Due to it’s proximity to the rail corridor, the parcel has been used as a warehouse, a lumber storage yard, a vehicle storage yard, and the outdoor storage of concrete girders from the Herb Gray Parkway (which are still stored on the parcel). In 2016, a building damaged by a tornado was demolished, cleared and graded.

The parcel is located on the western fringe of the existing industrial area. To the east is the Canadian National Railway corridor and a business/ industrial park. Adjacent to the south lot line is an industrial use. Windsor Airport is about 700 m to the south east.

Immediately to the west, southwest and northwest, along Riberdy Road, are residential uses - a sensitive land use. Further west is the Walker Road commercial corridor. To the north is the EC Row Expressway, which is elevated at this location. There is an interchange at Walker Road to the northwest. North and northeast of the EC Row Expressway, east of Walker Road, are a mix of commercial and industrial uses.

The proposed Transport Terminal IS proximate to a sensitive land use.

The MD1.3 zoning permits a limited range of mostly transport-based main uses such as a Transport Terminal, Loading Compound, Towing Facility, and Warehouse. The property appears well suited for transport-related uses, largely due to the adjacent railway corridor which provides an alternate means of moving goods and direct access to Walker Road which provides access to Highway 401 and the EC Row Expressway.

However, the proximity of sensitive land uses - the residential uses on Riberdy Road - is a significant concern. There is a conflict between the Transport Terminal use and the sensitive land uses. This is a problem that the study will examine. The staff report (C 102/19) that recommended implementation of the Interim Control By-law stated that:

“The main purposes of doing the study is to ensure that Transport Terminal is appropriately permitted or prohibited, that the provisions for a Transport Terminal are consistent with the policy direction of the Official Plan, and that a Transport Terminal is not detrimental to surrounding existing and potential land uses.”

Additional mitigation measures may be required to permit a Transport Terminal on the property. Again, this is an issue that the study will examine. There is a moderate to significant risk that a proposed Transport Terminal could be created that is not compatible with sensitive land uses.

There is a likelihood that additional mitigation measures will be necessary in order to permit a Transport Terminal.

The Planning Division is recommending that the request for exemption be denied due to the proximity of a sensitive land use and due to the likelihood that additional mitigation measures may be necessary.

Risk Analysis:

N/A