Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley thinks advance discussions will help alleviate issues down the road.
Council is being asked to confirm and ratify, or withdraw, its appeal of a zoning bylaw amendment made by the Village of Point Edward for a portion of land to the north of Sarnia Harbour.
"Concern has been voiced not just by the city, but by industry, about the proximity to the Cargill elevators and the impacts of [residential] development on that operation," said Bradley. "Plus it's a boundary road which would need to be upgraded. Plus the traffic itself may be of concern to the residents when they move into this new development, even though that operation at Cargill has been there for decades and decades."
Bradley said that's why city council is being asked to put the concerns forward.
"We try to address them and many, many, times in these types of situations you can address the concerns as you're moving forward. If the development proceeds, as long as people buy into that property, recognize that Cargill and the new Cestar Dock being built at the end of Exmouth, have been there before and have the right to stay there," he said.
Bradley expects any issues would be reduced or eliminated if the appeal moves forward.
"Cargill, the Sarnia Lambton Industrial Alliance on behalf of the Oversize Load Corridor, and Parkland Farms -- which is a major farm operation in the community -- they're concerned that the present use will be diminished greatly or there will be complaints about the present use if this residential development goes ahead. So, the key now is to meet and to try to resolve those issues, and address and mitigate as many of them as possible. It's not a confrontational situation, it's just trying to say, these are legitimate concerns, and they need to be looked at before this development gets approval."
Bradley said it's not uncommon for issues to be raised after a development proceeds.
"It's a classic story across the country, where people move from the city to [a neighbourhood] beside a pig farm and then complain about the odour of the pig farm. I always tell people, anytime they're looking to relocate, 'make sure you understand what the present [land] use is and what the future is,'" he said.
As another example, Bradley recalled the opposition Procor received from residents in Heritage Park about its planned expansion.
"So, it's good to try to address these concerns upfront so they're on the record. If this development proceeds, people will know these are some of the concerns that were here and may still be there. The proximity of Cargill and the dust and the noise and other things it attracts and also that it is an industrial area," he said.
As long as that can be known and understood, Bradley said "that's a good thing."
The area spans about 16 acres.