Multiple appeals stalling Sarnia land layout strategy

Multiple appeals have been launched against a growth plan for southeast Sarnia.

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Four appeals have been made to the Ontario Land Tribunal about the secondary plan for Development Area 2, said city planning manager Eric Hyatt.

The 570-hectare (about 1,410-acre) area poised for development is bounded by London and Confederation lines, and Modeland and Blackwell Side roads.

There’s little information about the appeals, though it’s understood the area surrounding city-owned land south of Wellington Street, and a realigned Wellington Street right-of-way are affected, Hyatt said.

The secondary plan identifies zoning and infrastructure such as roads within the boundary.

One of the appeals is from city hall, Hyatt noted, after council voted in July to appeal a County of Lambton decision that nixed the planned rezoning of Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park lands to general employment.

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Current zoning is prestige employment, allowing light industrial use.

Sarnia council had voted in February to give the research park more wiggle room to attract heavy industrial clients when opportunities arise, without having to go through time-consuming rezoning and official plan amendment applications to city hall.

But county officials, as approval authority for the city’s official plan, rejected that decision.

A consultant for the city plan had recommended the lands remain prestigious employment.

There’s no estimate on how long the appeals will take to be resolved, or whether they’ll impact any city projects like extending Wellington Street, Hyatt said.

“Unfortunately we don’t know the scope of the appeals,” he said.

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“I’m not sure what the impacts may or may not be at this time.”

The appeals also put on ice, he said, plans to develop a disposition strategy for 34 hectares of city-owned employment lands southeast of Wellington Street and Highway 40, earmarked for residential and mixed use under Sarnia’s official planadopted in 2022.

Sarnia will wait to hire a consultant to craft that disposition plan until the appeals are resolved, Hyatt said.

The strategy would look at “the best way to dispose of those lands that are a city-owned asset for the purpose of redevelopment,” he said, noting that would likely include selling the lands.

“Ultimately what it will be is a document that provides some direction with respect to the disposition of those lands,” he said, noting that could include identifying the best uses “based on the land area, the orientation of the roads, etc. that are approved in that secondary plan.”

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