A provincial policy to save agricultural land is running contrary to the growing needs of one of Virden’s homegrown businesses.
Trans Canada West Planning District held a public hearing Jan. 18 regarding proposed Bylaw No. 51, which would see 48 acres of a quarter-section just east of the municipal airport, re-designated from Resource Agriculture to Employment.
Proponent Allan Brown presented his case at the meeting with the Board of Directors of TCWPD, which includes councillors for the RM of Wallace-Woodworth, Barb Stambuski and Murray Routledge, Mayor of Virden Jeff McConnell, and Virden Councillor Zac Penner.
Brown explained his growing manufacturing business to the Board. Pro-Drill builds repairs for oil industry in Virden, works with energy company from Elkhorn, and fulfills orders for Springland Industries, an agricultural manufacturer near Rivers.
Brown’s enterprise has outgrown his backyard operation in the RM of Wallace-Woodworth, off of Government Road.
With semis coming and going, Brown explained, the business loads and unloads steel and manufactured machines onto large trucks, out of his existing property just west of the high school. He is anxious to move the business from this populated residential area.
Two years ago he purchased an 80-acre property with a residence, located east of the airport on the north side of PR #259. Brown runs an RV storage operation there, but has much bigger plans to better utilize the space.
Development officer for TCWPD and the Town’s building inspector Corey Nixon explained that the property is currently within agricultural zoning.
Airport protection
The Town of Virden provided a draft of the Airport Master Plan. Virden mayor Jeff McConnell explained that the airport plan provides for an area of protection beyond the airport.
“The Town will be requesting the RM to apply these restrictions within its zoning bylaw in the near future.”
Height restrictions could affect development on the northern part of Brown’s property because of the nearby take-off/landing air strip, but the Town of Virden does not have any objections to the amendment of the development plan, said McConnell.
“We simply want to make the applicant aware of the possible restrictions that may be imposed upon this property.”
Kevin Sumner of the province’s Community and Regional Planning said the Board of TCWPD may wish to consider whether this bylaw conforms to their own policy to encourage commercial land use toward urban areas.
Provincial objection
Sumner also duly notified the board that Manitoba Agriculture objects to the re-designation, since there are 990 acres currently zoned industrial in and around Virden, and a further 80 acres in the adjacent RM of Wallace-Woodworth available for industrial development.
Local support
Despite the provincial objection, the Board voted in favour of re-designating the 48 acres from Resource-Agricultural to Employment.
Penner explained the provincial office’s understanding of available land is off-base.
“There`s nowhere near 900 acres in and surrounding Virden that`s developable.” He added, “With pipelines, oil industry right of ways and water flows, there is less than 10 percent developable.”
McConnell noted the proposed development is not “a mirror image” of Virden’s industrial park and said he understands why Pro-Drill needs to move.
Stambuski pointed out the agricultural land in question is not prime production land, but is used for light grazing.
This was but one of several steps required before Brown’s proposed move.
TCWPD must provide notice to the province that the bylaw has passed Second Reading. If the Province maintains its objection, the matter may go to the Municipal Board, or they may defer to local decision makers, at which point the land would need to be re-zoned to MH (heavy industry) to complete the requirements for Pro-Drill’s development.
