The executive director of the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park says the site's future growth needs to be accounted for in the city's Development Area 2 (DA2) Secondary Plan.
Katherine Albion told city council on Monday there is a strong demand for research infrastructure in Ontario.
"We plan to expand our research capabilities to build new labs to strengthen our position as a leading Canadian research park, as well as to attract new research firms and investments to Sarnia-Lambton," said Albion.
She said a new industrial research facility is also being explored.
BM Ross Planning Consultant Jordan Fohkens asked that further studies be done in the area surrounding the research park to address land use compatibility issues.
"The lands are currently zoned light industrial one, as well as designated light industrial," said Fohkens. "It was previously designated light industrial all the way down to Confederation Line, including the park, which was the old Dow lands, to what is London Line to the north."
Fohkens said over the years there's been a "steady encroachment of residential uses."
"The Heritage Park area was previously light industrial and it's something that planners struggle with," he said. "They need to consider the impact on how industrial and residential land are located beside each other and how you deal with that, whether it be buffering or intervening land uses."
Albion and Fohkens provided some recommendations, including technical studies within 70 metres of the park to demonstrate no future impact and provide a 120 m buffer around woodlands.
"When you live by industry, you have some issues with noise, vibration, odours… but it also works the other way around," Fohkens said. "There's an impact to industry when you start locating residential near that and that impact is complaints from residents. When there is a complaint, industry has to deal with that and it can be very costly and could impact future development and marketing of the park."
The current DA2 space includes approximately 570 hectares of land bounded by London Line, Blackwell Side Road, the CN Rail yard (south of Confederation Line), and Modeland Road.
A final Official Plan amendment package will be presented to council no later than the first quarter of 2024.