Lambton County council has rejected a proposed 14-storey high-rise next to Sarnia’s Cargill terminal, overturning Sarnia’s earlier decision supporting the development.
In May, Sarnia council voted 7-2 to redesignate the lands at 485 Harbour Rd. and amend the municipality’s official plan to permit mixed-use development.
The redesignation paved the way for Tricar Properties’ development proposal featuring 105 residential units and 173 parking spaces.
WHY IT MATTERS: About 35 per cent of the grain exported from Ontario is sent through the Sarnia terminal.
The project hit a roadblock on Sept. 2 when Lambton County council, which has final approval authority over local official plan amendments, rejected the proposal.
Win for farmers
Lambton Federation of Agriculture president Mike Belan said the rejection of the proposal helps assure long-term certainty for farmers.
“We want to make sure that we maintain that security,” he said, noting the facility serves approximately 400,000 acres of crops within southwestern Ontario.
Belan said changing to a different port would increase trucking and input costs. The Sarnia facility allows farmers to maintain quick delivery to market, which he said is currently heavily focused on Egypt.
“From a farmer’s point of view, that’s where you want the certainty of Cargill being there for another 100 years,” he said.
Belan would like to see continued and further protections of the area to ensure that Cargill can maintain business uninterrupted.
Land use conflict
In a letter to county council, Jennifer Marchand, Cargill’s AVP of government and industry relations for Canada, said the company was concerned the development would have land-use challenges.
“The terminal plays a critical role in connecting Ontario farmers to new and existing markets across the globe. The proposed development at 485 Harbour Road, Sarnia, adjacent to the terminal, raises concerns about the encroachment of new sensitive land uses to Cargill’s industrial operation,” Marchand’s letter said.
Cargill has operated at 101 Exmouth St., about 300 metres from the proposed site, since 1927, handling fertilizer and exporting grain out of southwestern Ontario. The concrete terminal’s grain capacity officially sits at 151,000 tonnes.
“This creates significant land use compatibility challenges, as the Terminal is classified as a Class III facility under the MECP D-series guidelines. Accordingly, separation from sensitive land uses is required to mitigate potential adverse effects such as noise, dust, odour and vibration.”
According to Marchand, 35 per cent of Ontario’s export grain is directly handled by the terminal, which contributes significantly to the agricultural industry, trade, and economic development of the province.
“This importance is recognized in both the County of Lambton Official Plan and the City of Sarnia Official Plan, which contain policies aimed at protecting and maintaining employment lands,” she said.
The company requested a minister’s zoning order (MZO) to safeguard the terminal’s long-term operations and support future food security and export growth. If approved, the MZO would prohibit residential buildings, hospitals and similar multi-use developments within 300 metres of the terminal.
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