GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Various concerns were raised by many Guelph/Eramosa Township residents at a public meeting on Tuesday night, as they vouched against a new truck yard near Highway 7.
The three-plus hour public meeting heard a laundry list of worries from residents.
The lot would have over 1,000 parking spaces and is proposed to be built on current agricultural land. The proposal is to permit a ‘Transport Establishment’ without a primary building to allow the temporary storing and parking of trucks and trailers.
This would require a rezoning of the farmland to facilitate industrial use.
One resident named Maria, brought up her hesitancy when it comes to how her property would be affected, sharing strong words of opposition to council.
Those concerns were followed up by more from another delegate named Dora. She said one of her issues was the unsupervised nature of the proposed lot.
Several residents brought up the fact that traffic studies referenced in the report are dated and do not reflect the current landscape.
After hearing more concerns from delegates, Mayor Chris White explained making the most of land fit for this type of use is a factor.
While White said there isn’t a lot of available industrial land in the township, several delegates brought up available land at the Hanlon Industrial Park and more unused land on Guelph Line, where the truck yard wouldn’t interfere with residents.
White noted he will take all factors into consideration, after hearing a wide array of potential drawbacks from residents.
White said among other comments he’d like to see the applicant make a list of benefits the project would bring.
A fresh report will be before council within 90 days.
You can find the full report here.
