Hamilton’s planning committee, in a 6-4 vote, has given initial approval to plans for a 40,000-square-metre warehouse within the airport employment growth district.
It’s the first phase of a 37-hectare industrial park which will ultimately include further development and require a widening of Dickenson Road.
Supporters like Glanbrook’s Mark Tadeson note that the district was rezoned to allow for industrial development several years ago, and is central to the city’s economic development vision.
“We’re already in the process, right now, of drilling a huge trunk sewer all the way from these lands over to Highway 56 and down to the wastewater plant,” noted Tadeson during a meeting on Tuesday, “so it doesn’t make sense to stop now.”
Some 236 trees will have to be removed and replaced, and critics are also concerned about the development’s impact on wetland features, despite a requirement that the developer build a 30-metre buffer for vegetation protection.
“I know there’s good intentions here,” said Ancaster Coun. Craig Cassar, “but when you’re removing so much from the area, it’s really hard to re-create habitat.”
“Yes, we need to bring more jobs, we need to bring more tax revenue, I think we can do it in a better way,” added Cassar, “so I can’t support this, as it’s proposed.”
The planning committee decision must still be ratified by city council.