BARRHEAD - An industrial construction company will be able to open and operate a steel fabrication shop in the County of Barrhead after the municipal planning committee (MPC) approved its application during its Jan. 7 meeting, accepting administration's recommendation.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun said the property's owners operate a similar business elsewhere in the province and want to expand to Barrhead.
The property is in an agricultural district, and industrial uses, such as a steel fabrication facility, are permitted for discretionary use.
Oyarzun added that the property developed and has an existing shop and a tarp shed on large concrete blocks.
However, the problem, she said, is that the tarp shed does not quite meet the setback requirements.
"It does not sit straight on the parcel. It is slightly turned, and due to the slight shift, two corners do not meet the setback requirements," Oyarzun said, adding one corner is out by four metres, while the other is only out less than a metre. "It is not significantly out, but it will require MPC members to consider a variance."
She stated that the issue dates back to September 2023, when the 6.77-acre parcel was subdivided from the original 153-acre property.
"The setbacks [of the tarp structure] were missed during the subdivision process," she said, adding the developer purchased the property after it was subdivided.
Oyarzun said the MPC has the authority to grant the variance, adding that members need to ask whether the proposed development will unduly interfere with the neighbourhood's amenities or the use and enjoyment of adjacent properties and whether it conforms to one of the prescribed land uses allowed in the land-use bylaw.
She said it does for the latter, reiterating that general industrial uses are allowed in agricultural districts as discretionary uses.
"It also aligns with the existing buildings," Oyarzun said.
She added that the proposed business also fits into the county's municipal development plan as it is a value-added service that encourages additional economic development.
Oyarzun said that, depending on the size of the project the company is working on, the developer expects five to ten employees to be on-site between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., with less than a handful of clients visiting the operation in any given month.
"Most of the work will be performed inside of the shop, and given the small amount of traffic the business will generate and that there is more than enough parking at the site, there will be little disturbance to neighbouring properties," she said. "There is also an appeal process to protect them if there are any issues and the application does not meet their expectations."
Deputy reeve Marvin Schatz supported approving the application by granting the variances, noting that the former property owner could have easily created the borders of the new subdivision to accommodate the existing buildings.
"It's not the new owner's fault that an existing building that was there before he bought the property does not meet the setbacks," he said. "It would be unfair for us to make him change the subdivision and charge him a whole bunch. It is much easier if we approve the variances and get the property into compliance that way."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
