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Council vote on controversial Guelph/Eramosa manufacturing plant set for Monday

County of Wellington planners recommend approval of rezoning application that would clear the way for a 164,000 square-foot manufacturing plant between Guelph and Rockwood

GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Monday is decision day for a controversial manufacturing plant proposed off Highway 7 just east of Guelph.

After reviewing various studies, public comments and relevant provincial and local policy documents, County of Wellington planners are recommending the Township of Guelph/Eramosa rezone around 26 acres at 5063 Jones Baseline from agricultural land to rural industrial, as requested by fridge and freezer manufacturer Minus Forty.

Guelph/Eramosa council will vote on the proposed rezoning at Monday council meeting, which starts at 1:30 p.m.

If granted the zoning change will allow the Georgetown-based company to build a 164,000 square-foot industrial facility at the site with 90,000 square feet for future expansion — assuming Minus Forty meets the requirements set out in a holding provision planners also recommend including in the rezoning bylaw.

Those conditions include site plan approval, approval of proposed septic and stormwater management ponds, potential improvements to the existing municipal drain, improvements to Jones Baseline and the completion of additional test wells and water monitoring on site. 

The proposed plant has faced strong opposition from area residents who worry the facility will threaten the groundwater that feeds their wells and increase traffic and noise in the quiet hamlet. Organizing under the slogan ‘Farms not Fridges’ the group has retained a lawyer and is being supported by Wellington Water Watchers. 

In addition to the holding provisions, which county planners say address public concerns, among other recommendations, planners suggest council cap the building’s maximum total floor area at 263,511 square feet, enlarge landscaping buffers and increase setbacks to surrounding homes.

The deadline to register to delegate at Monday's meeting is Friday at 12 p.m.


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Alison Sandstrom

About the Author: Alison Sandstrom

Alison Sandstrom is a staff reporter for GuelphToday
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