Keep Vaughan Green, a large citizen’s group vehemently opposed to a massive development of the country club in Woodbridge, got half-a-loaf instead of none from Vaughan city council Tuesday afternoon.

Council decided, after meeting in camera, not to agree to a plea from the group — and a motion from Coun. Tony Carella — for an interim control bylaw that would have temporarily, at least, put the brakes on large development citywide in Vaughan.

But the city will initiate studies to look into concerns about the proposal.

In a further twist, the developer of 290 acres of country club lands, which were purchased last May, sent a letter to Vaughan council Tuesday morning announcing it had withdrawn its application.

That left council with this question: Should it deal with an issue that is, technically and officially for the time being, no longer an issue?

In the eyes and minds of the members of Keep Vaughan Green, the answer was yes. They believe the country club developer is not going away and, after a very brief discussion over procedure, Vaughan councillors agreed to hear citizens speak on the issue.

Keep Vaughan Green’s lawyer David Donnelly believes the developer will come right back, possibly after the October 2018 municipal election, with an application for development.

And he believes an interim control bylaw, of the kind the Town of Oakville instituted to prevent development of Glen Abbey Golf Club, is justified.

Donnelly doesn’t know why the developer withdrew its application just before the meeting.

“It makes me question whether this is just a tactic and they’re just going to come back with a different application in a more advantageous political climate,” he said.