Council has granted a man here permission to park storage trailers on his land, but it also made it clear the situation needs a permanent solution.
On March 27, council gave John Martin a temporary use exemption to its zoning bylaw.
Martin has twice had three-year exemptions to park trailers on industrial land he owns at 6408 Yatton Sideroad (Part Lot 18, Concession 1).
The property is just over 10 acres in size, with about seven acres as its main site and just over 3.3 acres for a driveway.
Martin has a warehouse building with a ground floor of 15,000 square feet, according to the 2008 plan council has seen.
Martin has been storing and renting space for trailers there since 2005. The products in those trailers are obsolete or out of season. There are currently 35 trailers on the property but 17 of those are being stored for other people. Martin has told council he charges nominal rent for that storage.
When Martin first approached council in 2005 he said he hoped to eventually build more storage space at the lot, but he has not yet done that.
Planner Mark Van Patter, working for Mapleton from the county planning office, commented by stating he wonders why Martin could not set up paying the township an annual fee for trailers rather than seeking a zoning amendment extension every three years.
Van Patter noted the zoning bylaw was passed in 2005 for the property to remove a holding zone designation from the industrial zone.
“This was to permit a new building of approximately 5,000 square feet in which manufacturing would occur. I don’t think construction ever occurred,” he wrote in his comments to council.
Van Patter added, “Council should consider whether this form of storage is desirable in the present case or whether materials parts and product should all be stored within a warehouse. I would note that the site is in the interior of a lot and not readily available [or visible] from the road.”
When council considered the issue, councillor Andy Knetsch asked what is being rented on the property, and if the goods and trailers are owned by someone other than Martin.
Martin replied that he owns some of the trailers and other people rent space for the others parked there.
Mayor Bruce Whale said the issue boils down to if council thinks another three-year temporary permit is reasonable.
Councillor Jim Curry said council was told in 2005 there was a warehouse to be built, and the temporary bylaw then was to give Martin time to build it.
Curry said, “It [the request for an extension] came back.” He said Martin should have “one year to get that under control.”
Council then voted unanimously to expend Martin’s permit for one year. Councillor Neil Driscoll was absent.
