Bruce County council has approved an amendment to the county’s official plan that would allow for Carson’s Supply to have a new manufacturing facility in Southampton.
The facility would be built at 5331 Bruce Road 3, across from Saugeen Golf Club, South Port Golf Course, and near SouthPort Pentecostal Church.
Bruce County planner Coreena Smith explained, “The application was reviewed various criteria and policies, the first of which is the introduction of a non-agricultural use in an agricultural area. The subject lands are in a prime agricultural area, and they are, as accordingly, designated agricultural area in the Bruce County official plan, and the lands are primarily zoned agriculture in the Town of Saugeen Shores Zoning By-law. There is a small area of the site that is also zoned institutional.”
Smith explained in her report to council that non-agricultural uses are permitted only in limited circumstances, in accordance with provincial and county policies. She said that the applicant had demonstrated consistency with those policies.
Carson’s Supply was looking to be able to pre-cast concrete for the company’s own use, as well as house an injection and extrusion manufacturing facility for polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Southampton residents voiced their concerns both in person and in writing, ranging from the potential noise associated with a 24-hour industrial operation, increased heavy truck traffic in the area of the Highway 21 intersection with Bruce Road 3, and the chemicals and particulate contaminants that would be involved with both concrete and plastics.
Dana Kieffer, senior development manager with COBIDE Engineering, explained the scope of the manufacturing that would be taking place on the site, should the application be approved.
“The pre-cast concrete structures that [Carson’s Supply] makes are catch basins, septic holding tanks, and electrical utility vaults,” she said at Thursday’s public meeting. “These are very large structures, and therefore significant outdoor storage is required.”
She also went more in-depth into the PVC manufacturing, stating “Carson’s also extrude PVC into pipes to be used for municipal water pipes and other plumbing works. I wanted to clarify for council that Carson’s extrudes PVC… they do not manufacture it. So the PVC comes in in pellet form, it is then heated and moulded from there. It’s a very safe process, and does not include producing vinyl chloride gas.”
Carson’s Supply has been operating out of their original location at 1071 Goderich Street in Port Elgin, and was looking to expand their business after 40 years, but was previously unable to do so.
Carson’s is a wholesale provider of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, as well as boilers and heating equipment.
The currently have a PVC injection and extrusion facility at their Port Elgin location, where they also pre-cast concrete products on their existing 3.75-hectare site.
The initial zoning application would re-designate 13.9 ha of land for heavy industrial operations, with a proposed entrance off Bruce County Road 3.
A public meeting regarding Carson’s application was held in Saugeen Shores on February 20th. Seventeen landowners had received notifications when the company initially put forth their application, and 4 voiced concerns at that meeting.
Council felt comfortable with the mitigation measures that would be taken by Carson’s Supply, and followed county staff direction to approve the application.
With the approval for the county official plan amendment, the next step for the application will be before Saugeen Shores Council in December.
