KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
Residents and business owners attended the recent South Glengarry Council meeting to express their opposition to two development plans in the Lancaster area.
The first development is on County Road 34, just north of Lancaster, where a transportation terminal and motor vehicle repair garage has been proposed. This business requires a bylaw amendment to the Official Plan by SDG Counties and the site needs to be rezoned by the Township from Agriculture to Agriculture with Exemption to permit the truck depot, which would include 139 parking spaces for trucks and trailers.
SDG Senior Planner Lindsay Parisien, Director of Planning and Economic Development Services, Peter Young, and General Manager for Planning, Building and Enforcement in South Glengarry, Joanne Haley, presented the proposal, which referred to the economic benefits of the venture and the fact that the approximate 13.13 acres of land were not being used for agricultural purposes. The developer claimed there was nowhere else to put the facility and that there was a need for this type of business in the area.
Opponents cited the negative impact on traffic, the loss of prime farmland, noise pollution on Military Road, safety risks posed by dangerous goods to be transported and stored at the facility.
Margaret Peters Morris, owner of Glengarry Fine Cheese, spoke of the lovely, rural agricultural community that is found in Lancaster. When she established her cheese making facility and shop, she abided by the planning rules, creating a business that complements an area surrounded by farms.
Consultant Gagnon Walker Domes Ltd. said natural resources located on the property would not be affected and that there were no other suitable sites available.
Opponents scoffed aloud at these suggestions while Peters Morris was clear that she would pursue a course of action to block the proposal.
Opposition was also expressed to a zoning amendment planned for 21899 Old Highway 2. While no new buildings are planned for the seven-acre property, the change from Light Industrial to Highway Commercial has sparked worries that the change will have adverse ramifications. Heavier traffic, extended hours of business operations, noise pollution and safety were just some of the concerns mentioned.
Property planner Chris Clarke stated the change in zoning would increase the marketability of the parcel of land for future development and diversification of the economic base in the area. Meanwhile, residents fear the property values will decrease.
Citizens worry about a large shingles pile that has been left on the site, if other debris might be disposed of there, and lingering rumours of toxic waste in the ground.
Council members inquired about adding a caveat that the property and shingles pile must be cleared, but Joanne Haley said that is not possible under municipal governance.
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