Is it possible for industry and housing to co-exist in fairly close quarters?
It’s a question that has been on the mind of Coun. Steve Peters and he brought it out into the open during Monday’s (Dec. 18) council meeting.
Specifically during debate on the draft plan of subdivision for the city’s 1,500-acre industrial park now known as Yarmouth Yards.
Peters opened the discussion by wondering aloud, “Why wouldn’t we be bold and look at a residential component to what is going on out there? We’ve got thousands of jobs that are going to be created, thousands of more jobs that are already in the industrial area, and why couldn’t we look at designating a portion of the southerly part of it as high-density residential?”

Creative thinking on Peters’ behalf and a concept that is not unknown elsewhere in the world. In the U.K. and Europe, it was not uncommon to find worker’s houses clustered around a large factory, mill or mine.
He continued, “People could walk to work, they wouldn’t have to drive to work. Why are we just focussed in on industrial and try and do something different because we know there is going to be a huge influx and what a better way to get to work?”

Lou Pompilii, the city’s director of planning & building stepped up to the podium to address Peters’ queries.
If you pay close attention to his answers, you will discover this may be more a factor associated with the demands of Volkswagen/PowerCo than any official city policy.
“I’m in a struggle with the idea of adding residential within industrial land,” conceded Pompilii. “Those two uses generally are conflicting uses.

“I just think this is a real opportunity to be bold and do something different with an industrial development. But, I’ll agree to lose that one.”

“Generally, you don’t have a residential use within an industrial area. Residential uses are sensitive land uses, and by allowing those types of uses within industrial parks, you can limit the ability of some potential industrial operations, especially larger scale industrial operations from wanting to locate there because there are specific requirements that they can’t be within a certain distance from a residential area.”
Pompilii continued, “The prime example is the main anchor of this industrial park (Volkswagen/PowerCo) has some of those restrictions in terms of residential units cannot be within a certain proximity to those uses. They are generally conflicting land uses which is why they are not included within industrial parks.”
Peters may not have bought into that rationale based on his comment, “I just think this is a real opportunity to be bold and do something different with an industrial development. But, I’ll agree to lose that one.”
Peters wasn’t finished and moved on to the inclusion of green spaces and trails at Yarmouth Yards.
“Why are we not seeing any linkages on the draft plan for designation corridors for trails, for pathways that could potentially link into other things in the community?
“Why not set those things in place now, instead of trying to fix it down the road? Let’s let it be known upfront.”
He added, “Why aren’t we looking at green space, a park? Why wouldn’t we be looking at creating some green space components within this development that are potential amenities for people who work out there?
“They could walk out and enjoy a nice picnic in the afternoon for a lunch break.”
Pompilli agreed that is “a great question.
“There definitely are going to be trail linkages within this subdivision and when we report back we would be glad to highlight those for you. We have easements located throughout the subdivision that will be used for multi-use trails for future employees to use on their lunch hour and they will be connected to the balance of the city.
“The road systems that are going to be built within this area will also have right-of-way components that include multi-use trails. There will be a network of multi-use trails here.

“That’s been at the forefront of our planning for the site to make sure we have some great connectivity through there.”

“This subdivision has several mega storm ponds and those ponds will provide a bit of an open space component with trails around them. So, there will be opportunities throughout this industrial park.”
Nathan Bokma, senior project manager expanded on this theme via video link-up.
“We are planning quite an extensive multi-use trail network through the industrial subdivision. We’re planning for a very wide right-of-way and within the right-of-way, a three-metre wide multi-use path network along with the roads and also taking advantage of some of the Hydro One corridors and also doing some trails along the Hydro One corridors.
“We’re working with Hydro One to make sure that those trails are pre-approved and we can get those in as well.
“And also connections back into the city system so, for example, on the west side of the site, as we get toward Highbury at Dennis Road, we’re planning a crossing there for multi-use trails coming through the pond blocks crossing Highbury at the signal and integrating into our trail system.
“That’s been at the forefront of our planning for the site to make sure we have some great connectivity through there.”
Peters is spot on. There are opportunities available to be creative and, in essence, multi-task with this significant portion of the city’s northeast tract.

A ST. THOMAS ALL-STAR

On a related note, kudos to Sean Dyke over at St. Thomas Economic Development Corp. who this month was honoured as a 2023 All-Star by Automotive News.

