Steer rezoning appeal filed to OMB
An appeal has been filed with the Ontario Municipal Board in response to Clearview Township council’s decision to allow Steer Enterprises to build a diesel engine repair facility at Cashtown Corners.
Steer is planning to build a 2,350 square metre service centre that would accommodate up to 30 large trucks and farm vehicles on a 10-acre parcel of property severed from a farm on the southeast corner of County Roads 42 and 9. A zoning change was approved last month allowing for the agriculturally related commercial exception zone to be applied to the property and allow Steer to relocate from its current location in Glen Huron.
The appeal has been filed by Creemore residents John and Marnie Hillier, who live south of Cashtown Corners.
“We have appealed council’s approval of the land severance and rezoning for the proposed Steer development,” said the Hilliers in an e-mail to The Echo. “As noted in our earlier letters, the Steer business has the characteristics of an industrial land use, which would be more appropriately located in an industrial park. While Steer serves the agricultural community with a mobile repair service, there has not been convincing financial evidence presented that agriculture is and will be their primary business activity, which is a fundamental requirement of provincial guidelines, the Official Plan and zoning bylaws.”
Steer declined to comment and The Echo was unable to reach CAO Steve Sage before presstime.
The Steer debate brought out members of the farming community who spoke in favour of the zoning exception at a public meeting and sent the township letters of support but opponents to the rezoning have been equally vocal. Residents, mostly outside of the farming community, oppose the location saying it does not meet the intent of the agriculturally related commercial exception zone. The crux of the debate is how much of the business supports the agricultural sector? Steer says half of its business is related to agriculture. Opponents say its not enough.
Traffic, safety and aesthetics have also been raised as reason for concern.
“It is unfortunate that the issue has been characterized as either supporting Steer and the agricultural community or not,” said the Hillers. “To be clear, we support Steer’s expansion and applaud the benefit to the local economy. Clearview’s Official Plan identifies industrial development areas and has recently spent millions of dollars servicing an industrial park in Stayner for uses like this. However, council has encouraged an industrial/commercial node at Cashtown Corners that was never identified in the Official Plan, one corner at a time. Huron Tractor and the medical marijuana business are clearly agricultural uses. An extended hours 10-bay transport truck repair business and the impact it creates is an entirely different animal.”
“We purchased our neighbouring home and active agricultural property with the understanding that the surrounding uses were agricultural as defined by the existing planning framework and believe that this is a reasonable expectation. We also believe that the broader community would be better served if this business were to be located where the traffic, noise, visual and environmental impacts would be better accommodated and as anticipated in the Official Plan.”
As for the industrial park in Stayner, Sage said in an earlier interview, a council report as to the scope and the marketing plan for the serviced land is forthcoming.
Steer has said it investigated locating there but certain restrictions meant it wouldn’t work.
No hearings have been scheduled for the OMB case.
