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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSD-022-14 Clarftwn REPORT PLANNING SERVICES DEPARTMENT T Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: April 14, 2014 Resolution#: / By-law#: Report#: PSD-022-14 File#: PLN 21.2.37 Subject: REZONING APPLICATION TO PERMIT AN AGGREGATE PIT EXPANSION WITHIN PART LOT 15, CONCESSION 1, GEOGRAPHIC TOWNSHIP OF MANVERS, CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES APPLICANT: VICDOM SAND AND GRAVEL (ONTARIO) LTD. RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report PSD-022-14 be received; 2. THAT the City of Kawartha Lakes be advised that the Municipality of Clarington has no objections to the approval of the Rezoning application submitted by VicDom Sand and Gravel (Ontario) Ltd., provided that: i. the recommendations contained with the technical reports are implemented; ii, the applicant confirms their willingness to incorporate vegetative screening with native species within the extraction setback area, including the land containing berms as outlined in Section 4; and iii. the Planting Plan be circulated to the Municipality of Clarington for comment. 3. THAT a copy of Report PSD-022-14 be forwarded to the City of Kawartha Lakes Planning Department; and 4. THAT any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Submitted by: Z Reviewed by: Da id V rome, MCIP, RPP Franklin Wu, Director of Planning Services Chief Administrative Officer TW/CP/sn/df 8 April 2014 CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: PSD-022-14 PAGE 2 1. APPLICATION DETAILS 1.1 Owner: VicDom Sand and Gravel (Ontario) Ltd. 1.2 Agent: MHBC Planning, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture 1.3 Proposal: Rezoning to permit the expansion of a sand and gravel pit to include an additional extraction area of 18.5 ha, no closer than 1.5 metres above the water table. The maximum limit of extraction is proposed to be raised from 554,000 tonnes/years to 700,000 tonnes/year. 1.4 Area: 34.8 ha (86 acres) 1.5 Location: The subject lands are located on the north side of Boundary Road, east of Highway 115 and west of Micro Road, being Part Lot 15, Concession 1 Geographic Township of Manvers, City of Kawartha Lakes (see Figure 1). 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 On December 4, 2013, the Municipality of Clarington was circulated by the City of Kawartha Lakes to provide comments on the proposed rezoning application. Staff provided initial preliminary comments to Staff from Kawartha Lakes on March 10, 2014. A response to the comments was received from the applicant on March 19, 2014. 2.2 The site is immediately north of lands owned by the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (see Figure 1) and a private residence. 2.3 VicDom Manvers Pit has been in operation since 1953 immediately to the west of the subject lands. The current operation is located on a 21 hectare parcel with 17.014 hectares licenced for extraction. The owner has applied for a licence for the proposed expansion under the Aggregate Resource Act (ARA) in conjunction with the proposed rezoning. The existing pit is running out of resources. It is expected that the pit expansion will produce approximately 6 million tonnes of resources over its estimated lifespan of 9 to 15 years. A licence cannot be issued unless the appropriate zone is approved and in effect. 2.4 The proposed expansion would be accessed via a 20 metre wide internal haul road from the existing VicDom Manvers Pit, through significant woodlands. The expansion area is proposed to have a 30 metre setback from the property line adjacent to Highway 115, Boundary Road and Micro Road. A 5 metre acoustic berm is to be constructed on the south and east sides within the limit of the setback to buffer on-site noise and provide a screen for the industrial activities and to intercept dust emissions. A significant woodland located on the site is planned to be retained along with a 30 metre buffer surrounding it. Extraction is proposed to be completed in 4 Phases with rehabilitation of each phase to occur upon completion. The proposed operational plan is depicted in Figure 2. REPORT NO.: PSD-022-14 PAGE 3 2.5 The following reports were provided for review: • Planning Report & ARA Summary Statement • Natural Environment Technical Report • Stage 3 Archeological Assessment • Traffic Impact and Access Study • Water Resource Assessment • Cultural Heritage Study Figure 1: Site Location ^�5 City of Kawartha Lakes Proposed Manvers Pit Expansion Existing Manvers -0ad Pit Property A 8011 r e oad Ganaraska r 1BoandaN R Forest 1` Municipality of Ciarington �So4 j ` ➢ Vii:r ,, :'•° t � i��� „ ti a`tL 's�'.,L.'" 2.6 The