The warm relationship between developer Mattamy Homes and the Town of Bracebridge appears to be cooling rapidly.

Last week, the developer of the north-end Clearbrook subdivision said its wants the $60,000 Mattamy pledged for a new playground returned if the town forces them to carry on with a proposed traffic study.

The gambit had little sway with council, who said the traffic study will be required and so will the playground funding.

The previous week, the town’s development services committee agreed to allow 80 new homes to be added to the subdivision, but only on the condition that Mattamy performs a study to determine the effect of the new homes on local traffic.

Speaking on behalf of the subdivision developers, planner Greg Corbett said the study is unreasonable and unwarranted.

“If we have to go ahead with the study we will no longer be able to give $60,000 for the playground development. We believe the town has no authority to ask for it,” said Corbett. “The money for that study has to come from somewhere and there’s only so much to go around.”

Corbett said Mattamy has already gone above and beyond what is required.

“Under the act they can only ask for five per cent (parkland dedication) either in land or in cash, and we’ve already given over 15 per cent,” he said. “We’ve also agreed to construct all the trails, so the cost seems to be more and more.”

Corbett said a traffic study was conducted in 2004, and Clearbrook Trail was constructed to meet every standard.

Nonetheless, he conceded after the meeting that the developer has few options left, now that the town has decided to maintain the traffic study and the playground funding.

Council unanimously pass­ed the requirement for the traffic study without discussing the possibility of dropping the playground requirements.

Mayor Don Coates said the parkland funding has been in place since the subdivision began.

“Mattamy agreed to that during the site plan stage . . . so from a legal perspective I don’t think they can get out of it,” he said. “It was a negotiating tactic on their part.”

Coates said council feels the increase in homes is significant enough to warrant another traffic study.

“We’re happy that Mattamy can bring more families into town, but it does cause some issues regarding traffic,” he said. “The only way to be fair to everyone is to have the study and get some proper answers.”