More on-farm shops in area that was subject of appeal in 2015
Planning files considered by Southgate council included a couple of on-farm shops in the same area where an appeal was launched and dismissed in 2015-16.
NEW SENIOR MANAGER
Southgate has been in a time of transition with planning personnel, with Bill White from Triton acting as senior planner on a consultant basis. Victoria Mance was hired as a Junior Planner.
Council heard from both of them, plus the newly-hired manager over planning and other departments at its June 19 meeting.
Southgate’s new Senior Manager for Development & Community Services attended the meeting in person. Ken Melanson had been introduced online at a previous meeting.
This is one of two senior management hires positions that were recommended in an organizational review– one to be hired in 2024 and one in 2025. Reporting to the senior manager, the report said, will be the Chief Building Official, the senior planner, the Economic Development Officer and the Manager of Recreation. (The CBO role is now vacant.)
Mr. Melanson has most recently worked for the County of Lambton, and before that for the City of Calgary and the City of St. John’s.
SHOP ON SIDEROAD 71
A zoning change was approved for an on-farm shop for Ian and Perseda Martin on a farm on Sideroad 71 near Road 22.
Neighbours Andris Bite and Karen Cybulski wrote to oppose the development, stating that there are 35 other shops on eight square miles. That was backed up by a map of a few surrounding roads with the 35 shop locations identified.
They were concerned about the environmental effects from diesel generators, and increased traffic and dust on the gravel road among other impacts.
Planner Bill White said that no doubt many shops have been approved, but stated that the proposal was good planning in his opinion under provincial policy and the local Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw.
He explained that, in general, it would be possible to regulate where shops go based on the type of roads.
That would require a separate study, to look at the traffic, type of road, load restriction and other factors to see if OFDUs should be directed to some township roads instead of others. The County Official Plan has policy for a road classification based on traffic impacts.
The report said that at council’s direction such a study could be done, that could also look at cumulative impact and policies to respond.
“There’s always trucks on gravel roads,” Public Works Manager Jim Ellis commented, adding “I’m not saying there isn’t impact.”
Mayor Brian Milne noted that the township applies dust suppressant to its roads.
Mr. White reviewed the difference between Rural and Agricultural properties.
In rural, there are many different types of uses allowed, so there are fewer restrictions on what are officially called On-Farm Diversified Uses.
Mayor Milne commented that the area with the shop is taxed at the higher industrial rate on an ongoing basis adding to township revenues.
PROPOSED NEARBY
The same residents objected to another file, an on-farm shop application from Enoch Bauman on a 73-acre farm which adjoins the I. and P. Martin property, but fronts on Road 22, where the couple live. The proposed new entrance would be exactly opposite the lane of a neighbouring existing farm.
The Ontario Municipal Board heard an appeal by Mr. Bite and Ms Cybulski in 2016. It was about an on-shop zoning in 2015 for 220183 Southgate Road 22, a 94-acre property owned by Enoch and Naomi Bauman.
The appeal was dismissed by the board. The decision did agree with those appealing that cumulative impacts should be considered. But it said there was not enough evidence of adverse impacts at the time.
Third-party appeals by individuals are no longer allowed by recent provincial changes.
The June 19 staff report said a house, barn and shed are also planned for the site. The application being considered was for an on-farm shop, which would be placed at the rear of the building cluster.
The property is in the rural designation, and has both A-1 and environmental protection land.
Mr. White said that the application was consistent with planning policy.
In answer to a question about the diesel generators, he said, “relative to their lifestyle I didn’t feel that was a planning issue we should get into”. The community uses horse-and-buggy transportation for personal use.
There was a question from Deputy Mayor Barbara Dobreen about the township making shops on gravel roads close to a paved road pay to hard-top the section to the corner. Jim Ellis, Public Works Manager, clarified that had only been done one or two times.
It was done recently for a grain-drying facility which was on a Southgate road, just north of Hwy. 89, Mr. White said.
Mr White said that the Dundalk Fire Department would like to increase the amount of information about the life safety aspects of the shop buildings earlier in the process.
Deputy Mayor Dobreen said that at the site plan stage, there are clauses added which deal with measures to address on-site dust, noise and plantings for sound barriers.
Mr. White noted that the new Southgate Official Plan has a policy such that the Zoning Bylaw could permit OFDUs “as of right” (meaning without a zoning bylaw amendment) but that has not been enacted.
M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Dundalk Herald
