Guelph-Eramosa council approved a zoning bylaw amendment to allow the Tri City Lands Ltd. aggregate extraction pit.
The “Spencer Pit” is proposed for southwest corner of the township.
The rezoning was already approved last year. However, because the approval was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, when the township’s new comprehensive zoning bylaw came into effect Tri City Lands submitted a “housekeeping amendment” under the new bylaw.
The new application was again to rezone agricultural land to extractive industrial. However, under the new bylaw Tri City Lands also had to apply to Wellington County for an Official Plan Amendment.
Township planning consultant Neal DeRuyter explained that the application conformed to the provincial policy statement and with township zoning requirements for extractive industrial zones.
One of the comments received from the Wellington County was concern about a bat population that is a species at risk living in the woodlot on the site.
Council chose to put a holding zone on the woodlot to prevent extraction in that one area.
“The holding provision could only be removed and extraction permitted subject to confirmation from [Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry] that the requirements of the [Endangered Species Act] have been met,” the report states. The township will decide when the hold can be removed.
