GUELPH – Council here has approved moving the Dolime Quarry lands into Guelph’s municipal boundary, in addition to an amended motion to request a minister’s zoning order to zone the quarry lands for residential use.
The decision to move the boundary and rezone the lands was made in a unanimous vote during a July 19 City of Guelph council meeting.
“This is a very exciting step in addressing long-term concerns around protecting Guelph’s drinking water,” Guelph mayor Cam Guthrie said of the approval.
“This is a legacy moment for this term of council and I’m proud of the unanimous support that this step has received from my fellow members of council.
“I also want to thank the staff who continue working so hard on this issue for the benefit of our entire community.”
The city had requested boundary adjustments to annex the quarry lands to address ongoing issues relating to groundwater protection and supply, while also settling a dispute between the city and property owner River Valley Developments.
The annexation will allow the city to increase control over groundwater supply and end aggregate extraction.
The quarry currently resides within the Township of Guelph/Eramosa.
The approval of the boundary change followed approval from Wellington County and Guelph/Eramosa councils and will now be sent to the province for approval.
Guelph/Eramosa authorized the municipal boundary adjustment for the quarry on July 12 during a regular council meeting after undergoing a final review of the CAO report.
The township also supported the city’s request to rezone the Dolime lands to establish them as residential.
The city’s request for a minister’s zoning order to establish the quarry lands as residential will also be sent to the province.
There are no timelines for the province’s decision on these items.
