a contentious planning issue it is only a matter of moments before talk turns to the OMB and its supposedly awesome powers.

Seems to me it’s time to put the OMB under the microscope.

But that’s for another day.