Brandt Industries has begun landscaping lots beside its main property on Lancaster Road in preparation for the sale of utility trailers — but neglected to acquire a development permit before starting.
Brandt’s light trailer manufacturing plant is located on lots 25 to 28 at 76 Lancaster Road in the Grayson Business District. Those lots are zoned M3 mixed-used business park industrial district, where light industrial use is permitted.
The manufacturing company submitted a discretionary use application to city hall in mid-August asking to use lots 19 to 24 as an extension to its plant. Brandt wants to use those lots — located south of the main property and zoned C3 vehicle-oriented commercial district — to store and sell the assembled trailers.
Light industrial use is considered discretionary in the C3 district.
City administration brought the discretionary use application to the Sept. 12 city council meeting, where council voted unanimously to approve it.
Coun. Jamey Logan did not vote because of a conflict of interest.
“They started construction on those properties as of (Sept. 12). We notified them that they have started without a development permit at this point,” Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development, told council.
When asked whether the city would financially penalize Brandt for starting without a permit, Sanson replied that city hall would notify them about their transgression but did not say whether the municipality would fine the company.
“This (project) is great. It shows that they are expanding their business out there,” said Coun. Crystal Froese. “Hopefully they’ll get the development permit in lickety-split. It’s great to have that enormous building on (Lancaster Road) in use.”
Background
Before 2011, the Grayson Business Park was formally known as the Grayson Industrial Park and zoned M3, a council report explained. In 2011 most of the park was rezoned C3, with some lots remaining M3. The rebranding and rezoning were an effort to amend the area’s long-term vision from industrial to commercial.
Since 2011, most properties located along Highland and Lancaster roads have remained as industrial uses or uses permitted in the M3 District or discretionary in the C3 District, the report continued. An Islamic mosque is directly adjacent to the Brandt property in the M3 zone.
City hall plans to comprehensively review the zoning areas in the Grayson Business Park as part of the new zoning bylaw and updated Official Community Plan (OCP).
The zoning bylaw prescribes several criteria when reviewing discretionary use applications, including conformance with the OCP, the possible need to make accommodations for the use, the effect on existing infrastructure and the effect on adjacent land uses, the report added. Brandt’s application meets those criteria.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Sept. 26.
