MINTO – The owners of a Palmerston business are seeking the town’s help with zoning issues blocking plans to move and expand the business within Minto.
Mike Dobson of A and B Dobson Sales, which currently operates from multiple locations in Palmerston, told council the growing business, which sells trucks, trailers and containers, is running out of space and needs to expand.
“Our business is at a junction. We either need to expand or downsize. The different parts to our business have all grown and we have ran out of space,” Dobson explained in a letter to council.
“There is a lot of time wasted moving equipment and inventory to get at what we need, because it is at the wrong yard or behind something else.”
At the Feb. 18 meeting, Dobson told council the business has identified a property east of Palmerston on Wellington Road 123 that would be suitable for the proposed expansion.
“I’m looking for support from council before I go into the zoning application process because I know the property is outside the urban boundary of Palmerston and (the proposed use) is outside the official plan of the county,” Dobson explained.
“Basically our business options are expanding in Palmerston. I have a property that is available and have already talked to them about a purchase – or moving the business away and finding a property that would suit, and if I do that my family’s going to move as well. I don’t’ really want to do that, but that may be an option.
“Or downsizing … spending 40 years in business growing your business, it’s not always something you want to do to downsize.”
Dobson notes the business currently employs about 20 people and he predicts that number will increase if the business is able to expand.
Dobson pointed out that if his family’s business is able to consolidate at the new location, its current properties will become available for other uses.
“There will be residential property available (2.8 acres). I’ve actually got a developer that will buy it already,” said Dobson. “There’s commercial property, industrial property that’s ready to go. It’s serviceable. It’s ready. One’s got a shop on it.”
Another advantage, Dobson pointed out, is, “There will be less of our equipment moving up and down the road, because we go from yard to yard all day, every day.”
In addition to providing the business with more room for trucks, trailers, containers and office space, as well as parking and room for future expansion, Dobson suggested the new location could also include a fenced yard where area residents could park trailers or boats, or truck operators who live in town could park trucks and “get them out of driveways.”
Mayor George Bridge asked Wellington County manager of planning and environment Linda Redmond, who was in attendance at the Feb. 18 meeting, for her thoughts on the proposal.
“Because he’s looking at lands that are outside of the urban boundary, that does limit him somewhat in his potential,” Redmond cautioned.
“We talked about maybe instead of doing an official plan amendment maybe we could look at a site specific zoning exemption. There might be some options available, but I really would have to look at the detail in exactly what he wants to do,” she explained.
However, she added, “in terms of an official plan amendment, bringing it into the urban boundary, I’m not sure that that’s something that could happen anytime soon.”
Redmond also noted, “There were some concerns with respect to compatibility with the adjacent residential development and how that could be mitigated potentially.”
She said some of the uses proposed by Dobson have been added “since I last talked to him,” so further discussion would be needed.
Bridge suggested Dobson meet with Redmond and Minto chief building official Terry Kuipers to refine the proposal.
“My suggestion would be to get back in here and sit down with Linda and Terry,” said Bridge. “Going for the official plan (amendment) is going to take forever – it’s years. So I think if you try site specific and come back to council with a little bit more of it laid out, that would make sense.”
