A legal matter, associated with land obtained by the Sarnia and District Humane Society for a new headquarters, appears to be making progress.
In September 2023, Executive Director Donna Pyette announced five acres had been purchased across from the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park on Wellington Street.
But, the organization has remained tight-lipped about the multi-million dollar project as plans are finalized.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley reported out of city council's December 16 in-camera session that staff were directed to move forward "expeditiously" with the humane society as it relates to their new development.
"I believe we've reached an agreement and we support what the humane society is offering, and also that there are some costs -- not large costs that will come with the legal issues," Bradley said. "We're talking probably $5,000 to $10,000 and council has accepted that we will cover those costs for the humane society."
In a discussion with Sarnia News Today, City of Sarnia Communications Manager Steve Henschel said staff have been working with the organization to identify possible solutions to mitigate or resolve the impact from new development on their future animal shelter.
"The Development Area 2 Secondary Plan affects some private property owned by the Sarnia District Humane Society, and they raised some concerns to staff following council's approval of the plan back in February," Henschel said.
The city’s largest greenfield area -- designated to accommodate future growth -- is located between Modeland Road to the west, London Line to the north, Blackwell Sideroad to the east and the CN Rail to the south.
"Staff will be reporting back to council at a subsequent meeting with additional information. Should a negotiated agreement be reached, staff will report back in open session. So, there will be more details available to the public at that time," Henschel said.
He added because the matter is still before the courts, further details could not be released.
Before adopting the plan, council amended the land zoning for the neighbouring Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park from light industrial to heavy industrial to support future projects.
While council unanimously approved the change, surrounding land use compatibility issues were not addressed.
At the time, Councillor Anne Marie Gillis noted that the report indicated the property, on the south side of Wellington Street, was adequately buffered from existing or proposed land uses.
Sarnia News Today reached out to Pyette for comment and did not receive a response.