City holds off on FedEx distribution centre in west Woodbridge

YorkRegion.com
June 19, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

City councillors postponed making a decision about allowing a large FedEx distribution centre in west Woodbridge to see if area residents’ concerns can be addressed through discussions with the developer, company representatives, regional council members and city staff.

The move came at Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting after Nick Pinto, president of West Woodbridge Homeowners Association, outlined several requests from area residents aimed at mitigating the impact of building a 38,000-square-metre facility, with hundreds of trucks, west of Hwy. 27, near Martin Grove Rd.

Those requests included installing acoustic barriers on both sides of Hwy. 27, with the one of the east side to be built and maintained by the region; setting the distribution centre as far back from Hwy. 27 as possible; using full cutoff lighting and moving the proposed fuelling station farther away from Hwy. 27 or eliminating it from the plan altogether, among other things.

Before that, Roy Mason, vice-president with KLM planning, and Courtney Lehman, spoke on behalf of developer Di Poce Management and FedEx, respectively, to outline commitments that have been made so far.

“We’ve provided a significant landscaping and buffering feature along Hwy. 27, which exceeds the city’s normal standards to buffer the residents to the east,” Mason said. “In addition, FedEx is committed to adhering to the city’s and the region’s standards with respect to onsite illumination.”

He also noted that FedEx plans to adjust drivers’ schedules to try to minimize the number of trucks leaving and entering the site during the morning and evening rush hours.

And the company plans to have an onsite management team committed to meeting with residents and city staff to address concerns as they arise, he said.

Lehman, meanwhile, noted it is expected the distribution centre will only increase traffic on Hwy. 27 by about 2 per cent.

Councillors voted to defer the matter until next week’s council meeting, slated for June 24, at city hall, 2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.