Zoning requests by businesses sometimes cause problems with ratepayers and ratepayer organizations. The recent request by Arbour Farms to rezone land located on Airport Road in Mulmur is causing an uproar that was made apparent at a recent hearing.
The pre-hearing with the Ontario Municipal Board drew 25 participants. Those participants have been given six weeks to decide if they are going to appear as part of a group or individually, according to a spokesman for Conserve Our Rural Environment.
Arbour Farms wants to have their land rezoned so they can extract aggregate from it. The company has applied for a license to obtain aggregates. The issue at hand is that the location is below the water table. Some parties are concerned about what impact the rezoning would have on traffic.
The valleys that span from Highway 9 to County Road 21 are the primary concern. As the hauling trucks crawl up the hills, there is concern about how other vehicles will be able to safely pass those trucks. School buses have been specifically listed as a vehicle that must be considered.
It is going to be up to the OMB to decide how to handle the situation. It is possible that they might require specific haul routes if the rezoning is approved.
Zoning issues and land use requests are serious matters that impact businesses and ratepayers. If you find yourself in the midst of a battle over these matters, it is vital to understand the laws pertaining to the requests. You should also learn what you can about the actual impacts of the requests so you can decide how to proceed.
Source: Orangeville CItizen, "OMB gravel pit pre-hearing draws 25 would-be parties," July 08, 2015
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