Read our recent letter to Town Planning staff on expected revised site plan applications submissions that include full utilization volumes, as well as new information on emissions levels in the Clarkson Airshed area provided at a recent City of Mississauga public meeting.
Text of the letter is also copied below:
May 11, 2023
Gabe Charles
Director of Planning Services
Town of Oakville
1225 Trafalgar Road
Oakville, ON L6H 0H3
Re: Site Plan Application 1601.028/01 (560 Winston Churchill Blvd)
Site Plan Application 1601.029/01 (700 & 750 Winston Churchill Blvd)
Dear Director Charles,
With respect to the resubmissions and peer reviews of the site plan application documents for both the 560 and 700 & 750 Winston Churchill Boulevard proposed warehouse developments, JCRA understands that:
The Town has confirmed that the applicants have been advised to do the following prior to resubmitting their studies:
Consider the total building area and the number of loading bays for both sites and identify the cumulative traffic effect across both sites, assuming full utilization.
Undertake a trip generation survey from similar developments (i.e., total floor area and number of loading bays for both sites) or from a known tenant that represents an appropriate maximum trip generation (i.e., full utilization).
Review the information and define what full utilization is for their proposed WCB applications.
Provide an update or addendum to the TIS and Land Use Compatibility (noise) studies based on the maximum.
Be aware they are required to mitigate noise issues based on the WCB traffic.
Assure the Town that the peer reviewer(s) will have staff with logistics knowledge included in the review discussions.
In addition, we understand that our Town and Regional Councillor, Janet Haslett-Theall, has asked that the consultants also review and update the information on potential emissions from the 700/750 and 560 developments, in a similar fashion to the information provided at a Mississauga Public Meeting held on March 22, 2023, related to the rezoning of land at the Clarkson Go Station to permit construction of 4 high rise condominiums.
The JCRA supports the resubmission requirements outlined above that the Town has provided to the applicants for the warehouse developments proposed for 700/750 and 560 Winston Churchill Boulevard. In addition, we strongly support Councillor Haslett-Theall’s request that a thorough analysis of the impact of transport truck emissions on residents be included in the resubmitted Land Compatibility Study based on full capacity utilization.
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While we recognize that the individual applicants are responsible for the impacts resulting only from their own properties, we need assurances from the Town that a comprehensive, holistic study will be carried out by, or on behalf of, the Town by competent and experienced reviewers, with warehouse logistics expertise, to properly assess the cumulative impact of these several developments.
In this context we are attaching the link to emissions studies provided to the public at the previously referenced City of Mississauga Public meeting held on March 22, 2023 with the caveat that representatives from both the consultants, peer reviewers (Dillon Consulting and WSP) and the City of Mississauga confirmed that the studies did not include the impact of increases in future emissions related to the four new warehouse developments under construction in Mississauga and the two new warehouse developments in Oakville. These new developments will significantly increase transport truck traffic and diesel emissions in the area and should be included in a study of emissions from the Oakville warehouses.
1. 759 Winston Churchill Blvd., Mississauga – under construction
2. 2645 Royal Windsor Dr., Mississauga – under construction
3. 551 Avonhead Rd., Mississauga – starting construction
4. 2520 and 2510 Royal Windsor Dr., Mississauga – nearing completion
5. 700/750 Winston Churchill Blvd., Oakville – pending
6. 560 Winston Churchill Blvd., Oakville – pending
Without including the impact from the substantial increase in transport truck traffic and the related emissions from these six massive new warehouse developments, the Clarkson studies found that five relevant air quality thresholds were already exceeded for PM2.5, PM10, NOx, Acrolein, Benzene and Benzo(a) pyrene. These contaminants are primarily related to transportation. When contaminants are found to exceed the established air quality thresholds, a human health assessment is required by the Ministry of the Environment.
The JCRA asks, on behalf of residents, that updated emissions studies accompany the updated Land Compatibility Studies (noise) based on the maximum trip generation information and increases in the background emissions from the new warehouse developments in Mississauga and Oakville referenced above. If the established air quality thresholds are exceeded, then a human health assessment together with appropriate mitigation requirements must be included in the final reports.
Below is the link to the Clarkson Air Quality studies. Please note a sign-in ID is required to access documents on the Mississauga site. (After you create an ID and have access to the site, hit enter on the link below or if this doesn’t work, copy and paste the link into google search or your web browser).
https://yoursay.mississauga.ca/clarkson
We are also attaching a link to a report from the State of California Department of Justice entitled Warehouse Projects: Best Practices and Mitigation Measures to Comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. This document outlines many of the concerns that have been expressed by our Councillors, JCRA and residents. California has the largest conglomeration of enormous logistics warehouses in North America due to its proximity to the largest seaports in the Country and links to major North American wide transportation networks. Many of their communities have been adversely affected by the proliferation of these large warehouses. As a result, California is at the forefront of best
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practices. You can access this report by clicking on the link below or by copying the link into your web browser if the link does not work.
https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/environment/warehouse-best-practices.pdf
In hindsight it is clear that these proposed mega logistics warehouses at 700/750 and 560 Winston Churchill Blvd. should not have been allowed in close proximity to sensitive residential uses as they do not respect the intended buffer from the E3 Industrial land to the east in Mississauga. In addition, the recommended Ministry of the Environment (MECP) buffer of 300 metres between the Class 2 Industrial Category and sensitive residential uses has not been respected by the scale and lot coverage of the proposed developments.
Consequently, we require our Planning and Traffic Departments, consultants and peer reviewers to determine the trip generations from these facilities at full utilization and provide fulsome reviews of impact on residents from the traffic, noise, and emissions they will generate. Mitigation must be of the highest standard to ensure that nearby residents can continue to enjoy the same quality of life they enjoy today well into the future.
We appreciate your consideration of our concerns, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss further.
Regards,
Elizabeth Chalmers
President, Joshua Creek Residents Association
CC
Leigh Musson, Senior Planner
Neil Garbe, Community Development Commissioner
Jane Clohecy, Chief Administrative Officer
Mayor Rob Burton
Ward 3 Town & Region Councillor Janet Haslett-Theall
Ward 3 Town Councillor Dave Gittings