City of Kawartha Lakes held a Public Meeting on March 5, 2014. Four residents spoke in opposition of the application citing the following concerns: • Drainage, water run off • Wildlife found in the woodlands • Width of the 20 metre haul route through the woodlands • Smell of diesel and noise from trucks • Effects on tourism • Impacts on the water level • Dust control • Number of pits in the area and operations on Saturdays • Maintenance of the roads • Traffic volumes It was indicated that the applicant will be required to hold an open house for members of the public. Staff from the City of Kawartha Lakes has confirmed that notice will be provided by the applicant to all property owners within 500 metres of the subject lands and to the Municipality of Clarington once a date has been set. X m O z Tower Lease O Slt� .•/ Figure 6 COMU_uN+CATION OPERATIONAL PLAN �" 51grnf;cant C�'c�K (SIMPLIFIED) (� 15 �.�"�• Woodland ` v �p,•(1 R ,.r fir'--' f-.R— rv) LEGEND ,y N N .—• Proposed Sand&Gravel Pit N Derr;:i.,ono` (y C0M`v1UNICATV,, '�"'� ExtenaionLands Y I p„�, '��.��"'• 1 C Extracc,on „O -f 1 1MER � E1 /f (typ) �� Proposed [tredion Boundary 0 - `! �r�`ap a busting Mainers Sand S Gravel Pit Existing Extraction Boundary - I� Phase 2 0 proposed Extraction Aea Phase I �I fD SIgnlBcant �j Proposed Extraction Setbacks N t Woodland lj 30 f-o R—,n) ` ` � Proposed Berms Exist ng A Manvers Plt t I Cxicung Vegetation Existing Structures O Phase 4 y Phase 3 I O Paved Reads — I x� ExisWg 1 Proposed Fence � Sensitive Receptors j, v (�I 1 I R2 I DAM:Jmuury iA.Eit3 C'y o%Kawartba Lakes - ti a (Former Townsnlp of Manvers) SCALE:t 3.130 TFEE 5CR[EV 1=AlIANC M 'p rX':TIS VEG=TP.70 BOUNDARYROAD — —_- _ - — - �Fxl tlno C.D.R i —-- Region oI Durhanl --- - -- Yo�n (Mun�clpaltty of Clanr'.gton) gs �1 SrgnFlcant MHBC L, Agaregatcs Inc. j Woodland pt D O m REPORT NO.: PSD-022-14 PAGE 5 3. DEPARTMENTAL COMMENTS 3.1 Engineering Services advised that the portion of Boundary Road accessed by the proposal is under the jurisdiction of the City of Kawartha Lakes in terms of maintenance. The road was gravel resurfaced in 2013 by the City of Kawartha Lakes in a cost share arrangement with the Municipality of Clarington. The expanded pit proposes to use the existing entrance to the existing Manvers Pit. The pit expansion will have no traffic impact on the surrounding road network. 4. DISCUSSION 4.1 Concerns raised by residents at the Public Meeting were primarily related to groundwater, traffic, protection of the woodlands, noise and dust. The following sections discuss how the supporting documents address these concerns. Staff comments and recommendations are also provided. 4.2 Wells/Groundwater There is a residential dwelling on the Clarington side of Boundary Road that is serviced by private well and septic. The applicant has submitted a Water Resource Assessment Report which indicates that aggregate extraction will be limited to above the water table and that there are no plans for washing of aggregate on the proposed site. Drawdown in the groundwater levels will not occur as a result of the proposal. Therefore, no interference with the surrounding well supplies and groundwater use is expected. The report recommends quarterly groundwater level monitoring to ensure maximum depth of extraction is at least 1.5 metres above the water table as part of the licence application under the Aggregate Resource Act (ARA). Annual water quality monitoring is also recommended. No fuel storage is proposed on site and any refuelling activities will utilize portable spill containment facilities approved by the Ministry of the Environment. Rehabilitation of the site includes sloping of the surface to the centre to encourage water infiltration and to eliminate the potential for site runoff. The report concluded that the proposed expansion can be carried out with no appreciable hydrogeological effects on groundwater use in the surrounding area. 4.3 Traffic The Traffic Impact and Access Study indicates trucks will utilize the existing entrance/exit and haul route. All trucks will travel west on Boundary Road to the Highway 115 interchange. The report states that there would be 8 two way a.m, peak hour trips, and 5 two way trips during the p.m. peak hour. Existing traffic data and the anticipated number of new trips based on existing and proposed annual tonnage licence was used to calculate the REPORT NO.: PSD-022-14 PAGE 6 peak hour trips. Based on descriptions of the worst-case operation, a conservative assessment was provided indicating a total of 20 two way trips during both the a.m. and p.m. peak hours. Since aggregate production varies greatly with economic conditions this would be an upset limit. The traffic consultant indicated verbally that the increase in tonnage would result in 5 additional trucks (10 trips) for the entire day. The Traffic Impact and Access Study concluded that the expansion will have no impact on the surrounding road network, the site access is expected to operate at excellent levels of service and no roadway improvements are required to accommodate site related traffic. 