Public meeting held regarding industrial development at Airport and Mayfield roads

By Zachary Roman

A developer would like to build two large industrial buildings on a property at the northeast corner of Airport and Mayfield roads.

SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust brought the development proposal forward on behalf of Airfield Developments Inc. and Airfield ll Developments Inc. which own the 23.3 acre property. SmartCentres estimates the combined area of the proposed buildings would be 44,535 square metres (about 480,000 square feet), including accessory office space. 

The Town of Caledon held a public meeting regarding the development proposal at a May 3 Planning and Development committee meeting.

The proposal is in its early stages, and at the meeting several members of the public offered their thoughts on the development. 

An information report on the development proposal was made available to the Planning and Development Committee and the general public. The report notes land uses surrounding the subject property are commercial; transport depots are located to the east, west, and north of it.

A residential subdivision in the City of Brampton is to the south.

The report notes some of the transport depots may not be permitted on the land they're on.

The report also provided some details on the proposed buildings, which will “include 83 dock-high doors and four grade-level doors for loading. Additionally, the proposal contains 426 at-grade parking stalls including 12 barrier free parking spaces to serve all employees, visitors and users.”

Paula Bustard, Executive Vice President of Development for SmartCentres, presented at the May 3 meeting and explained the subject property was originally anticipated to be a commercial shopping centre.

SmartCentres, she said, now wants to change the Town's zoning to provide for permission for employment uses on the property.

Fatima Faruq was a member of the public who registered to speak at the meeting. She lives in Highlands of Castlemore, a neighbourhood nearby the proposed development, and was speaking on behalf of other Castlemore residents as well.

She said her and other residents had signed a petition to express their strong opposition to rezoning the subject property at Mayfield and Airport roads.

“For over four years, our neighbourhood has been impacted by the warehouses and illegal truck yards on the Caledon side of Mayfield (Road). Our health and our safety have been affected by noise emissions, vibrations and general pollution due to the Town of Caledon's decision to zone this area industrial,” said Faruq.

“Permission to rezone the northeast corner of Airport and Mayfield Road will only lead to more rezoning that will lead to further environmental impacts to the health and safety of the people in our community, as well as those communities further along Mayfield Road.”

If Council decides to approve the development in the future, the Town's Official Plan would be amended to change the designation of the subject property from highway commercial and general industrial, to highway commercial with site specific policies to allow additional employment uses.

The Town's zoning bylaw would need to be amended to rezone the subject property from highway commercial with a holding provision and service industrial, to highway commercial with an exception and holding provision.

The Planning and Development committee does not offer a recommendation on proposals after a public meeting; rather, a Planning report will be brought forward by Town staff and considered by Caledon Council at a later date.