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E-b ~Committee supports zoning change to allow office mu By Tim Foran SCANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF .~An application by the poultry processing Lplant Sargent Farms to convert a former Mill z Street pub into an office building was endorsed by town counicils planning comn- mneTuesday nigbt. zIf counicil approves the recommendation ai at s meeting Monday night, Sargent Farms 0 will be allowed to move some of its office staff from its plant at 61 Garden Lane nt botis floors of 189 Mill St. The chicken plant has said the transfer of employees won't resuit in an expansion of its industrial operation. While Town staff see it as a simple zoning bylaw amendment allowing conversion from a first floor restaurant to an office, local resi- dent Richard Laughton argued granting such approvai is contrary to plans tbat govern the land - specifically tise fact that it exists in a floodplain of the Sixteen Mile Creek. In a suismission -to the committee, Laughton said that the restaurant was a legal non-conforming use, but that an office building represents a new use that is not allowed mn floodplain areas. Once the restau- rant ceased operation, the only allowabie use for the property was for conservation, Laughton wrote in his suismission. Laughton said the Town should bave. been proactive in acquiring the site and using it for an addition to the parkland attached to the Mill Pond. r "They're taking a big step backwards in my mind," said Laughton. "Lets convert it back to wbat it should be." Milton Mayor Gord Krantz said while he'd bappily accept the donation of flood- plain-located properties to thse town or con- servation auîbority; he doesn't think spend- ing tax dollars to buy buildings purely for demolition makes sense. report from 2007, don't envision the conver- sion of buildings or parking Iota in the flood- plain to parkland. lndeed, thse report lamenta thse fact that the deptis and flow of thse creek in downtown Milton is too bigis to allow for easy redevel- opment and intensification. Those environmental policies restrict Thse towns plans, as outlined in a staff construction of new buildings in empty Iota north of Main Street, for example. However, Town staff said approvtng the, conversion of Tise Dickens ss a small way wo keep thse downtown to remain vibrant,'ýý office uses are preferable to the buildting remaining vacant, according wo its report r r tise planning committec. Tim Foran (an hi, oiachî'd ai /anml toncanadianchanpin.coi. .Not that easy to relocate businesses, says Town 1The application by Sargent Farms to convert a restaurant into offices for its empioyees, ait a building adjacent to ils pouitry processing plant indicates that itfs there to say, afact that mlght prove bsard for sanie downtown residerns to accept. Over tise yeus, soute resients have wondered. why tise Town hasn't pushed for tise reiocation of some olderlindustrlalcom- panles to -tise new enipicyment lands nortis of Hwy. 401. For instance, in a recent interview with the ChaMpian, Milton resident Bill Miller questioned why tise Town aiiowed tise Roxul plant on Hàrrop Drive toi complete a $135-mulon expansion of its opesations over tise peat .two years, inciuding tise con- struction of a new snsokestack tisat rivais thse water tower as a new marker of Mfilton. MMlie sald tise residentia cormmunlty, soutis of Roxul bas often complalned of a strong egg smeli wafting &com tise plane's stack and filling up their poois witis partic- ulates every timse tise wind blows souts. "They started a beautifui industriai park north of tise 401; tisese people (Roxal) sisouid have gone there," Miller saisi. A section of Miltons officiai plan states tise Town sisould encourage sucis opera- rions ta move Wo new employment areas in order to reduce land use conflicts. But tisats easihr sald tisan done, said Town officiais. Tise Towns planning departmnent said it has tried unsuccessfully several times in tise past to have Sargent Fanais relocate. Tise company% plant, wisich began life as Haiton Poutry isas been in old Milton since tise Second World War. According to tise companys website, it expanded 1,000 per cent from 1993 to 2008 and currently empioys 125 people. 55We can't just marcis into Bob Sargenis office and say, move your plant," said Ward 2 Councilior Greg Nelson. -Its more coin- picated than that." Acconuing to Andrew Siltala, from tise Town's economic deveiopment department, tise major obstacle for companies to relocate la tisat they have extensive plant equipment already lin place and tisere would be a major impact on day-to-day operations, from such an upheaval. A secondary issue is that industrial land is simpiy not for sale, he raid. Developers in tise new employment parka prefer to lease properties rather tisan seIl tbem. Tise Town doesnt have land in new employment areas to give operations sucis as Sargent Farms, he added. And Milton Mayor Gord Krantz raid ise doesnt have a mandate to go out and acquire that land. "One of tise st things residenta want is for me ta go about spending tise taxpayers money ta relocate these businesses, ise raid. As part of the Towns committment to improving accessibility, the Milton Accessibiity Advisory Committee, comprised nainly of persans with disabilities, is responsible for: " Helping 10 ensure full access to thase living in our community * Advising Council on the preparation, inplemrenlation and effectiveness of an annual accessibility plan The Focus on AeCessibility Continues in June Recreation and Patits Monlh oelebrations include: iî »o " Free Special Needs Skate - June 15, 2:00 - 2:50 pmn " " " «Walk and Wheel" Challenge - Ail month long! www.milton.ca accessibillty@mllton.ca 905-878-7252, ext. 2534 Enjoy the fresh air of the outdoors - indoors with Lsnnox* Hsalthy Climats Indoor Air Ouality Systema. 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