KENILWORTH – Wellington North council has approved the rezoning of a property on Frederick Street in Arthur to allow it to be used to create pet dental products.
“It’s very small scale. We’re mostly doing testing and stuff,” Richard Delongte, of KOA Healthcare Corporation, told councillors during a public meeting on Feb. 10.
Council had recessed its regular council meeting to host a public meeting on the zoning bylaw amendment, before returning to the regular meeting to approve the bylaw.
County of Wellington planner Asavari Jadhav-Admane spoke briefly, explaining the purpose of the proposed amendment was to rezone the property at 100 Frederick St. W. from institutional zoning to “Central Commercial” (C1) to facilitate the operation of a small-scale research and development laboratory to formulate pet dental products in the existing building.
“Planning staff have proposed that a site-specific provision be applied to the property to recognize the specific proposed use,” she said.
She noted the building was built in the 1900s, and the survey sketch showed it encroaching onto the neighbouring property.
Because the building is already “non-compliant,” planning staff did not include setback relief in the zoning bylaw, Jadhav-Admane said.
No neighbours or other members of the public spoke at the meeting, but councillors asked questions related to the building’s use, parking and potential conflict with neighbouring property uses.
They were told the office would be closed to the public, and there would be no retail operation on site.
Jadhav-Admane said there is no parking requirement in the C1 zone, but also noted there is street parking available and there would be only one or two employees in the building at any given time.
Delongte also noted there would be no trucking or shipping of products from the site.
“We’re going to be very quiet,” he said. “I’m sure the neighbours won’t even know we exist once we’ve done the renovations.”
Councillor Lisa Hern raised the issue of a possible day care operating next door, noting that Preschool Canada listed 110 Frederick St. W. as the location of its future facility in Arthur.
“I’m a little concerned about conflict of uses there,” Hern said.
But no one else seemed aware of the potential future day care.
“There’s a really old house next to us,” said Delongte. “I don’t see them running a daycare there.”
He said he had spoken to the owner of the home next door, who was glad the building will be fixed up.
“We want to renovate the building and make it look nice,” said Delongte. “It’s a bit of an eyesore right now.”
Following the public meeting, council approved the zoning change.