Sean Dyke with a #stthomasproud button.

The publication notes, “Without the foresight to assemble a land package, there would have been no deal for St. Thomas.”
The article continues, “PowerCo weighed more than 200 factors in locating its $7 billion plant, company officials said.
“The PowerCo plant is expected to become the largest manufacturing operation in Canada, producing batteries for about one million electric vehicles a year.”
Dyke observed, “the VW investment will return an automotive presence to St. Thomas that was lost in recent years when Ford Canada and Daimler AG-owned Sterling Truck Corp. closed their respective assembly plants.”

AMAZON DELIVERS FOR SOUTHWOLD

According to numbers released this past week by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), the province’s property inventory grew by more than $42 billion through new construction and property improvements in 2023.
MPAC delivers an assessment roll annually to municipalities and the Province of Ontario to support the calculation of property and education taxes. These assessed values are used by municipalities to distribute taxes, not determine them.
Looking at the growth rates for municipalities with populations less than 15,000, Southwold had the largest overall growth in the province this year, just over $286 million.
We spoke with Southwold Mayor Grant Jones on the financial impact of the recently opened Amazon fulfillment centre.
“Staff are still crunching numbers but it looks like Amazon will be giving the township a little over $2 million a year as it stands right now.
“I’m pretty sure that is going to be appealed, that is almost a given. It will be appealed and they (Amazon) will get something lower than that but time will tell.”
The Ford Canada St. Thomas Assembly Plant where the Amazon plant is now located paid approximately $3 million per year in municipal tax before it closed in 2011.
Jones concedes the money is needed for future growth.
“It is definitely going to help us finance things. It was needed, definitely for future growth, especially in the industrial area.
“We need to get a handle on that as quickly as possible because of the pressures we have right now for industrial growth.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time.”
He added a deal has been reached with Hydro One to secure electrical service to a section of the property bordering Wonderland Road that is listed for sale.
A portion of that 161-acre tract of land was pegged for a 38.4-megawatt solar farm in a 2015 proposal by Capstone Infrastructure, however, the $75 million renewable energy project failed to garner provincial approval.
The land is zoned industrial but has been leased to several area farmers for the production of corn and soybeans since the assembly plant opened in 1967.

EMMA AND GOALBALL ARE TRENDING

Chalk up another surprising win for St. Thomas native Emma Reinke (Number 5 in the photo) and the Canadian women’s goalball team. They are the winners of the 2023 People’s Choice Award for Most Trending Moment of the Year presented by Respect Group.
The team beat out some tough competition including Olympian ice dance figure skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
Created in 2020, the Most Trending Moment Award honours a current or retired Canadian national team athlete or athletes who captured the virtual world by storm.
In their last chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Team Canada upset the U.S. 4-3 in the gold medal game. Reinke paved the way with a three-goal performance and some superb blocking coming the other way.
In the semifinal game against Brazil, which Canada won 4-2, Reinke also contributed three goals.
The two-week national online campaign pitted 10 unforgettable Team Canada moments from the past year against each other.
Rounding out the podium were Gilles and Poirier for their perseverance through a successful 2022-23 season following Gilles’ ovarian cancer diagnosis, along with wheelchair rugby Paralympian Zak Madell’s entertaining Instagram series, highlighting both his strength and that of his equipment in running over everyday items.

THE ECHO CHAMBER

Valerie Young checked in on Facebook with her thoughts on our item last week relating to alcohol sales in convenience stores.

“With all the drinking and driving STILL, let’s make alcohol even more available by selling it in corner stores. Might as well sell the legal drugs as well, hey why not?
“And if the powers that be REALLY think underage kids won’t be served I’ve got some swampland to sell you.
“They seem to get cigarettes somehow so this will not be any different.
“People DON’T SMOKE it’s bad for you, BUT here get drunk and drive home.”

OUR CHRISTMAS WISH TO YOU

Photo courtesy Elgin County Archives

As has been the custom for quite some time now, we offer these last-minute gift suggestions to distribute appropriately.

To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
And, to all faithful City Scope readers, in particular, those with birthdays at this time of year – when your special day too often is lost in the hustle and bustle that is the lead-up to the day itself – may this Christmas bring you peace, health and happiness.

Questions and comments may be emailed to City Scope

Visit us on Facebook

And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.