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4 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, June 9, 2011 Proposed truck centre would employ 500-600 Continued from pg. 1 According to information presented by Town planner Curtis Marshall, there will be approximately 500-600 employees working 10-hour shifts at the 24-hour centre-- with shift changes at offpeak hours. Carreiro added these are brand new jobs, not including the construction jobs associated with building a 1.4 million sq. ft. (133,000 sq. m) warehouse with a future expansion of 474,000 sq. ft. planned. The facility would have 188 loading docks, 650 trailer waiting spaces, 24 tractor waiting spaces and 1,334 motor vehicle parking spots. Access would be from Fifth Line (for cars) and Steeles Ave. (for trucks). "We were very cognizant of making sure the operations of the facility don't affect the Steeles Ave. and Fifth Line frontage," said Tae Ryuck, First Gulf's planning consultant. The Hwy. 401 frontage would be screened by a berm, while the Steeles Ave. frontage would have a 23 ft.-wide landscaped buffer. Marshall said, while the use is permitted under current Town zoning, a zoning amendment is needed due to the increased number of trailer waiting spaces reefficient and to avoid any backup Steeles Ave. quired. Ryuck said a full traffic report Under current zoning, the cen- issues on Steeles Ave. Carreiro tre could have only 38 trailer wait- confirmed there will be about 10 will be prepared at the site plan ing spaces, but First Gulf, in order trucks per hour, 240/day entering stage, but he said that a manufacturing plant would create far to satisfy their client, requires 650 the plant. Eighth Line resident Vic Hen- more traffic at peak travel times with 188 loading bays. While Ken Lawday, who lives drickson predicted this proposal than this centre, and added that on Steeles directly opposite the would lead to "gateway traffic the future Steeles Ave. widening site, said most of his issues could gridlock" and the 650 waiting is expected to accommodate the anticipated traffic. be addressed at the site "The reality is this plan stage, he did quesproperty is zoned for intion why 650 waiting dustrial," agreed Carreiro. spaces are required. He "It could have been a Ford wondered if he would or Magna plant, which be subjected to reverswould have generated a ing alarms as the traillot more traffic (at peak ers are moved around travel times)-- at least six the property. to seven times than what Ryuck said the 650 this will do." spots are the requireCarreiro noted, along ment of the proposed --resident Vic Hendrickson with this project, there are tenant, adding that the two large retail centres in reversing alarms would the works on Steeles Ave. likely be mitigated by the hum of Hwy. 401, and the spaces is nothing more than out- in Halton Hills, and he is hoping warehouse building. door storage-- something that the Steeles Ave. widening sched"With all due respect, that was was not part of the original vision uled for 2013 will happen concurnot an answer," rebutted Lawday. for the 401 Corridor "prestige in- rently with all these projects. "We're hopeful for everybody, "Simply saying the owner wants dustrial" designation. "This is a traffic intensive devel- that there will be marriage of it is hardly justification for going from the allowed 38 spaces opment application and accord- schedules," he said. According to Halton Region to 650. I would have expected a ingly should not be approved until more rational explanation for that an adequate road infrastructure is staff, Steeles Ave. is scheduled to put in place," said Hendrickson, be widened beginning the sumnumber of spaces." Ryuck said those spaces are pointing to the slow traffic tie- mer of 2013 to the summer of required to make the operation ups already being experienced on 2015 from Fifth Line South to Trafalgar Rd. While the zoning is site-specific to this property, Hendrickson worries approval would set a precedent, affecting all future Prestige Industrial and Gateway zones in the Corridor. Ryuck acknowledged it is anticipated an expansion of the centre would happen in five to 10 years, but the current zoning changes apply only to the current proposal. He said a developer-hosted public meeting in mid-May for the neighbourhood residents focused on traffic and landscaping issues. Clare Riepma, representing Landscape Ontario, a neighbour of the property, spoke at Monday's meeting, saying his client had no concerns about the application. Hendrickson wondered what the rush was on this proposal-- a special council meeting was called by the mayor specifically for this public meeting. The deadline for public comment on this proposal was two days later, yesterday (June 8) with council to make a decision on Monday, June 13. 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