A committee of North Bay City Council has approved a rezoning proposal in West Ferris.

The plan if approved by council in two weeks would see property on Birchs Road and Legault Street currently zoned residential became ripe for industrial development.

Leo DeLoyde of DeLoyde Development Solutions says they’ve made several compromises to meet the concerns of the neighborhood.

“We will dedicate about 12 acres of natural heritage features. There’s an amazing pond there and we would give that as a condition of approval to a public authority,” he says.

They also plan to reduce the blasting hours for the development and that would only happen from 8-4 Monday to Friday.

Mayor Al McDonald says they’re running out of land to develop at the Airport Industrial Park and this will help.

“Having more industrial land in our community takes some of the pressure of for us to replace those lands up there as quickly as possible,” he says.

McDonald says the official plan is being amended to make this happen.

DeLoyde says is will be an asset to the community.

“We plan to develop a number of light industrial lots. Basically, what you see in the Gateway Park and the area will be what you get. It’s the same zoning. We think well over 100 jobs will be created,” DeLoyde says.

(photo by station staff)

Filed under: Birchs Road, industrial land, Legault Street