Mark L. Dorfman Planner Inc. has submitted a Zoning By-law Application for the property at 955 Sawmill Road, Township of Woolwich.The subject lands are located north of the town of Bloomingdale, on the west side of Sawmill Road and south of the Grand River.The property is designated Prime Agricultural Area within the Township Official Plan in Chapter 6 on Map 6.1 and also designated as Core Environmental Features on Map 13.1. The property is zoned Agricultural (A), which permits agricultural uses as well as a single detached dwelling and some additional ancillary uses.

The 37.8 hectare (93.4 acre) property is irregularly shaped, with approximately 308 metres of frontage on Sawmill Road and 363 metres on Snyder’s Flats Road. The property currently has a residential dwelling as well as an existing farm storage building. It is noted that the farm storage building is located on lands that are currently not used for crop production or within an identified environmental area.The remainder of the lands are used for crop production and environmental lands.

The applicant is proposing to amend the existing Agricultural (A) Zoning to include a Special Section to permit additional uses for indoor non-commercial recreational activities including skating, hockey and associated amenities in the existing farm storage building. The building was constructed in 2020 as a farm storage building. Renovations were completed after the construction was completed. The internal renovations included, but are not limited to, the installation of an artificial ice surface for skating and hockey with team benches, change rooms, washrooms and showers and an ice resurfacing machine room, an outside refrigeration system to maintain the ice rink was installed as well. An asphalt parking lot in front of the building was also included.

The applicant is responsible to ensure that the existing building complies with the Ontario Building Code and is satisfactory to the Chief Building Official.

The applicant has submitted the following documents / studies in support of this application:

• Planning Justification Report, prepared by Mark L. Dorfman Planner Inc.; and,
• Existing Conditions Plan, prepared by J.D. Barnes Ltd.