The Council of the Township of whitewater Region approved a zoning by-law amendment pending an environmental impact assessment at 16356 of Highway 17 to be able to put in a kennel.
Councillor Chris Olmstead left the room for this report due to potential financial interest.
This application was compared to the Forester’s Falls kennel, which CAO Ivan Burton said that they assessed similarly.
CAO Burton said that the nearest dwelling was 240 metres away, across the highway and that the area was “quite large”. which reduced the issues with noise that caused the other application’s rejection.
He said he made the same applications as the Forester’s Falls kennel application and said that the impacts on the rural kennel “would not alter the rural character of the area.”
“The proposed area is in the buffer area for the Provincially Significant Wetlands.” he said.
“The applicant would be required to hire a biologist to assess the environmental impact.” he said, saying he recommended that the property was put in a holding zone until the assessment was complete.
“Once that environmental impact is done and we’re receiving a positive recommendation, it’s not a public process.” he said, saying they would remove the holding symbol from the application at that time.
He said he expected the impact assessment to be done within the next month.
Councillor Mark Bell asked if they would introduce a stipulation into the bylaw due to the Notice of Motion scheduled to review bylaws regarding kennels and animal control later in the meeting, which CAO Burton said might “prove problematic” but that any future amendments would require the kennel owner “to meet the new standards.”
He said potential existed to grandfather in the kennel should be changes be made, or give a period for the owner to comply with any changed bylaws.
The recommendation was approved.
