Charlottetown opens up areas for asphalt plants

Charlottetown council made changes Monday night to allow asphalt plants within two different areas of the city.

The plants will now be allowed in what is called an M-2 zone, meaning heavy industrial. There are only two of those zones in the city, the West Royalty industrial park and a section of Sherwood Road.

Coun. Greg Rivard, chair of planning, said any application would still have to go through an environmental assessment with the province.

"One of the guidelines in that study, that they factor in quite heavily, is any residents that live within the 500-metre radius of the asphalt plant," said Rivard.

"It is a guideline, but in drawing a circle of the radius around, for instance, around West Royalty Industrial Park, you're probably going to hit residential no matter which way you go. In the case of the Sherwood area there might be strategic spots within that area that the 500-metre radius doesn't hit."

Previously asphalt plants were allowed only as a discretionary use at the airport, but that was changed recently when the new planning bylaw was rewritten, leaving nowhere for them to go.

A resolution to amend the bylaw passed, but not without some opposition from several councillors. Some were concerned because last year there was an application for a plant in the Sherwood Road area which the public spoke heavily against.

Rivard said there isn't any current application for a plant before the city.

There is currently only one plant in the city, which is on the Sherwood Road. Rivard said if that plant closed, the land would be returned to residential.

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