Springwater staff give thumbs up to pit expansion plans

Local Journalism Initiative
·4 min read

A proposal to extend the life of an aggregate pit on Snow Valley Road in Springwater has received initial approval from township staff.

According to a report that will be presented at Wednesday's township council meeting, prepared by planning services manager Chris Russell, the McColgan Pit, located in the Midhurst area at 1322 and 1368 Snow Valley Rd., has an expected life-span of five more years.

He's recommending council approve applications to amend the township's Official Plan and zoning bylaw to facilitate the expansion and continued extraction of aggregate from it.

The applicant, 1693297 Ontario Inc. (Eisses Brothers Excavating), is looking to secure approvals to continue extraction operations on an adjacent plot of land to the north, municipally known as 1196 Anne St. N.

They are looking for:

  • an amendment to Springwater’s Official Plan to redesignate the subject land from ‘employment’ to ‘employment exception’.

  • an amendment to Springwater’s zoning bylaw to rezone the subject land from the ‘agricultural (A)’ to the ‘extractive industrial (ME)’ zone, with site-specific exceptions, including a 30-metre extractive setback to the adjacent Industrial zoned parcel (1216 Anne St. N.) instead of the required 120-metre setback, a 58-metre setback to the closest residential dwelling (1216 Anne St. N.) instead of the required 150-metre setback and a zero-metre setback between the existing pit and expansion land to permit the extraction of resources within the shared border of the parcels instead of the required 15-metre setback.

“As the expansion lands are currently designated for ‘employment’ uses within the Midhurst Secondary Plan and zoned agricultural (A) under Bylaw 5000, an Official Plan amendment and zoning-bylaw amendment are needed to consider the applicant’s requested expansion plans,” Russell wrote in his report.

The proposed extraction of aggregate material from the subject land is considered to be a temporary and interim use of the land, he added.

“Once materials are removed and the site rehabilitated in accordance with Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) requirements, the long-term use of the lands would revert back to being dedicated for development as ‘employment’ lands,” Russell said in his report.

The expansion is proposed as a ‘Class A – Above Water Table’ pit under the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) with a maximum annual tonnage limit of 400,000 tonnes.

The annual tonnage limit is proposed to match, and be combined with, the current McColgan Pit limit, so there is expected to be no increase in truck traffic.

The company is working with the MNRF to begin the ARA licensing process. Through the licensing process, the township says it is recognized as a commenting agency and staff will prepare separate technical comments for MNRF review once circulated.

According to the applicant’s representative, James Hunter of Innovative Planning Solutions, there is no timeline for the existing pit. The licence has been in place since 1984 and the expansion could be a five- to 20-year plan.

“As operations occur, the plan is to rehab those lands to return them to employment uses,” Hunter said at a public meeting to discuss the proposal on April 10.

The after-use plan encompasses both the existing pit land and the expansion land.

The conceptual after-use plan includes 22 industrial lots with a minimum lot size of 0.40 hectares (one acre) and access to full municipal services.

“While the plan is still conceptual at this stage, the proposal would increase the township’s total serviced industrial land base considerably,” Russell wrote.

The proposal received one comment from the public.

“On a positive note, I am pleased to see a high-quality aggregate producing pit in the Township of Springwater, close to end users while strategically positioned in an industrial area of the township,” wrote the resident of 28 Boothby Cres., whose name was redacted.

“It is commendable that the project proponents are not only seeking approvals that meet township bylaw requirements and respect neighbouring properties, but also appear to have completed a very comprehensive Indigenous consultation process and environmental impact study," the resident added.

To facilitate the expansion and continued extraction of aggregate resources from the McColgan Pit, Springwater staff recommended the report be received and council adopt the Official Plan amendment and that the amendment be submitted to the County of Simcoe for final approval, subject to minor modifications.

Additionally, staff recommended the implementing zoning bylaw be submitted to council for adoption, subject to the approval of the Official Plan amendment by the County of Simcoe.

Wayne Doyle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BarrieToday.com

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