Magna is appealing to the Ontario Land Tribunal to prevent townhouses from being built near one of its manufacturing facilities in Aurora.
Magna Powertrain Inc., operating as Unimotion-Gear, runs a manufacturing facility for drive plates/flexplates and reluctor wheels at 245 Edward St., near the intersection of Yonge Street and Henderson Drive.
Magna has gone to the OLT in protest of the Town of Aurora’s newly approved official plan, which designates the lands at 16, 20 and 232 Allaura Blvd. — which neighbour its facility — as residential use.
The owners of 16, 20 and 232 Allaura Blvd. have submitted site-specific planning applications to permit a 225-townhouse development, according to Marco Ramunno, director of planning and development with the Town of Aurora.
“The owners (Magna) appealed the official plan as they oppose the introduction of residential uses next to their operation. A portion of the 245 Edward St. property and the entire Allaura property have been designated for residential uses since 2010,” Ramunno said in a statement.
“The new OP has not changed the land use designation for either property. Both properties are still zoned for general employment uses, however the Allaura property has submitted a rezoning application and site plan to implement resident uses in conformity with the town’s official plan.”
At a public planning meeting last November regarding the townhouse development, Washington Burbano, general manager of Unimotion Gear, said he was concerned about the proposed setback distances and the potential to compromise Unimotion’s operating obligations under the Ontario Environmental Protection Act.
In April, Magna applied for an amendment of the Environmental Compliance Approval for the Edward St. facility.
The amendment would allow for changes to the equipment inventory, general ventilation exhausts, and an increase to the production limit from 121,056 kg/year to 140,000 kg/year of welded wire, according to Lindsay Davidson, a spokesperson for the provincial Environment Ministry.
This application for the amendment of the facility’s is currently under technical review, added Davidson.
Magna did not respond to requests for comment.
The OLT case is at the intake stage, with no hearings currently scheduled for the case.
