Woolwich council set to vote on controversial Maryhill gravel pit proposal next week
The controversy surrounding a proposed gravel pit near Maryhill will come to a head next week as Woolwich council is set to vote on the matter Tuesday.
It’s been a hot-button topic for more than a year with some residents putting up signs throughout the community that read "stop the gravel pit."
The Guelph-based construction company plans to use 230 acres of land on Forester Road for the gravel pit, which would be in operation for 12 to 15 years.
“The materials from the pit will primarily supply our asphalt and concrete plants in Puslinch, as well as construction projects in the Guelph-Wellington and Waterloo areas,” George Lourenco, the director of lands and resources for Capital Paving, said in an email to CTV News.
“It’s a loss of prime agricultural farmland,” said Bonnie Bryant with Hopewell Creek Ratepayers' Association, a group that has been lobbying for the project to be scrapped.
The group says there are several concerns with the proposal, including the site being close to a golf course along with other adverse effects.
“Very disruptive. There’s going to be dust, there’s going to be noise, there’s going to be traffic. There’s going to be a huge amount of traffic,” said Bryant.
But Capital Paving's director countered some of the concerns.
Laurenco said 94 percent of the land will gradually be rehabilitated back to agricultural use. Dust and noise will be kept within acceptable guidelines and the pit would operate at half capacity, meaning 30 trucks per day. It's an increase in traffic the area can handle, according to a study conducted by the company.
"Capital has undertaken comprehensive studies on dust, traffic, noise, hydrogeology, cultural heritage, agriculture, land use planning, archaeology, visual impacts and the natural environment," Lourenco said.
A staff report going to Woolwich council notes "no unacceptable impacts will occur" and is recommending council approve the project.
The Mayor of Woolwich said the township will work to find the right balance before making a decision.
“To listen to the applicant, to listen to the community, and to listen to our staff. And then we just have to try and make the best of overall decision for the community,” Mayor Sandy Shantz said.
“We would like to see council deny it. They should deny it. They should listen to their constituents,” said Bryant.
Some residents said if it is approved, the fight will continue.
“We can file with LPAT (The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) and take it to the courts basically,” Bryant said.
Capital Paving said it is hopeful council will approve its application for rezoning and an Official Plan amendment.
If approved, a pit license could be issued by 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.