Planner recommends Chess Road zoning refusal, council disagrees

SOUTH DUNDAS – South Dundas council did not uphold the recommendation of their planner much to the displeasure of the majority of the audience gathered at the April 8 council meeting.

The planner’s recommendation regarded a Chess Road zoning bylaw amendment being requested to bring an existing contractor shop/yard into compliance with the permitted uses of the property.

The land sits adjacent to about 17 residential lands located along the dead end road, and at a March 18 public meeting  those who live in those houses strongly opposed the change. They expressed various complaints about their neighbours’ use of the property and how it affects them and the enjoyment of their own properties.

Planner Peter Young returned to the April 8 meeting of council recommending that South Dundas refuse the zoning amendment.

However, when it came time for council to approve the recommendation, thus denying the requested amendment, they voted 3-2 to defeat the motion. Mayor Jason Broad and Councillor Tom Smyth supported the planner’s refusal recommendation while Deputy Mayor Marc St. Pierre, Councillor Danielle Ward and Councillor Cole Veinotte did not.

Defeating that motion, thus allows the business to continue to operate from that property. However, the municipality does plan to make that continuation conditional on a number of factors to be determined and spelled out at a future meeting.

It is likely those factors will mirror those mentioned in the planner’s report such as: proper storm water management and oil separators which can be addressed through site plan management.

The planner’s report did say: “The lot is undersized and the existing buildings are located closer to the property line than would be permitted for non-residential uses. There is limited ability to mitigate some of the impacts due to the lot size and location of existing buildings.”

Nonetheless, council’s vote means that they are going to let the business owners try.

After the vote, South Dundas Deputy Mayor Marc St. Pierre said: “I’m going to look at the two owners to really do your due diligence. Do everything you can to ensure the residents are being less disrupted.

I look to you guys to do what you need to do to improve and to work with the residents.”

“I’m in the business of community building,” said Councillor Ward. She was supportive of an agreement reflective of what best meets everyone’s needs: “to make sure everyone can coexist.” She added that visual screening and even hours of operation could help. She also said she wants to see a deadline for compliance.

Council directed staff to draft a report spelling out the conditions of a holding for council to consider at a future meeting.

“If the conditions are not met, the use is not permitted on the property,” said Young in his April 8 report.