Residents of South Glengarry have voiced concerns over a proposed development on Fourth Line near the Curry Hill interchange on Highway 401.
At the most recent council meeting, Joanne Haley, General Manager of Planning, Building and Enforcement, along with Paul Demchuk from Batory Planning and Management, presented plans for a 40,000-square-foot warehouse, vehicle maintenance and office building, along with nine loading bays and 140 parking spaces designed by nArchitecture Inc.
Before the project can proceed, the 4.89-hectare lot must be rezoned from Highway Commercial to Light Industrial, an amendment that would facilitate various permitted uses related to trucking. The existing gas station will be severed to be on its own. The lot will be divided into two, whereby Lot A is designated as an employment district, planned for the truck terminal, vehicle maintenance and office building and Lot B is slated for future development.
An existing residential unit will be torn down once all plans for development are approved. The Sutherland Creek and close by wetlands will be protected.
Resident Colin Mitchell expressed his concerns for the additional truck traffic that will be using 4th Line and for the safety of the community with multitude access points for trucks to pull into and out of the terminal.
Sarah McDonald, General Manager for Infrastructure, said that the Ministry of Transportation will arrange to have a traffic impact study completed and has site plan requirements that will need to be met to ensure the safety of all drivers.
Worries were also expressed about whether those costs of studies fall on the shoulders of taxpayers. Haley reassured the public that a developer looking to make a significant investment in the community is responsible for the application and review fees, as well as the cost for bylaw changes. Haley also offered assurances that every development plan submitted to the Township goes through rigorous review by professionals, consultants, engineers on retainer, SDG Counties, MTO and the Raisin River Conservation Authority before it is approved.
