Meaford council refused to approve a zoning by-law amendment for a workshop and outdoor storage area on the 11th Line.
The zoning by-law amendment sought to permit a home industry use on a 7,820-square-metre portion of rural-zoned land, including a 750-square-metre workshop, an adjacent 1,000-square-metre outdoor storage area, a building height of nine metres, and a reduced interior side-yard setback of 14 metres.
Rejecting the motion unanimously, council spoke on the topic for more than 45 minutes during its meeting Monday, initially discussing a deferral before deciding to decline the request outright.
“The fact that on page 15 of 21 of the report – asking for one exemption is one thing, asking for four is another,” says Coun. Rob Uhrig.
There are five site-specific exemptions listed on page 15, including:
– A maximum land area for the on-farm diversified use (OFDU) of 8,000 square metres, whereas the zoning by-law does not regulate total OFDU land area.
– A gross floor area of 750 square metres, whereas the zoning by-law limits home industry buildings to a maximum of 250 square metres.
– An accessory outdoor storage area of 1,000 square metres, whereas the zoning by-law limits it to 750 square metres.
– A home industry building height of nine metres, whereas the zoning by-law limits buildings to a maximum height of six metres.
– An interior side-yard setback of 14 metres, whereas the zoning by-law requires a minimum setback of 30 metres.
“I think OFDUs are an excellent idea and we absolutely should have them,” says Coun. Eric Ennis. “But I think everyone looking at this, there immediately thought is this is way more than a on-farm diversified use, this isn’t a home industry, this is an industry.”
A public meeting was held for the application on Sept. 21. Several concerns were raised by members of the public regarding the size of the workshop, noise, traffic, environmental impacts, and the home industry’s effect on the agricultural character of the area.
A second motion passed by council directed staff to begin a review of municipal policies regarding farmland and how on-farm diversified uses affect agricultural land.