PUSLINCH – Scaling back the number of employees and reconfiguring the layout did not persuade local residents that a proposed innovation hub on secondary agricultural land is a good fit for Puslinch.
Jim Estill, owner of Danby Appliances based in Guelph, and Rob Wigood, vice president of Upper Canada Forest Products headquartered in Mississauga, have a vision to build the Estill Innovation Community on 61 acres of property bounded by the Hanlon Expressway, Concession 4, and Sideroad 20.
They see the property becoming an innovation hub for ag tech and food tech businesses, similar to Communitech, which helps tech startups in Kitchener. Estill is one of the founders of Communitech.
The property would house head offices and warehouse space and is to have a net-zero carbon footprint.
Six of the 61 acres are zoned rural employment (industrial) and the remaining 55 acres are secondary agriculture. The entire property needs to be zoned industrial for the innovation community to proceed.
Estill first proposed the idea to Puslinch council last December, seeking to use the new planning tool, the Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator (CIHA).
The tool moves planning decisions to the Minister of Housing in an effort to cut red tape and expedite development.
Council turned down using the CIHA tool in February, preferring to follow the usual planning format, which requires environmental, traffic and other studies, and community consultation.
On June 15 the proponents held an informal open house to explain the changes they’ve made to the proposal and receive further feedback from the community.
They got an earful.
Estill said officials have reduced the number of employees from the proposed 500 or 600 to 300 or 400. That will reduce the traffic impacts people were concerned about, he said.
They have also reconfigured the property so the buildings sit closer to the Hanlon and further from view of Sideroad 20. They also added berms and trees on Sideroad 20 to further block the view.
Jim and Donna Christie live across from the proposed site on Sideroad 20 and they are not in favour.
“It’s just in the wrong place,” Jim Christie said, adding a provincially significant wetland is on the property.
“This is a large-scale industrial development. You can’t put industry on top of residential. And you can’t put industry ahead of the health and wellbeing of people and the environment.”
The site is bounded by the Hanlon Expressway, Sideroad 20 and Concession 4. Here the proponents have moved the building closer to the Hanlon and trees and berms closer to residences. Photo by Joanne Shuttleworth
Dan Neundorf spoke against the proposal in December and his opinion didn’t change on June 15, especially after the proposed plans put the main employee entrance directly across from his driveway.
“Our questions were not answered tonight,” he said. “We asked about traffic and access and are told that’s all in the planning stage. But even with the redesign, it’s still in the wrong location.”
In a follow-up email, Neundorf said he hopes councillors will visit the site and see for themselves how the proposed use is not a good fit.
“(I would) ask our council members to come and visit Sideroad 20 and stand on the road or sit on my porch to have a look at this property. Then hopefully they can see it from our perspective,” he wrote.
“A large industrial complex with environmental and traffic complexities doesn’t fit in a residential neighborhood and I hope they would be able to see that.”
Christie also complained about the notice for the meeting.
Only two residents received notices in the mail, he said, while 135 people, whose names and emails are known, signed a petition against the proposal and were not notified.
“To me it seems a little sneaky,” he said.
This was not the statutory public meeting. Danby staff said they will undertake all required studies and consult with the necessary agencies before officially presenting a revised proposal to council.
That certainly won’t happen over the summer and could be another year out, they said.
