Cainsville is one step closer to getting a “development-ready, premier industrial hub” after Brant County councilors voted to include $250,000 in the 2025 budget for a comprehensive land-use strategy.
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The community on the eastern edge of Brantford has around 135 hectares (334 acres) of vacant land earmarked for employment growth and the strategy will help inform the best use of it, according to a report councilors saw on Nov. 19.
Outside of Paris, it represents one of the county’s largest employment areas, but has yet to be realized, because necessary municipal services haven’t been in place.
But with a recently completed water, wastewater, and stormwater master servicing plan for the Cainsville settlement area, that’s set to change.
Getting the land-use study underway means they’ll be shovel ready by the time services are in the ground — in around two years, chief administrative officer Alison Newton told advisors at an administration and operations committee meeting Nov. 19.
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“There’s an extreme demand out there,” Rob Walton, general manager of operations for the county, told councilors at the meeting.
With 403 access, the lands are well positioned for access to Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and there’s potential for servicing by the existing CN railway at some sites, the report said.
Water and wastewater services are provided to Cainsville by the City of Brantford through a servicing agreement. Back in March, Walton reminded councilors that, as part of the boundary adjustment agreement in 2016, Brantford said they’d provide those services “to a certain level” to Cainsville, if the county builds the infrastructure.
County staff will continue reporting to council on progress through the new year and the public will be invited to meetings throughout the process.
Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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