Guelph Eramosa Township is working to expand the number of properties allowed to have a home-based trade business.
The zoning amendment would apply only to properties already zoned agricultural.
A staff report presented at Monday’s council meeting proposed a minimum lot size of two acres with a 60 metre setback from neighbouring properties.
Council agreed to reduce the minimum lot size further to one acre but got stuck on how much of a setback to require, with many suggesting 60 metres is too much for a one acre lot.
Mayor Chris White argued there needs to be some regulation in the form of setbacks to avoid conflicts between neighbours.
Councillor Bruce Dickieson suggested the likelihood for conflict is minimal.
“You can’t control neighbours, they are either going to get a long or not get along,” said Dickieson. “Just because we say you can do it on a one acre lot, if there’s more than one per cent of the one acre lots do it, I’ll be surprised. But we’re giving them the opportunity. They are not all going to do, in fact very few of them are going to do it.”
Council voted to have staff return to council with a report featuring a one acre lot minimum and investigate what kind of setback similar municipalities use between the business and neighbouring property.
“It’s hard in the non-commercial corridor to figure out how you can support agriculture and this does that,” said White. “This goes some way to promoting more rural agricultural business.”
