A business owner is asking Chatham-Kent council to rezone his newly bought property to make way for a new bakery, restaurant, farmers’ market, and supermarket.
A staff report going to council on Monday night states that the owners Kent Bridge Country Market want to move the market onto the larger 10 acre property on Longwoods Road near Caledonia Road, just east of Chatham, because they've outgrown their current location.
The property is currently zoned rural industrial.
It's the former site of the Chatham Sales Arena, which closed in 2023. It hosted the weekly Wednesday Market with vendors offering meat, produce, baked goods, clothing, artisan goods, and other items. The commercial building also included a commercial kitchen to prepare and sell hot food.
"The proposed rezoning offers an opportunity to utilize the site for a business that has successfully operated in a nearby hamlet servicing both the rural area and the travelling public. The business needs to expand as it has partially outgrown its current site," the staff report stated. "The subject lands offer a location closer to the Chatham urban area, it is located on the same road as the current location, maintains a rural setting that is part of the businesses charm, and it offers the long-term ability to grow and further diversify."
Administration recommends approval.
