A rezoning application for J.D. Irving, Limited’s proposed Lancaster Logistics Park will come before council Monday night for a public hearing.
The company says the goal is to modernize the current transportation and rail operations at its Dever Road railyard in west Saint John.
Over the short term, the company wants to develop an intermodal terminal to transfer containers between rail cars to tractor-trailer chassis, with a longer-term plan to develop an auto terminal to receive new vehicle shipments by rail.
In order to do that, the company needs permission from Common Council to rezone a 13.2-hectare area from Light Industrial to Transportation to allow for the development.
The project has already received approval from city staff and the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC), but not everyone who lives nearby is in support.
Several residents opposed to the project spoke during a recent PAC meeting, with many citing noise concerns.
“From their presentations, the residents who appeared before the Committee are unhappy with the current situation with the rail yard and are frustrated that their voices are not being taken seriously,” the committee wrote to council.
PAC recommends to council that a planned sound wall (240 metres long and 10 metres high) and treed berm around the site be in place before construction begins.
A staff report to council said while J.D. Irving intends to have the berm constructed prior to the broader construction of the site, the wall cannot be erected at the same time as it would interfere with construction activity in preparing the site.
“The proponent has committed to having the wall constructed prior to the container facility being operational,” said the report.
Committee members also recommended that a sound monitoring and mitigation program be put in place as part of the approval.
According to the report, a sound study prepared by Dillon Consulting found that post-development sound levels at homes south of Dever Road will be no louder than the current ambient sound levels of 50 to 55 decibels.
City staff recommends that the onus for sound monitoring and mitigation be placed on the proponent and not the city itself.
They have proposed a plan which would require the proponent to implement “appropriate noise mitigation measure(s)” should post-project noise levels indicate a greater than two-decibel change compared to pre-project levels.
“The applicant would be expected to publish on their website the results of the program as well as corresponding mitigating efforts in the event a response is needed. In turn, staff will require the applicant to submit monitoring reports to the City’s Development Officer for review prior to publication,” said the staff report.
According to J.D. Irving, the project would facilitate the expansion of rail intermodal services, reduce long-haul trucking and create more short-haul trucking job opportunities.
Anne McInerney, vice-president of communications, said in April that the new logistics park is expected to create 30 full-time short-haul driver positions and 17 full-time railway positions.
Following Monday night’s public hearing, council is expected to vote on the first and second reading of the rezoning application.
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