OMB holds first pre-hearing conference for proposed quarry
The first Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) pre-hearing conference regarding James Dick Construction Limited’s (JDCL) appeal for a decision on a proposed quarry southwest of Rockwood took place on Nov. 2.
In June JDCL first appealed Guelph-Eramosa Township’s non-decision on a zoning bylaw amendment and then Wellington County’s non-decision for an Official Plan amendment permitting aggregate mining at the “hidden quarry” site, which is at Highway 7 and 6th Line in Guelph-Eramosa.
On Nov. 2 OMB co-chair Steven Stefanko determined the next pre-hearing conference would take place on April 5 at the Guelph-Eramosa Township office.
This is JDCL’s second OMB appeal for the proposed quarry. The 24.8-hectare (61.3 acre) quarry operation application process began in December of 2012 when JDCL applied for a rezoning bylaw amendment to change the zoning from agriculture and hazard land to extractive industrial.
However, in October 2016 the hearing was put on hold indefinitely because in the summer of 2016 Guelph-Eramosa had completed a review to repeal and replace its entire comprehensive zoning bylaw, making the 2012 JDCL quarry rezoning application inaccurate.
JDCL began a second application process immediately. An application with the township and with Wellington County were deemed complete in December.
At this time Wellington County, Guelph-Eramosa and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry have not taken a position on the application.
All three have deferred making a decision until they have received a report from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), which will be based on additional studies requested from JDCL on water issues.
The GRCA opened a new file on the proposed quarry after the second application was submitted.
