Councillors here are taking a hard look at a third permit extension for a man who uses trailers on his property for storage.
John Martin’s Millside Industries property is at 6408 Yatton Sideroad in Wallenstein within Part Lot 18, Concession 1. The property has 10.25 acres, with about 6.9 of them for the main site and about 3.3 for a private driveway. The property also has a warehouse building with a ground floor area of 15,000 square feet.
Martin wants to renew his temporary use zoning for another three years. He first obtained that zoning in 2005, and council renewed it again in 2008.
County planner Mark Van Patter, working for Mapleton, told a public meeting on March 13 there are 35 storage trailers on the site, with 17 of them for other people. He noted that in 2005 there were plans for a 5,000 square foot building that was not built. In 2008, Martin applied for and received an extension.
He said the land is in Wallenstein and for county rules, is zoned for dry industrial uses for small scale manufacturing and related uses such as warehousing.
The property is zoned industrial exception in Mapleton in the old township bylaw and, Van Patter said, Martin was permitted to use trailers for storage until January of this year. He needs an extension to continue the use.
Van Patter said outdoor storage is the main issue, and council has to consider if trailers are proper outdoor storage.
“Two [previous] councils agreed it is not,” Van Patter said of the temporary zoning they permitted.
He said other parts of Wellington County define outdoor storage differently. In Erin it is “the storage of goods, merchandise or equipment in the open air and in unenclosed portions of buildings which are open to the air on the sides.
In Centre Wellington, outdoor storage is “the storage of equipment, goods or raw materials outside of any building or structure. For the purposes of this bylaw, the parking of vehicles shall not be deemed to be outdoor storage.”
In Puslinch Township, Van Patter said “open storage means the storage of goods and materials, or the display and sale of goods and materials including vehicles for hire or sale outside a building …”
He said Martin’s outdoor storage in this case would not meet Centre Wellington or Erin’s criteria.
Van Patter said one reason to forbid it is because it does not look good, although he noted in Martin’s case, the vehicles are well back from the road, not visible and “neat.”
But, he said, there is an impact on tax assessment. Martin is letting neighbours use trailers for storage, and the township gets no taxes from that, where it would from a building.
And, Van Patter said, some storage areas have metal boxes “taking up parking space.” He said there is a concern Martin’s operation could set a precedent and others will start asking for trailer storage.
Martin attended to answer questions at the public meeting. There was no one speaking in favour of the application, and no one opposed it.
Clerk Patty Sinnamon said there are no concerns from the Grand River Conservation Authority or a neighbouring sawmill operation.
Councillor Andy Knetsch asked Martin his intentions for how many trailers he plans for the site.
Martin said it is currently at capacity, and he has done no further planning. He said 35 is “about the maximum” he could place on the property.
Knetsch said it is his understanding the last time council granted an extension, the trailers were for a business, but now neighbours are using the property, too.
Martin said there have always been neighbours using trailers for storage there and, “I do charge a small fee.”
When council later considered a motion to extend the trailer storage permission, councillor Mike Downey said it really is unfair to let this operation go and pay no taxes when other businesses have buildings for storage and pay property taxes on them. Martin was willing to pay a licence fee but Downey did not consider that fair, either.
Knetsch said he would like to see the new bylaw more streamlined and specific. He added he would not like trailers allowed for outside storage anywhere.
Building inspector David Kopp said some municipalities allow that storage, and some do not. He added some storage is seasonal, so at times trailers are full, and at others they are empty.
Mayor Bruce Whale said the idea is for temporary storage when a business is growing.
“Do we consider a licencing system over a period of years?” Whale asked. He agreed there is a downside of appearance and revenue generation. He suggested staff come back with options before deciding.
Councillor Neil Driscoll said he had visited the site that day and noted some of the trailers are in poor condition. He said there is a safety issue if some of them collapse, and he is also concerned about where firefighters would begin to work if a fire ever broke out.
Whale said there could be conditions set for the physical condition of the trailers, as well as a set space between them.
Council deferred a decision until it gets a staff report. That vote was unanimous, with councillor Jim Curry absent.
