Waterville airport land rezoning passes first hurdle at Kings County council

The rezoning process for the Waterville airport property has taken off.

Kings County council has an agreement in place to sell a portion of the municipal airport property to Michelin Canada for a possible future expansion, and as part of the agreement, the land must be rezoned. A motion to rezone the property has been given first reading.

When the matter came up for debate at council earlier this month, Coun. Pauline Raven pointed out that the purchase agreement is in place and questioned why the county was now going to the public “to see if they want it or not.”

“Are we really in a position to listen to the public?” Raven said. “We’ll be sitting here in our seats knowing we have a purchase agreement that will be no good.”

She said council could be accused of going in with a decision already made, similar to accusations made by New Minas residents earlier that evening in regard to a development agreement with David Brown United Transport for the former ACA poultry processing plant. Raven said if such an accusation were made in regard to the airport land, it “would be a legitimate accusation.”

A motion to give first reading to the rezoning from the Airport (T1) zone to the Heavy Industrial (M2) zone carried. The matter will now proceed to a public hearing.

Following the vote, Warden Diana Brothers told Raven that her vote hadn’t registered. Brothers asked Raven how she had voted.

“I deliberately abstained,” Raven said. “If it counts as a negative vote, that’s fine, but I did not vote.”

The county’s planning advisory committee held a public participation meeting on the proposed rezoning on Dec. 1 at the municipal complex in Kentville that was attended by six people.

Waterville Airport Co-operative Limited chairman Gordon Squires said he is conditionally in favour of the rezoning. He wants county council to complete the arrangements put in place between the chief administrative officer and existing investors at the airport and for council to keep an open mind in regard to a new location for the airport.

He said airport associates would soon be making some decisions about a replacement location and a long-term growth plan that would allow it to grow and thrive. All options are being looked at, including 14 Wing Greenwood, but Squires doesn’t believe the location and other aspects are ideal.

Squires is hopeful council will be supportive of whatever decisions are made by the committee of aviation stakeholders working towards the relocation.