PLN20-001 Highway, Elmsdale - Municipality of East Hants

Applicant

Elmsdale Lumber Company Limited

Request

To amend the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw and to substantially amend an existing development agreement to enable a biochar production facility.

Subject Property

The Municipality has received an updated application from Elmsdale Lumber Company Limited. The application proposes to continue to amend the Official Community Plan by changing a portion of PID 45342938 to the Industrial Commercial (IC) Designation and to rezone the same to the Industrial Commercial (IC) Zone. The application also seeks to substantially amend an existing development agreement for the lumber mill, to allow for a containerized biochar production facility. Biochar, in the context of this application, is charcoal that is produced by pyrolysis* of residual wood. According to the information provided by Elmsdale Lumber Company Limited, feedstocks for the facility would be supplied by Elmsdale Lumber, thereby complementing the existing lumber mill. The containerized biochar production unit is 1/10th the scale of the originally proposed biochar production facility. The facility is proposed to be located in two containers approximately 1,200 ft2. As proposed, the facility will undergo an 8-month trial for observations of noise levels and levels of emissions. These results can then be scaled to enable consideration of the original full-sized biochar production facility at a future date. *Pyrolysis means the heating of an organic material, such as biomass, in the absence of oxygen.

Details

The subject properties are located in Elmsdale, and are identified as PID 45082773 and PID 45342938. As indicated on the zoning map to the right, the subject properties are split designated Established Residential Neighbourhood (ER) Designation and Industrial Commercial (IC) and split zoned Two Dwelling Unit Residential (R2) and Industrial Commercial (IC). Adjacent property uses and zones include residential zoned lands to the north and south, Village Core (VC) Zone commercial uses across the street, and Highway 102 borders the rear of the subject lands. The Elmsdale District School, zoned Institutional Use (IU) is also adjacent to the subject lands. The containerized biochar facility is proposed to be located on the same property as the existing sawmill use. The original application showed the location of the biochar production facility on PID 45342938, the containerized facility will be located adjacent to the existing lumber mill operations.

Reports & Documents

Contact

For further information, please contact Debbie Uloth, Community Planner II, at 902-883-3387 or duloth@easthants.ca.