4.4 Natural Heritage As the site is located within the Natural Linkage Area of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, a Natural Environment Technical Report was prepared to assess the impacts of the proposal to both the onsite and adjacent significant woodlands, including the Ganaraska Forest, located immediately south of the subject lands within the Municipality of Clarington. This report assessed the qualities and ecological functions of the woodlands and has demonstrated that they will not be negatively affected by the proposal. A minimum vegetation protection zone of 30 metres, in conformity with the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan has been adopted to protect the current condition and local ecological functions of the adjacent significant woodlands. This is consistent with the policies of the Durham Region Official Plan and the Clarington Official Plan. A rehabilitation plan is proposed that intends to restore a woodland plant community on the site once extraction is complete. The pit floor will be planted with a short term non- invasive cover crop in the initial year after extraction, followed by the planting of woodland nodes consisting of native trees shrubs and herbs. The proposed rehabilitation is expected to enhance the biodiversity and add ecological functions and values that are currently not present. Connectivity with adjacent significant woodlands to the south and east (Ganaraska Forest) will be improved. Although the Natural Environment Technical Report discusses the Ganaraska Forest throughout the report, Section 2.1 Environmental Policies should make note of the relevant Municipality of Clarington Official Plan and Region of Durham Official Plan policies which identify the Ganaraska Forest as a significant natural heritage feature. The Planning Report & ARA Summary Report should also acknowledge the Ganaraska Forest as significant woodland located within 120 metres of the subject lands. The Planning Report & ARA Summary Report indicates that the pit floor will be rehabilitated for agricultural use which is contradictory to the rehabilitation plan. The 30 metre minimum vegetation protection zone provides the opportunity to introduce plantings when extraction commences on site. Not only could the plantings enhance the protection of the adjacent significant woodlands, they could provide a visual buffer for area residents, those utilizing the trails in the adjacent Ganaraska Forest, and for travellers driving along Highway 115. REPORT NO.: PSD-022-14 PAGE 7 Comments: That the Planning Report & ARA Summary Report be revised to identify the Ganaraska Forest as a significant woodlands located within 120 metres of the subject lands; and That a Planting Plan be prepared that will introduce native plantings within the 30 metre minimum extraction setback zone prior to commencement of extraction activities and that the Planting Plan be circulated to Clarington for comment. The plantings should be designed to enhance the screening of the development from Highway 115, the Ganaraska Forest, and adjacent land used 4.5 Planning Report and Aggregate Resource Assessment The Planning Report & ARA Summary Statement indicated that a Noise Impact Assessment was conducted and provided the recommendations are implemented, the Ministry of the Environment sound level limits will be satisfied. This report also noted that the Aggregate Resources Act provides Provincial standards for dust control. All new licenced operations must mitigate dust on site. Dust suppressant must be applied on all internal haul road and procession areas as required. Any equipment operated within 300 metres of a sensitive receptor must be equipped with dust suppression or collecting devices. 5. CONCURRENCE — Not Applicable 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 In consideration of the comments provided within this report, it is recommended that the Municipality of Clarington would have no objection of the approval of the proposed Rezoning application provided the recommendations contained with the technical reports and staff comments discussed in Section 4 are implemented. CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN — Not Applicable Staff Contact: Tracey Webster, Senior Planner List of interested parties to be notified of Council's decision: None