Council here will attempt to determine if neighbouring residents have any objections based on noise concerns before considering a draft zoning amendment to allow a shop expansion and metal fabricating operation on a Sixth Line property.
Owner Derryl Frey, through Frey Assets Group, applied for the amendment to permit a shop expansion and office addition and to add additional metal manufacturing uses on the 3.76-acre property located in a prime agricultural zone.
The current site-specific zoning permits a stove manufacturing shop with a maximum ground floor area of 1,100 square metres (11,905 square feet).
The applicants propose to expand the shop’s ground floor area by 789.7m2 (8,500sqft) and construct a 111.5m2 (1,200sqft) office addition.
“I don’t have any concerns with adding the sale and fabrication of metal products to the permitted uses,” stated Wellington County manager of planning and environment Mark Van Patter at an April 12 public meeting on the amendment.
Van Patter noted the metal fabrication use was permitted dating back to 1991, but the use was omitted “for some reason” when the zoning bylaw was updated in 2000.
“We understand Mr. Frey’s been doing this all along since 1991, along with the stove manufacturing,” said Van Patter.
He explained that, as most of the metal trim is for agricultural buildings, the use could be considered agricultural-related as allowed under the provincial policy statement. While the county official plan permits only ‘small scale” agricultural-related uses, provincial policy does not require the “small-scale” condition.
Van Patter said the official plan has yet to be brought into line with provincial policy.
“So the question in my mind is whether or not this can be considered small scale and I think Mapleton council has the discretion to interpret that,” Van Patter stated.
He pointed out that one neighbour, Lippert Frey, “seems pretty close,” to the proposed expansion.
“That could be a concern but it may not be either – council could ask for a noise study if they felt there were concerns,” said Van Patter. “Council should be comfortable that they are not creating an increased nuisance to the neighbour that is nearby – 150 feet.”
Derryl Frey said his father began operating a business as a heating contractor on the property in 1974 and later added metal fabricating to the operation. He said the business operates from 7:30am until 5pm Monday to Friday.
“On evenings and Saturdays we typically don’t have much going on,” Frey added.
On average, he said, daily traffic generated by the business includes one or two heavy trucks and five to 10 lighter trucks.
“I guess our feeling as far as noise impact to the residence next door is we try to have the business activity on the opposite side to try and minimize noise impacts that way,” said Frey, adding his neighbours have told him they have “absolutely no problem,” with the expansion.
“I think council would be wise to ask for a letter from the neighbours,” Van Patter suggested.
Council passed a resolution directing staff to contact the neighbouring residents to request a letter confirming there is no objection to the amendment and directed a bylaw to amend the zoning be drafted for consideration.
