At their meeting Monday night, town council approved moving forward with the planning process that could see an abattoir opened at 72 Crescent Street, near the corner of Fleet Street.
Councillors unanimously approved beginning a public engagement process that would cover both a by-law amendment to allow a new intensive-use zone within industrial zones, and a development agreement with farmer Chris Pierce to enact that zone around an operation he is proposing for Crescent Street.
Councillor Bill Evans spoke favourably at the previous week’s council meeting about the economic growth opportunity presented by the abattoir. This week, he stressed that an approval would not necessarily mean a commitment to the abattoir.
“We’re starting the process whereby we will get public input and we’ll have a chance to consider it,” said Evans on Monday. “So it’s not a commitment to go ahead with this. It’s a commitment to start the process, I want to make that clear.”
Evans pointed out that a development agreement with Chris Pierce to enable an abattoir would only get approved if it was deemed acceptable by council.
“I like that kind of flexibility,” said Evans, “because there have been a number of questions raised.”
Evans used the concern over smell as an example. “One of the conditions of the development agreement will be that the developer will make sure that the smell is at an acceptable level or else we won’t approve it,” said Evans. “So I’m in favour of starting this process because we are going to be able to negotiate a development agreement that is satisfactory to us. And if we can’t do that, then it won’t happen regardless of what the zoning bylaw and municipal plans say.”
Council also approved a timeline for the public portions of the planning process.
On October 5, 2020, at council’s regular discussion-only meeting, there will be a public presentation of Council’s intent to amend the municipal plan by-law.
It’s not clear when a public presentation specifically on the development agreement will be made.
Then on November 9, 2020, at a regular council meeting, there will be a virtual public hearing, to hear objections from the public about the bylaw amendment and development agreement.
Councillor Andrew Black asked about how the virtual public meetings would run, considering that council itself has not re-established public participation since the COVID shutdown.
The answer from planner Lori Bickford and CAO Jamie Burke was essentially: where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Bickford told councillors the Southeast Regional Planning Review and Advisory Committee has been going ahead with their business using Zoom.
Jamie Burke says the plan is to expand the use of council’s current technology. “We are looking at kind of opening Microsoft Teams more full blown, and treat it much like a council chambers,” said Burke. He also mentioned the alternative, “to get back to in person meetings, which I’m sure we’ll be discussing at some point in the very near future as well.”
Burke said there was time to implement the technology for public participation before the public hearing on November 9.
