Dakota’s Truck Services one step closer to Arthur-area expansion

WELLINGTON NORTH  – All but one councillor here supports bylaw and official plan amendments to allow Dakota’s Truck Services to open a repair shop just outside of Arthur. 

The shop is set to be located on a 10-hectare (25-acre) lot at 8051 Wellington County Road 109, east of the village.   

If the proposal is approved by the county and township, the land will be redesignated from prime agricultural to rural employment in the county’s official plan and rezoned from site specific agricultural to site specific rural industrial in the township’s zoning bylaw. 

A second parcel of land, three hectares (7.5 acres) at 7556 1st Line, is to be rezoned from industrial to agricultural to make up for some of the lost farmland. 

County planning staff support the amendments and agree with Dakota’s Truck Services’ planner that the business provides an important service to the local agricultural community. 

Dakota’s Truck Services has an existing shop in Centre Wellington.   

During an April 20 council meeting, owner Dakota Rogers said most of the repairs at the shop are on farm equipment, but it also works on other vehicles such as fire trucks and municipal trucks. 

“Anything that isn’t agricultural is to do with the community,” he said.

Rogers said the expansion will bring “anywhere from 20 to 30 well-paying jobs ... and they will all be new jobs for local people, hopefully – that’s the plan. Everybody that’s educated is more than welcome to come.” 

The property has frontage and access on Wellington Road 109, and the owners are hoping to form an easement agreement with neighbouring property owners to allow for a second driveway on 1st Line. 

The plan includes a 2,850m² shop, outdoor display and storage areas, tractor trailer parking and turnaround areas, a shop parking area and a storm water management pond. 

There is an existing house on the property that Rogers was initially intending to retain for residential use, but after hearing feedback during a Jan. 26 public meeting, he’s decided to use the house as an office or for storage instead. It could be removed in the future. The site-specific zoning will prohibit residential uses. 

Two neighbours gave input during the public meeting – one in support of the proposal and one opposed to it. 

The proposed zoning specifies the lands may only be used for a repair and service establishment for agriculture equipment, heavy equipment and trucks (in addition to accessory uses and structures). 

An agricultural impact study prepared in October by Van Harten found the proposed development “will have minimal negative impact on the local agricultural system.” 

“By maintaining agricultural production on the remaining farmland, preserving natural heritage features and introducing a supportive rural employment use, the project exemplifies a balanced and well-considered approach to land use planning,” the study states.

“I give my full support for this bylaw amendment,” said councillor Steve McCabe, noting that with the increasing price of seed and fertilizer, it will help local farmers to have a repair shop close to home. 

Mayor Andy Lennox expressed support too, stating “with the land swap it makes it viable,” as does the decision not to maintain the house as residential.

“I think this is probably as good as a location as we are going to get for a much needed service,” Lennox added.  

Councillor Sherry Burke expressed opposition to the amendment, but her reasoning seemed to lean mostly on a misunderstanding that Dakota’s Truck Services would be relocating from Centre Wellington and closing its shop there, instead of expanding into Wellington North while maintaining operations on the existing site. 

Rogers assured council there are no plans to close the Centre Wellington shop.  

Burke is also concerned about the land swap being unequal, leading to a net loss of farmland.

Councillors Penny Renken and Lisa Hern said they were undecided before hearing from Rogers.

“I do believe that it’s a service that we need in the community,” Renken said, but expressed concern about  increased traffic. 

“Some of this field-related farm equipment is extremely large so I couldn’t imagine it in this area at all,” she said. 

Hern said the land swap makes the application “a lot more amenable.

“And it doesn’t fragment the land,” Hern added, as it abuts existing industrial land.

“I think that’s a real positive ... But I am still worried about traffic, conflict mitigation and all those types of things. I think it’s going to be hard on some people,” including neighbours across the road who expressed concerns during the public meeting. 

“Something to mitigate some of their conflict might be a good thing,” Hern said.

McCabe called the neighbours’ concerns contradictory. 

“They have a business where they are allowed to have big trucks ... but they don’t want big trucks across the road. I don’t find that argument holds water at all,” said McCabe. 

Township planner Curtis  Marshall said at the busiest time of day, there is expected to be less than 50 trucks per hour coming in and out of the repair shop. 

The county only requires full traffic studies if there will be at least 100 vehicles per hour, he said. 

Township chief building official Darren Jones said traffic would be further explored at the site plan control stage.

Dakota’s Truck Services will need to outline the design, including grading, drainage, parking, landscaping, buffering and fencing in  the site plan.  

On the bylaw and official plan amendments, Lennox, McCabe, Renken and Hern voted in support, while Burke was opposed. 

Next, the official plan amendment will go to the county for approval, and the bylaw amendment will return to the township for final approval.