Residents eager to learn the fate of Glen Abbey and Saw-Whet golf courses will have to wait considerably longer before receiving any kind of resolution.

The two properties drew public interest recently after developers announced plans to build a considerable number of residences on them.

In an article in the Town’s Let’s Talk Oakville magazine, Ward 4 Councillors Allan Elgar and Roger Lapworth discussed the two projects.

An Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing concerning the Saw-Whet Golf Course at 1401 Bronte Rd., got underway in October 2015.

Bronte Green Corporation has proposed the development of 760 residences on the 55-hectare property, including 520 single-detached homes, 104 back-to-back dwellings, 125 townhouses and 11 single-detached residential condominiums.

Bronte Green’s development application went before the Town of Oakville in March 2014 and Bronte Green appealed the matter to the OMB in October 2014, citing the Town’s failure to deliver a timely decision.

“Your elected council voted to fight the development proposal on the grounds that it is ‘premature and not in the public interest.’ Your mayor has pledged to save all of the Merton Lands of which Saw-whet is part,” said Elgar in the Let’s Talk Oakville article.

“Given that Oakville has met its provincially-mandated growth numbers to 2031, and that development of Saw-Whet is not part of Oakville’s current Official Plan, I feel that should be the end of the story, but it is not, because, in my opinion, the OMB often provides a convenient back door for developers to achieve their goals.”

So far the hearing has made little headway with Elgar noting that five weeks after the OMB hearing got underway last October the board had heard about two-thirds of the evidence brought forward by Bronte Green and no evidence from public agencies, including the Town.

Further hearings scheduled for June were largely cancelled to allow the involved parties to work together to try to scope some matters with the goal of reducing the amount of hearing time that may be required.