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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 7, 2010 · 10 Town wants to hear where residents want a power plant Town staff is asking the public for opinion on a study to determine where in Oakville power plants can be located. At a Wednesday open house, at the Operating Engineers Banquet Hall, Town of Oakville Long Term Planning Services Manager Diane Childs said the Town will be holding up to three facilitated workshops in May where residents can comment on the study report and recommendations. The recommendations are expected to go before council for approval in early 2011. Power plant locations have been a hot topic in Oakville ever since the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) announced a southeast Oakville site was being considered for a 900megawatt gas-fired power plant back in early 2009. At that time, council passed an interim control bylaw stating gas-fired power plants with a capacity greater than 10megawatts could not be built in Oakville until a study is completed outlining where in Oakville larger power plants could best be accommodated. TransCanada appealed this bylaw to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), after being awarded a contract to build the Oakville Generating Station on the Ford-owned lands of 1500 Royal Windsor Dr. The OMB allowed the bylaw to stand and the study to proceed. Once complete the study could have a significant impact on the TransCanada project. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton has previously stated if the study finds the 1500 Royal Windsor Dr. location to not be in keeping with what the study determines is an appropriate power plant site, TransCanada will have to find another. To date the study has yet to reach the point where Town staff can say what areas are appropriate for power plants and what areas are not with research still needed on air quality, noise, engineering and emergency services. Town staff also intends to examine a broad array of power plant technologies and the impact power plants of a variety of sizes would have on different areas. The study has put together three options outlining possible models for determining where power plants can be located in Oakville. The first option would see power plants permitted within the Industrial and Parkway Belt designations and possibly others, subject to holding provisions that would allow for various studies, peer reviews and other site approval conditions. The disadvantage of this option, staff said, is some of these areas, where power plants may be permitted, may still be unsuitable because they are near sensitive land uses. The second option is more restrictive. In this scenario there would be no pre-designated areas labelled appropriate for power plants. In the report, staff said this option would give council the opportunity to weigh every application on its merits with full public consultations taking place prior to approval. The main disadvantage was this option could open up power generation uses within many locations, designations and near sensitive land uses. The third option put together by staff was a hybrid of the first two, which would see power plants permitted within the Industrial and Parkway Belt designations, subject to demonstrating through specific studies that there would be no adverse impacts. Under this option, power plants may also be required to abide by minimum distance separations for sensitive use areas. Town staff has also put together a number of possible recommendations for public discussion purposes. These recommendations include that district energy facilities of less than 10 megawatts be permitted in Midtown Oakville (Urban Core), the Uptown Core (Urban Centre), Palermo Village and on lands designated Office Employment, Business Employment, Industrial or Business Commercial. The first workshop is scheduled for May 18, at Town Hall, 7-9 p.m. Workshops will also take place on May 20 and 31 if required. The Land Use Study for Power Generation and Cogeneration facilities can be found online at www.oakville.ca/22939.htm or contact Childs at 905-845-6601, ext. 3986 or dchilds@oakville.ca. WOOD N' FLOOR We Install All Kinds of Floors "Refinish Your Wood Floor Like New" Serving Oakville residents for over 20 years. KAZ (905) 338-1881 www.woodnfloor.ca W SINCE 1977 HERITAGE Lifestyle Home Furnishings A Night at Gairloch DON'T MISS OUT on Incredible Savings up to 50% In-stock Specials, Unique Pieces and Factory Authorized Deals! Unique Accent Buffet Reg. $1099 IN-STOCK NOW $699 www.oakvillegalleries.com Exhibition Partner Signature Event Partner Supporting Partners Coivic Contracting Ltd. | Daniels Corporation | Forget Me Not Flowers Museumpros Art Services | Sotheby's International Realty Canada Cocktail Partners Trafalgar Brewery | Maverick Distillery 4205 Fairview Street, Burlington 905-634-5298 www.heritagefurniture.ca