'This is going to impact our quality of life severely': Waterloo residents speak up against proposed industrial development

Some residents in a Waterloo neighbourhood are concerned about a proposed industrial development that they say will be too close to their homes.

Perimeter Development plans to build three new light industrial buildings over the two blocks of land on 325 Northfield Drive East and on Labrador Drive in Waterloo.

Currently, an empty lot sits there, metres away from where Karin Zmuda has lived with her husband on Breakwater Crescent.

“That’s approximately 27 metres from our property line to where the back of the building is going to be,” Zmuda told CTV News. “It’s really going to impact everyone in a really detrimental way. And the noise and the pollution and the exhaust.”

Her husband, George Swirszcz, said many residents are frustrated with the proposed development.

“All of the properties back here have the bedrooms facing the new site,” Swirszcz said.

They said they wouldn’t mind an office building in their backyard, but don’t like the idea of an industrial building in what they said is an otherwise quiet community.

“We understand change is coming. But we need some reasonable change. This is going to impact our quality of life severely,” he said. “Eighteen wheelers are going to be coming by with their fumes and all of that. It’s all going to be blowing into our backyard and into our bedrooms, so that means we can’t open our windows anymore.”

Perimeter Development is asking for exceptions to current bylaws to make their project happen. They want a reduced minimum parking requirement and an increase to the maximum permitted impervious area, which is a hard surface area that water will run off – such as concrete and building rooftops.

“The requested change amounts to 57 per cent reduction in green space and a 40 per cent reduction in parking spots to erect a large industrial building behind our homes,” said Sherif Abdel-kader, another Breakwater Crescent resident.

According to the CEO of Permiter Development, Craig Beattie, the subject lands have been zoned as industrial since the 1990s.

“This parcel is the last undeveloped piece along Labrador. These uses are nothing new, and the balance of lands along there have been developed with industrial and multi-storey office buildings for many years, all of which also back onto residential,” Beattie said in a statement to CTV News.

Perimeter Development said their goal is to provide growth opportunities for Waterloo companies to stay and create jobs in the city.

The development and its proposed bylaw change requests were brought up at a City of Waterloo Committee of Adjustment meeting on Tuesday afternoon, but the item was deferred.

As for when the site would be up and running, if approved – the developer said those details will be ironed out in upcoming months.