Citing concerns about the potential for negative environmental impacts, city officials say the site plan application for a proposed south end cold storage facility is incomplete and the project shouldn’t move forward just yet.
However, company officials say they’ve provided the city with all the info they need to and are now asking the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) to give the go-ahead to start building without getting city approval.
NewCold Advanced Cold Storage Logistics recently filed a notice of appeal regarding its property at 384 Crawley Rd.
It’s plan calls for a 46-metre tall frozen, high-bay warehouse with 14,683 sq. m. of floor space, as well as a two-storey dispatch warehouse with 7,120 sq. m. of floor area and 1,100 sq. m. of office space, with a three-storey bump-out for equipment storage.
In deeming the application incomplete, city officials point out an ecological restoration plan hasn’t been submitted. Nor does an environmental impact study demonstrate there will be no negative impacts from the project.
Several other reports also haven’t been submitted, Krista Walkey, the city’s general manager of planning and building services noted in a letter to NewCold explaining why its application hasn’t been approved.
Numerous other deficiencies in the application are also highlighted, including the absence of a response to concerns raised by the Grand River Conservation Authority, the Town of Puslinch and the County of Wellington.
Efforts to reach NewCold officials for comment weren’t immediately successful.
As explained in the notice of appeal, NewCold wants the OLT to rule that “all identified plans, drawings, information and materials” have been provided to the city for consideration of approval.
No explanation is provided regarding the missing reports and concerns that have been raised.
At this time, no date for an OLT hearing has been set.
Back in April, the provincial government mandated numerous changes to the city’s official plan, including rezoning 384 Crawley Rd. to allow for industrial uses.
